1. Use 1" x 2"s to make a frame of the size you need to fit the openning.
2. Nail or staple 1/4" (or thinner) plywd both sides.
3. Insulate the inside if you want.
4. Paint to waterproof.

You will have a light weight and strong door you need.

dcarch

Michelle-
One other approach is to make the door of 2X2's and simply use butt joints that are held together at each corner by a steel angle brace. Then attach your film, and, after it's in place, attach a 1X2 diagonally on one side and another running to the other two corners on the other side. It will look like a square with an "X" across it. The combination of the braces and the diagonal bracing will be strong and you can still have a transparent door.

Come on dcarch, You can do better than that! I have seen you magic work on the box(computer). Show the man some kind of plan :)
I agree with big D, however having lived with screen doors all my life I would use 1 x 3"s at least. Remember that those are nominal measurements 1 x 2" are really 3/4 x 1 1/2" and 1 by 3" is really 3/4 x 2 1/2".
I would build in on a flat surface like your garage floor or living room floor if it does not have carpet (only kidding about the LR). The plywood at the corners is a great idea that I had planned to use when I build my door.
Set it up square as you can and I would add one more
element to the attachment of the pieces that has not been shown
GOOD WEATHER GLUE ON ALL JOINTS. I am a firm believer of the new modern glues that we have now and never build much with them.
You have not mentioned how you plan to mount it. Are you going to make a frame on your structure and mount the door inside the frame?
Give us some more information as there are many ways to do what you want to do.

1eyedJack and the Dawg

ole_dawg,

I can only do my magic when there is a full moon. :-)

Hinges:
Need to be rust proof. stainless, brass, aluminum.

wood:
All wood are kiln dried. It will expand a lot in an humid environment. make sure you allow for expansion.

I like wood doors because you can nail and hang tools on them.

dcarch

Well, I'm stuck at home on a rainy day, so I gave the router another try and it came out much better this time. I had a bundle of dry, straight 2x2 on hand. The joints aren't super-snug, but not loose. DH is going to pick up some waterproof woodglue for me (good tip).

It's not glued & screwed together yet, but here's the idea... It needs trimmed to size.

{{gwi:295387}}

Can I just screw a sheet of plexiglass to it after I paint it? It's going to be on the south side of my tunnel, so I'd rather that it's clear for early season heat gain. I thought about making it so that I can take off the plexiglass around June. Not sure if that would be useful? I'd have to cover it with something like screen or chicken wire to keep the chickens out.

Here's sort of what the frame looks like - except I took it apart, turned it, and finished up a bunch of the details. The door frame feels sturdy. I have added Simpson Strong tie L brackets to the door frame since the photo was taken.

{{gwi:295388}}

I think I have some brass hinges around. Humidity is not much of an issue as my area is high desert-ish.

I thought about making the top window pane of the door a drop down, so I could unlatch it and drop it down inside the door for ventilation.

Lots of ideas, not sure what I can do without messing up what I've done so far. :-)

Cheers,
Michelle

Dang, Michelle, you don't need our advice! That looks great! When you glue it, make sure that you use screws at the joints, because you need to pull those joints up tight. The ideal is to have the thinnest glue line possible so that there isn't any gapping: this makes the strongest joint. And screwing plexiglas onto it will make it nicely rigid. Just remember to drill screw holes in the plexiglas that are slightly larger than the diameter of the screw thread because plexiglas will expand and contract and the panel will bulge and possibly stress crack at the holes if it doesn't have room for movement.

Oh, I incorporated advice from everyone's posts! :-) So thank you all very much!! Including yours, Kudzu, for crossbracing, slightly modified albeit... It's also a good reminder about plexiglass. I would have forgot that.

That $10 for diesel I would have spent to get to the hardware store in town can be saved for my next FarmTek order. :-) I wish they hadn't sent me their catalog & a coupon for 10% off.

Cheers,
Michelle

michelle_co

You amy want to get glazing type of plexi. (HD has for window use), This kind is UV resistant. Otherwise regular plexi will yellow.

dcarch

What thickness of plexiglass? I looked at Lowes last time I was there and they had several thicknesses.

Is it worth it for the Lexan?

Cheers,
Michelle

I don't think impact resistance is important for your situation. I would go thin and I would go cheap. You can score thin Plexi and crack it to size. Cutting Plexi will need a good sharp saw blade. the edges tends to chip.

dcarch

That looks pretty good to me. If you haven't glued it up yet, I would recommend Titebond II wood glue or a polyurethane glue like Gorilla Glue, although there are multiple brands. Elmer's makes one that doesn't expand as much as Gorilla Glue.

I do some woodworking and the only wood glue I've used the past 7 years is Titebond. The poly glue will expand while curing so it's recommended that the materials are clamped or screwed together but it will provide an excellent bond. It's also good when you're gluing end grain, which tends to "suck in" liquids, including thicker liquids like yellow glues or finishes.

As dcarch mentioned, plexi can be scored to cut and there is an inexpensive hand tool made for just that purpose. Just about any hardware store will carry one. Use care with them as with any sharp object because they can slip and take off on you, providing a nasty cut.

Thanks - DH came home with Gorilla Glue, so that's what I used. I have the dropdown window built (it came out really nice!), and today I am going to paint the frame. I will post some pictures when it's done.

I ended up with one sheet of thicker plexi b/c it was the same price as it was to buy thinner plexi in the two smaller pieces. I tried the score and snap method and never got a clean snap. Tried the dremmel blade the HD guy had recommended and it was worse than awful. Finally tried the jigsaw with a new 'smooth cut metal' blade, and that worked like a charm. Perfect, straight cuts, no chipping! I did put some masking tape over my lines, maybe that reduces chipping... I don't know, but it worked great.

Of course, the finished size of the door is a titch too wide for my door frame, so I need to widen it quarter inch, it shouldn't be too tough of a job. That will keep me gainfully employed while the glue dries... :-)

Cheers,
Michelle
(who hopes to have the door installed today!)

Please be careful with Gorilla Glue. I think it is cyanide based and should not be used near food stuff, or things sugject to frequent skin contact.

Plexi also comes with "AR" rated. It stand for abrasion reisistant.

dcarch

I think it is cyanide based and should not be used near food stuff, or things sugject to frequent skin contact.

MSDS says that when it catches fire trace amounts of cyanide sulfide gas can be produced. It doesn't mention it as a normal hazard of handling the glue. It will be sealed up under paint anyway.

My dad used to do gold milling back in the 80's and there were always 55 gallon drums of cyanide around (there was one stored in my tack & feed room for years). I guess the tiny bit glue might emit doesn't worry me as much as it probably should.

Cheers,
Michelle