Door Construction

Part of Permanent Shelter

A solid door is the boundary between shelter and exposure. The ledge-and-brace plank door has been the standard for thousands of years because it works with rough-sawn or split lumber, requires no complex joinery, and can be built in a single day with hand tools. This guide covers the complete process from raw timber to a hung, latched, weathertight door.

The Ledge-and-Brace Pattern

This is the classic “barn door” or “cottage door” construction: vertical planks held together by horizontal battens (ledges) and a diagonal brace. The brace is what prevents the door from sagging over time.

Anatomy of a Ledge-and-Brace Door

 ┌──┬──┬──┬──┬──┐
 │  │  │  │  │  │  ← Vertical planks (boards)
 ├──┴──┴──┴──┴──┤
 │   TOP LEDGE   │  ← Horizontal batten
 ├──┬──┬──┬──┬──┤
 │  │ /│  │  │  │
 │  │/ │  │  │  │  ← Diagonal brace
 │  /  │  │  │  │    (rises from hinge side)
 │ /│  │  │  │  │
 ├──┴──┴──┴──┴──┤
 │ BOTTOM LEDGE  │  ← Horizontal batten
 ├──┬──┬──┬──┬──┤
 │  │  │  │  │  │
 └──┴──┴──┴──┴──┘

Brace Direction Matters

The diagonal brace must rise from the hinge side toward the latch side. This transfers the weight of the free (latch) edge down through the brace to the hinge. If you install the brace the wrong way, the door will sag worse than having no brace at all.

Making Planks

You need boards roughly 2–4 cm thick, wide enough that 4–6 of them span your door width.

Splitting (Riving)

The fastest method without a saw. Rived planks are stronger than sawn ones because the grain is not cut through.

1. Select a straight-grained log at least 30 cm in diameter, free of large knots.
2. Stand the log on end. Drive a wedge into the centre of the end grain with a mallet.
3. As the split opens, drive additional wedges along the crack to guide it straight down the log.
4. Split halves into quarters, quarters into eighths. Each piece is a rough plank.
5. Flatten one face with an axe or adze to a reasonably flat surface — it does not need to be perfect.

Pit Sawing

If you have a saw and two people, you can produce more uniform boards.

1. Lay the log over a pit or elevated platform. One person stands below, one on top.
2. Mark cut lines on the log end, spaced 3–4 cm apart.
3. Saw along each line with a two-person rip saw. The top person guides, the bottom person pulls.

Seasoning

Freshly cut wood shrinks as it dries. If possible, air-dry your planks for at least 2–4 weeks under cover before building the door. Stack them with spacers (stickers) between each board for airflow. A door built from green wood will develop gaps between planks as they shrink.

Assembling the Door

Materials Needed

Component	Dimensions	Quantity
Planks	Door height × 10–20 cm wide × 2–4 cm thick	4–6 boards
Ledges (horizontal battens)	Door width × 10–15 cm wide × 2–3 cm thick	2–3 pieces
Brace (diagonal)	Cut to fit × 10–12 cm wide × 2–3 cm thick	1 piece
Fasteners	Wooden pegs (2 cm diameter) or wrought nails	20–30

Step-by-Step Assembly

1. Lay out the planks face-down on a flat surface, edges touching, in the order they will form the door. Alternate the curve of the grain (heartwood side up, then down, alternating) to minimize warping.
2. Mark and cut to length — all planks should be the same height, equal to your rough opening height minus 2–3 cm for clearance.
3. Position the ledges — place the top ledge 15–20 cm down from the top, the bottom ledge 15–20 cm up from the bottom. If using a middle ledge, centre it.
4. Position the brace — set the diagonal so it runs from the bottom hinge corner to the top latch corner. Mark where it crosses the ledges, then cut the brace ends at matching angles so it fits snugly between the ledges.
5. Fasten planks to ledges — for each plank-ledge crossing, drill a hole through both pieces and drive a wooden peg through, or use two nails. If using nails, drive them through the front face and clinch (bend) the protruding points flat on the back side.
6. Fasten the brace — peg or nail each end of the brace to its respective ledge, and nail it to each plank it crosses.

Clinched Nails

Clinching is stronger than a straight nail. Drive the nail through both pieces so it protrudes 1–2 cm on the back side, then bend the point over and hammer it flat into the wood. This creates a hook that cannot pull out.

Hinges

Wooden Pivot Hinges

The simplest hinge requires no metal at all.

1. Top pivot: Leave the hinge-side plank slightly longer than the others at the top. Round the extension into a cylinder (the pivot pin). Drill a matching hole in the lintel above.
2. Bottom pivot: Do the same at the bottom, fitting the pin into a hole in the threshold or a stone socket.
3. The door hangs on these two pivot points and swings freely.

Advantages: No metal, simple, historically ancient. Disadvantages: Only works if the hinge-side plank is a single strong piece. The door cannot be lifted off without disassembly.

Leather Strap Hinges

1. Cut two or three strips of thick leather (or untanned rawhide), each about 5 cm wide and 30 cm long.
2. Nail one end to the back of the door, the other end to the door frame.
3. The leather flexes as the door swings.

Advantages: Very fast to make, works with any door. Disadvantages: Leather stretches and wears. Expect to replace straps every 1–3 years.

Metal Strap Hinges

If you have access to a forge or salvaged metal:

1. Forge a flat strap with an eye (loop) at one end.
2. Drive a pin (pintle) into the door frame.
3. The eye drops over the pintle — the door swings on this pivot.

This is the standard hinge type for most of recorded history. Two hinges for a light door, three for a heavy one.

Latches and Locks

Wooden Bar Lock

The simplest and strongest lock: a horizontal timber bar that drops into brackets on both sides of the door frame from inside.

• Bar dimensions: at least 8 × 8 cm cross-section, spanning the full door width plus 15 cm overlap on each side.
• Brackets: shaped wooden blocks nailed to the frame, forming a U-channel for the bar to rest in.

Drop Latch

1. Mount a vertical wooden latch bar on the inside of the door, pivoting on a nail or peg near the top.
2. Cut a notch (catch) in the door frame at the height where the latch bar’s bottom end naturally rests.
3. Lifting the bar clears the catch and the door opens. Releasing it drops the bar back into the catch.
4. String pull: Drill a small hole through the door and thread a leather thong through it, tied to the latch bar. Pulling the string from outside lifts the latch. To “lock” the door, pull the string inside.

String Latch (Cabin Latch)

A variation of the drop latch where the string is always accessible from outside — the door has no lock. Common in communities where theft is not a concern. The phrase “the latchstring is always out” means you are welcome.

Hanging the Door

1. Check the frame — the opening must be plumb (vertical sides) and level (horizontal top). Shim if needed.
2. Position the door in the opening with small wedges underneath to set the correct height (5–10 mm clearance at the bottom).
3. Mark hinge positions on both door and frame.
4. Install hinges — for pintle hinges, drive the pintles into the frame first, then hang the door by dropping the hinge eyes over them. For pivot hinges, you may need a helper to lift the door into position.
5. Test the swing — the door should open and close freely without binding. Plane or shave high spots as needed.
6. Install the latch with the door hanging.

Weatherstripping

Gaps around the door let in wind, rain, and insects.

Method	Material	Where
Rebate (rabbet)	Cut a step in the frame	All four edges — the door closes against the step, blocking straight-through drafts
Strip seal	Leather, felt, or woven cloth	Tacked along the frame edges where the door face meets the frame
Threshold board	Hardwood plank, 3–5 cm high	Bottom of the opening — the door closes against it
Bottom sweep	Leather flap nailed to door bottom	Drags along the threshold, sealing the gap underneath

Key Takeaways

• The ledge-and-brace door is the simplest reliable design: vertical planks, two or three horizontal battens, and one diagonal brace.
• The brace must rise from the hinge side — this transfers the door’s weight through the brace to the hinges.
• Split (rived) planks are stronger than sawn, but either works. Season the wood if you can.
• Wooden pivot hinges need no metal. Leather strap hinges are fast but temporary. Metal pintle hinges are the long-term standard.
• A wooden bar across the inside of the door is stronger than any latch or lock.
• Weatherseal with a rebated frame, strip seals on the edges, a raised threshold, and a leather sweep on the door bottom.