interior ledged and braced door

[jso]

I've nearly finished making one of these,using t&g v channel 19mm floorboards; ledges and braces from 21mm floorboarding with the t&g planed off, obviously.(I wanted a bit thicker, but disappointingly couldn't buy the small quantity I needed) -

I'm screwing this together, not clinch nailing. So far have already started screwing the three ledges in place, with two screws arranged vertically to coincide with the centres of the two edge planks and the centre one, following one video/article on a website somewhere. It'll doubtless need more - maybe similar for each plank.

But some advocate a triangle of screws for each plank with one at the top centrally; and there are alternative patterns out there too, such as "diagonally" (although I'm not quite sure what that means)

My question is: what is considered best practice?

(Ultimately it doesn't matter visually as it will be painted, and the screw holes filled. Bit in terms of construction?)

 

[foxhole]

More screws the stronger it will be. Just nailed and glued mine.

9C02651C-D5BD-44AC-BD6A-D0002D963D86

• foxhole
• 1 Oct 2017

Sliding door

 

[jso]

"More screws the stronger it will be. Just nailed and glued mine."

Yes, indeed.

I was worried about shrinkage/expansion so fastening in the centres only, made sense. But I may have been over-influenced by an outside project I've just finished: cladding a wooden jack-leg cabin with boards and battens, which I did with centre-screwing the boards onto the laths beneath, and then centre screwing the battens over the gaps between the boards, following what is apparently common practice. (And ignoring the advice of a passing builder who said he always puts two nails into each plank.) I reckoned a centre fixing would be less likely to lead to splits, but then that's an outside job, exposed to getting soaked and drying out.

As for my internal door, maybe the alternative is to fix it so strongly that it can't move?

 

[foxhole]

If using paint finish it’s cheap and quick to run a router with V bit down 18mm mdf to make l&b doors.

 

[jso]

If using paint finish it’s cheap and quick to run a router with V bit down 18mm mdf to make l&b doors.

Well, they wouldn't really be "ledged and braced" doors if they're in mdf, would they? Just plank effect.

The two nearby doors are proper l&b doors, so this has to be right. And anyway, thanks for the suggestion, but no good suggesting routered mdf now! As I originally said, I've nearly finished making this door already, out of t&g!

Actually given where it's going, mdf wouldn't be a possibility: one side is a utility area in a back porch (with washing machine and drier nearby) and the other side of the door is actually a shower area. Even with t&g I'm going to have to be liberal with the varnish and paint.