Crotch Mahogany Entry

These doors feature our own “Book-Matched” 1/8” thick veneer which is vacuum pressed over Honduras Mahogany “Stave Laminated Cores”.  This method provides maximum stability and control of grain pattern, and is used when the desire is for the finest possible, Furniture Grade Door. 

The door’s overall thickness is 2-1/4”.  All of the mouldings were custom and are particular to this house only.  The crotch mahogany panels are 1-3/4” with a graceful sweeping bevel.  The sidelights are done in the traditional manor with a sash resting on a beveled sill.  Beneath the sill, the paneling steps out to provide both structural and visual support, for the beautiful 1/2” thick Starfire® glass with a 1-3/4” bevel.

The jamb is 1-3/4” at the rim and 3-1/2” thick at the door.  The arched jamb head is vacuum laminated of eight 1/8” veneers, making an amazingly stable arch.  Wilson & McCracken never uses inferior methods for our arched tops such as “kerf bending” or laminating “bending plywood”. 
 
All miters are glued and “blind dovetailed” to ensure they will never open up.
Wilson & McCracken provided templates for the stone fabricator, to ensure the arched limestone would produce the proper reveal.

We’d love to build one for you.

What a fun project this was.  The original door gave the basic theme for this new one.  This door was constructed with a laminated mahogany stave core.  It is “veneered” with our own re-sawn 1/8″ thick quarter sawn white oak veneers.  The miter work was particularly challenging.  Each of the miters is “blind fastened” with a dovetail fastener and glued to prevent the joints from opening.  The overall thickness is 3″.  It is shown here before finishing.

This entry was a re-work of existing conditions.  The original configuration had double doors, which proved impractical for this Pittsburgh bed and breakfast.  Matching the original glass in the side lights and modifying the opening, created the appearance that the entry always had just a single door.

Double doors with custom mouldings made from Honduras Mahogany. The stiles and rails are 2 ¼” thick.  They are veneered with our own re-sawn 1/8″ thick book-matched veneers.  A stave-laminated mahogany core makes this south-facing door extremely stable.  The custom panel mouldings feature blind-fasteners in the miters to keep them from opening. A deep stain and four brushed coats of satin marine varnish make these doors a major improvement over the originals supplied by the builder.

This was a fun project.  Built as an exact replica of the original Frederick G. Schiebler door, it is actually a constructed as a door with two fixed sash, one with the panel and one with the glass.  It is 2-1/2" thick and constructed of fine grained white oak over a stave laminated mahogany core.  The original lock was restored to working order.

This was a three phase project which took place over a period of about a year.  There were three sets of doors which needed to be addressed.

Two sets of doors were restorable. The repairs to them included replacing panel boards, re-veneering all the bottom rails, and a couple stiles with 1/8″ veneer.  Restoring the door jambs and all hardware were also part of our scope.

The third of set of doors (shown here) were beyond repair.  With considerable work the existing arched top jamb was successfully restored.  The doors however were built new.  The construction techniques used improved on those used in the original doors.  The doors use our own re-sawn 1/8″ thick white oak veneer laminated over a Honduras Mahogany core.  The finish is 4 coats of high gloss marine varnish, brush applied.

As long term client we also have restored a major window and several pieces of furniture, as well as building a new memorial plaque and a vestment table.

The 3-3/4″ thick doors are new, with the exception of the carvings which were carefully removed and restored.  The original jamb and transom paneling were stripped and restored.  The iron straps, and pulls were restored and re-used.

Since 2004, Wilson & McCracken has restored, or built new, every exterior door on the church.  We are honored to have played such a visible role in the restoration of this Ralph Adams Cram Landmark Church.

These doors were built for the 2004 restoration of Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, Pa.  They are an exact match of the originals which had weathered beyond restoration.  New pulls were cast in bronze to replace the missing originals.  The hinges, iron straps and bronze castings were restored and re-used.

Wilson & McCracken has, since 2004, restored or built all of the exterior doors on the church.  We are honored to have played such a visible role in the restoration of this Ralph Adams Cram Landmark Church.

These doors were built for the 2004 Restoration of Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, Pa.  The project and doors were photographed for Traditional Building Magazine’s 2004 Religious Properties Awards. The iron straps, bronze castings, and pulls were duplicated. Since 2004, Wilson & McCracken has restored, or built new, every exterior door on the church.  We are honored to have played such a visible role in the restoration of this Ralph Adams Cram Landmark Church.