Anybody try doggie doors?

[JimD]

I'm still headed towards the purchase of a house without a shop of the size I am used to - about 400ft2. It has a little 12x12 shed that will be my shop, at least initially. We're thinking of adding another 1 car garage eventually (it might be my shop (but my experience with making lots of dust in the garage is that I get negative feedback) and also allows a bigger room over). But the need to make long cross cuts plus the need to let a couple yorkies in and out has me thinking.

My current cross-cut arrangement is a long table with more than 8 feet on either side of the saws and stops for repetitive cuts. I can't do this, exactly, in a 12 foot wide shed. But what if I had doggie doors a little more than a foot wide on the two walls at the end of a 12 foot wide crosscut table? Then I could slide boards out the doggie doors when necessary to do longer cross cuts. I'm thinking of the kind with magnetic closures and a plastic inner door you put in place to close up. I could even make my own with thick clear plastic and magnets.

Any experience or thoughts?

[atgcpaul]

Do you need two doors or would one suffice if you put your saw at the 8' mark instead? Are you cutting a lot of molding that you need 8' on each side? I can see needing 8' on one side to get a square edge but rarely are my boards longer than 9' and rarely do I ever have to cut a board in the middle.

I guess if your situation is different then I don't see why the doors wouldn't work. I would have an additional lock, though, so you don't get uninvited guests. My Uncle kludged together an insulated tunnel to the outdoors for his daughters' several cats. Wasn't long before they got an unwanted visitor--a raccoon.

[Pappy]

Interesting idea, but I'm with Paul on the security issue. You would need an extra large door for the width. That would be big enough for a 2 legged intruder to gain access. Go with one that has a slide in insert on the inside and add a hasp and lock to it.

[parnelli]

How about a window?

[JimD]

A small window might work well. I wouldn't want a large window because I'll need all the wall space I can get. The window would have to be operable, however, which seems like I need twice the opening in height for a normal slider. So maybe the wall space requirement would be a problem

We saw a doggie door with clear plastic flaps that are magnetically closed on the inside and outside plus a slide in cover for when you don't want the door used. I'm thinking for this purpose 13 or 14 inches wide by no more than 6 inches tall would work. That would be a funny sized dog so I would probably have to make it. The thought is I would remove the solid cover over the doors when in the shop or when I need to make a long cross cut but slide the covers in (on the inside) when the shop is not being used. They will be small enough people couldn't go through but critters could (and would I'm sure).

One would be a whole lot better than none but I occasionally want the wood on the right side (normally wood on left, left hand holding wood while right works saw). Cutting molding is one situation where I cut the other way at times. I could probably get by with one. I might try that first to see how well it works.

Jim

[twistsol]

You could use a basement style tilt window. They're easy to tilt up and will stay up or can be lifted out of the clips in a few seconds.

[Pappy]

Why not go single hung instead of a slider if you use a window?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_4381-32909-VSH1824_4294772368__?productId=3683812&Ns=p_product_price|0

[capncarl]

I have a garage door in my shop to allow for long boards. I have used it 0 times in 6 years for this purpose. Any board that needs to be cut down from a long length is handled on the trailer or tail gate of the truck. After the boards are rough cut to a shorter length, then they go inside. With the door closed I can comfortably handle an 8 ft board by myself. If you are thinking ripping a long board, remember that you need as much shop space on the outfeed of the saw.
capncarl

[JimD]

Pappy's link might work. Something even smaller would too. I looked at the tilting basement style but I don't see how I would get them out of the way and they're much more expensive. A little window mounted low would look odd but so would a doggie door mounted high. I also looked at McMaster Carr and found flexible polycarbonate and magnets with adhesive on the back pretty cheap.

Long rips will become a struggle so the table saw goes on wheels and I expect to get more use from my track saw.