Making arched top doors - part five - finishing and hanging

I'm convinced that two major things separate the professional from the amateur woodworker. The first is having the proper tools. Good tools are obviously expensive, and most people aren't going shell out $400 for a scru-gun or $4000 for a wide board sander. I'm lucky that my woodshop is fully equipped, so regardless of whatever situation I find myself in - I usually have a tool to get out of it.

Need to cut a piano hinge to a certain, odd size, or round the corners for mortising with a router? No problem.

Or make a piece of hardwood trim because you can't find the proper profile at the lumberyard? One word - piece-o'-cake.

So being able to adapt and problem solve in the shop is of major importance.

But an even more important aspect of woodworking is hardware. Just as location is everything to a retail business, installing hardware properly is key to providing quality woodworking. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone build a reasonably nice cabinet, only to be disappointed in how the hardware was installed. Let's face it - hardware for your cabinetry is like it's jewelry. Install it poorly and it diminishes the whole effect of your work.



So installing these two way hinges for the doors was a bit of a challenge. The last time I used something like this was in a set of pass-through doors in a restaurant, many years ago. I knew that accuracy was critical to the doors hanging properly, so I used some custom cut spacers to accurately position the hinge on each door.

Unfortunately, I got on a roll when I was hanging these doors, and forgot to take pictures.


Once the hinges were installed on the doors, I removed them and installed them on the jamb. The only difference is that the hinge location on the jamb was a half inch higher, so that the doors were spaced a half inch off the floor tile. But I used the same spacers, so that everything was aligned properly.

A little tweaking with the spring tension, and the doors are hanging perfectly in the archway. I generally get all of my hardware installed - but before I installed the locksets - I removed the doors once again to paint the doors their final color. In this case, I heavily textured the doors to match the surrounding wall texture.



After some texture, primer and a couple coats of paint, the doors were ready to be hung.

Add the knobs and call it a day.

Making arched top doors - part two - the hardware

One of my beefs about the commercial hardware companies I deal with is that they are often more expensive than buying things from my local Ace hardware, or one of the big box stores. Oh, they'll try to convince you their product is better. But when I see the exact item on sale at a cheaper price, it's hard to believe their argument.

So I called a couple of my suppliers, only to find that the hinges were about $100 a set. OK, these are commercial hinges, very heavy duty, but I'm not sure they're worth that price. It's not like these doors are heavy, nor are they going to receive heavy traffic. Those are two important aspects to consider when choosing hinges.

On my next trip to my local store, I found a similar two way hinge for about $16.00 each, about 34% cheaper than for what my "wholesaler" sells them.

What's up with that?

Which brings me to another topic - as a small business owner operating in this economic climate, I'm always looking to save a buck. One thing I've learned is that my suppliers are not necessarily saving me money, even though they claim wholesale prices.



I recently bough a gallon of glue - Titebond Brown Glue, which has been my adhesive of choice for many years. Every now and then, I'll get lucky and find it locally. I used to buy it in 5 gallon pails, which offers a huge savings in cost. But in this hot weather, I can't do that. So I'm back to buying it by the gallon, even though it pains me to pay more for it. So I called my "wholesaler" and ordered a gallon, and a few days later, I got the bill - $33.00 and change for a gallon.

#@(% me.

Then I checked at Rockler, and learned they were selling it for $18.99. Learn from my mistakes - sometimes your best deal isn't with your supplier. Loyalty is a two way street. If they want my business, they need to sell things at a fair price.




Buying sandpaper is another one of those things that makes me want to scream. I can't tell you the number of sandpaper vendors that call me for an order, or send me samples, trying to get my business. I've been ordering sandpaper online for years now, saving a bundle. No, I don't own a piece of this company; I just know they're nice to deal with, they ship fast, and I can't buy sandpaper this cheap anywhere else.