Build It | Salvaged Door Shadow Box

Watch the full episode: [link to full ep on YT if avail, or on .com if unavail on YT] Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva and host Kevin O’Connor build a shadow box using wood recycled from an old door Click here to SUBSCRIBE to the official This Old House YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=thisoldhouse Time: 5-6 hours Cost: $100 Skill Level: Moderate Tools List for Building a Shadow Box: Table saw Circular saw Palm sander Miter saw Glass cutter and oil Marker Spray bottle Brad nailer Strap clamp Shopping List: Old wooden door Safety glasses Hearing protection Work gloves P95 or higher rated mask 60-80-100 grit sandpaper for palm sander Wood glue Glass Clear glue Brad nails Steps: 1. Older doors may contain lead paint. Use a test kit from a home center to verify if lead is present, and if it is, you may want to have the door stripped by a professional. 2. Cut the door down to pieces using the circular saw. Use the stiles and rails as a rough guide for where to make the cuts. 3. True up the sides of the boards using the table saw. 4. Shave off the stain using the table saw. Do two passes through the saw on both sides of each board. Since this was an old door, use a P95 or higher rated mask to protect yourself from the sawdust. Once the stain is removed, the mask can be removed. 5. Use the table saw to make a rabbet cut on the edge of one of the stiles to hold the back panel. On the other side of the same stile, make a dado cut to hold the glass. 6. Sand down the back panel of the door to use as a backer for the shadow box. 7. Fill in any holes with homemade wood filler made from wood glue saw dust left over from making previous cuts. You may need to install scrap fillers into larger holes before adding the wood putty. Sand the stile and the backer with medium grit sandpaper. 8. Apply a Danish oil finish to the stile now to prevent oil from getting on the face of the miters. Dispose of oiled rags in a bucket of water to prevent spontaneous combustion. 9. Once the finish dries, cut the boards to desired length in four pieces using the miter saw. The ends can then be cut at 45 degrees. 10. Using the measurements from the boards, the backer can be cut to size with the table saw. 11. Lay the backer on top of the glass. Using the marker, trace the edges of the backer onto the glass. 12. Wearing glove, dip the tip of the glass cutter into oil, then roll the cutter along the line on the glass in one pass. 13. Turn the glass over so the traced line falls just over the edge of your work bench. Lift the glass up, then snap it down onto the table. The glass should break along the line. 14. Polyurethane glue is water activated, so dampen the miters and secure three of the four pieces together using polyurethane glue, ensuring the dado cut lines up on all three sides. Before the glue sets, finish securing the pieces with brad nails. Do not secure the fourth side yet. 15. Spray the angled cuts and apply the glue to the fourth side. Slide the glass through the dado cuts, then secure the fourth side to the rest of the frame. 16. Use a strap clamp around the box to keep it tight until the glue dries. 17. Screw the back panel to the frame with small wood screws through the rabbeted section of the frame. Resources: Most of the tools used for this project including safety gear, plate glass, glass cutters, and sandpaper can be purchased at a home center. Tom made his own wood filler using Gorilla Wood Glue and sawdust. He held the box together with Clear Gorilla Glue. Both of these are manufactured by Gorilla Glue (http://ift.tt/1AyaZD2) For a finish, Tom and Kevin applied a rub on Danish oil manufactured by Watco, a division of Rustoleum (http://ift.tt/183kihO). This project was intended to be made with an already owned, extra door in a house, but antique doors can also be purchased from reclaimed lumber yards. Expert assistance with this project was provided by Olde Bostonian (http://ift.tt/2g2hMVr) Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://ift.tt/1psm4fC Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisoldhouse https://twitter.com/asktoh Pinterest: http://ift.tt/1psm4fE G+: http://ift.tt/1CtsNjJ Instagram: http://ift.tt/1psm1QZ Tumblr: http://ift.tt/1CtsLbH