Tweet
I needed a gate for the top of the stairs, initially to keep cats separated (one cat had FIV) and then later for my daughter once she started moving.
The door is four feet tall, which i foolishly thought would keep the cats from jumping it. It did keep the old sick cat upstairs, but not the young cats downstairs. The bottom had to be solid to prevent the cats from pawing at each other, but i wanted to maintain an open feeling so i used bars for the top section. It is constructed from pine with plywood panels using double biscuits for the rails and stiles and mortise and tenons for the bars. The classical profile along the panels done to match the other doors in the house were done as thing strips and glued on. It is painted as at the time i didn't have access to the S3S red oak that i needed to match other wood near it.
I was a bit worried about how well this door would hang because the walls were not plumb or parallel. The door is also not perfectly flat because i didn't have a jointer or planer when i started and had to work with Lowes S4S lumber . I must have compensated for everything though, as it latches easily, swings smoothly, and stays open at any angle it is placed at.
It took me over a year to finish this project due to other projects and just being busy in general. The old cat died before i got it finished, though it was hanging unpainted without trim for a while while she was still around. My daughter is now walking, so it still is useful.
The door is four feet tall, which i foolishly thought would keep the cats from jumping it. It did keep the old sick cat upstairs, but not the young cats downstairs. The bottom had to be solid to prevent the cats from pawing at each other, but i wanted to maintain an open feeling so i used bars for the top section. It is constructed from pine with plywood panels using double biscuits for the rails and stiles and mortise and tenons for the bars. The classical profile along the panels done to match the other doors in the house were done as thing strips and glued on. It is painted as at the time i didn't have access to the S3S red oak that i needed to match other wood near it.
I was a bit worried about how well this door would hang because the walls were not plumb or parallel. The door is also not perfectly flat because i didn't have a jointer or planer when i started and had to work with Lowes S4S lumber . I must have compensated for everything though, as it latches easily, swings smoothly, and stays open at any angle it is placed at.
It took me over a year to finish this project due to other projects and just being busy in general. The old cat died before i got it finished, though it was hanging unpainted without trim for a while while she was still around. My daughter is now walking, so it still is useful.
Attached Files
Comment