Building the Steampunk Kitchen Door

Hi folks!

Since my last post, I've been busy working on the Steam Punk Kitchen Doors.  My first version, I actually liked fairly well, but not for this build.  It didn't fit, as is, with the feeling I wanted this house to have.  So I went back and started from scratch again.  I've set aside the original door for a later project that has a little more of a cottage feel.

Why didn't I see the mullion not aligned BEFORE the photo!  It's fixed now!  :0) 

This project was a quite complex project from the perspective of there being many steps, and took me quite a long time to figure out.  I am reasonably pleased with the final results though, so it is was well worth any effort put in. 

I've brought forward my concept drawing for first timers.  In the last post I explained how I needed to make some simple changes due to the narrow door size I left, resulting in a basic change in the shape of the windows. However, the basic concept was still what I wanted for the kitchen doors. I have continued to modify the concept slightly here and there as I went through the process and fleshed out the design.  These doors are the final result.

I thought it might be of interest to folks to know how these doors were built, so I am going to attempt to put this post together as a tutorial.  My camera (definitely the camera, it could NOT be me!) still won't take decent pictures for some shots.  I think I am going to have to replace it.  :0(

Meanwhile, here we go on a very long post, I imagine.  Hold on to your hats!

Step 1:  Transfer The Pattern

Cut the door shape out of 3/32 " basswood or other somewhat soft, small grained wood.   I first made a single template and drew the window shapes onto mount board, and then cut them out so that each drawing would be identical.   I cut the basic rectangle(s) out of basswood prior to drawing on the door shape (in this case the window holes), and kept at it until I had four equally sized pieces.  

I then drew, using the template, the base pattern on each door blank, in my case four, since I was making two doors.  If you are making only one door, you will need to cut and prepare only two door blanks.  You will need two door blanks for each door you wish to make.

Make sure that as you do this, you are keeping the template exactly on center, and that you keep the pencil lead close to the leading edge of the window recesses in each case, otherwise, your pattern will be in a different place on each door blank and you will get to do a lot of sanding, and perhaps even have to cut additional door blanks.  The most important aspect of this step is to measure equally spaced sets of window holes on each of the door blanks, so that they can later be glued together. 

Step 2:  Prepare the Window Panes 

Cut out the window shapes using a scroll saw.  Begin this process by drilling holes into the center of each window space as seen above.  This allows you to put the scroll saw blade through the hole and allows you to keep the base door shape all one piece.  

Once you have cut out the windows, use heavy grit sandpaper to align the edges as perfectly as you are able to.  Sand the edges of the window recesses first, ensuring that the center door post is sanded smooth, then progressing outward continue sanding and aligning the edges until all window and door edges (including outer door edges) are sanded smoothly into identical shapes. 

Finish sanding can wait until the next step.  For now, you are just ensuring you can eventually glue together two of the door bases and have them fit well.

Before moving to the next step, insert the door into it's door frame, and mark the location of each vertical edge against the jamb.  This is the available work space to add door detail and decoration. 

Step 3:   Carve the Door Kickplate

Now you are ready to cut and carve the door kick plate.  Begin with a wood blank.  I used balsa wood on this second set of doors, in the first, I used basswood.  Balsa is much easier to carve and allows for very smooth shaping fairly easily, but is so soft that I do wonder how well it will hold up.  Luckily, no big people will be kicking at the door plate!

Start by cutting the wood to be carved to size.  Remember to stay inside the lines you drew, as these are the edges of the door frame, and you will not be able to close the door properly if you stray over the lines.

Measure in and carve guidelines for the basic outer edge shapes of the kick plate.  Here, I used a compass to create a gentle curve from one corner to the next.

Draw in and carve the door folds.  Using balsa wood, I found that simply drawing my mechanical pencil carefully through the wood several times along my measured line provided me with perfectly shaped door folds.  If using harder woods, you will need to use a chisel to create the folds.

Begin to shape the wood into the profile you want it to become.  This process looks like you are destroying everything, but is somewhat necessary to shape the basic contour of your profile.

I used a curved gouge, a straight chisel, and a curved chisel to achieve the shapes I created.  I used the gouge first, to penetrate the wood, and shape it into a very general approximation of the shape I needed. Note that I left a raised center with a very, very slightly lowered basic profile above.  I then used the curved gouge to shape the upper ridge and to cut into the edges along the door folds, and to smooth out the gouged wood in the center of the door plate.   I then used the straight chisel to clean out the edges along both the door folds and the upper ridge.

The next step is to sand.  Using heavy grit paper, sand carefully the entire piece.  You are looking for crisp edges and smoother surfaces.  After you've achieved the general shape you desire, move to medium grit sandpaper, smoothing further the shapes and using the edges of the sandpaper to achieve straight 90 degree angles along the door folds and the upper ridge.

Continue sanding with fine grit sandpaper until you have a smoothly contoured surface.  You should end up with something resembling the above left wood piece.

Use the newly carved blank to create a second blank.  Again, remember to keep your pencil as close as possible to each edge so that you do not end up with two blanks of different sizes.  However, using the first as a template helps guarantee you get exactly the same shape with both blanks.  If you do get one blank larger than the other, sand to ensure that each blank is exactly the same shape and size.  A little bit of variation has a lot of impact in the final picture on miniatures, so measure and compare carefully.

You can use the same technique to ensure that the folds along the bottom of the blanks are the same.  I used a long ruler to align the folds on the two pieces, thus ensuring that the two door blanks have as little variation as possible.

Shape the second blank in exactly the same way as the first.  Sanding is the critical step to ensure that the shapes are identical.  Compare often, and adjust both carvings as needed to obtain identical shapes.


Step 4:  Cut the mullions


This is the hardest step to get consistency, but with patience it can be managed.  Cut mullions using a mount board template for all four mullions (for each door, a total of 8 for two).  Unfortunately I do not have a photo of this part of the process.  I tried, but forgot to photograph this step!

To create the template, draw the desired shape for the mullion on a piece of scrap board.  I wanted the serpentine shape so common with Art Noveau, so drew a mullion shape that incorporated that feel.

It is very important to cut and then actually temporarily install the mount board mullion piece into its final home in the window.  It is easy to get it too short.  Do NOT use the mullion you drew in your original pattern, as it WILL be too short.  Its length does not account for the cutting width of the saw blade.

Once you've measured the template and know it fits, use the template to draw 4 mullions (one for both sides and for both back windows) per door. Cut as closely to the drawn lines with the scroll saw as possible, attempting to ensure that the shape of each cut is similar.  I couldn't figure out a jig for that, but if you could, that would be a good idea.  I have a ways to go to learn how to think that way!

Sand your mullions to finesse the shape, again, you are looking for identical shape as much as possible.


Step 5:  Sand and Stain the door pieces. 

Sand all of the pieces well.  I used heavy grit sandpaper first, mid grain sandpaper, then fine sandpaper, and then followed each sanding with 0000 steel wool.  This provides a very smooth surface to stain. 

I used Traditional Cherry wood stain which gave a deeper tone than my original door, which I like much better for my application.  Note that no gluing  has taken place as yet.  This is because it keeps the surfaces clean and clear for the stain, and does not provide opportunity to get glue in places you don't want it.  Once glue is introduced on the surface of the wood, stains are likely to highlight those areas since they coat the wood and do not allow for consistent absorption. 

Step 6: Creating the Ornate Details

I used the process I have used several times before to create details for the Steampunk doors.  I found a small frame at Michael's Craft Store that I felt like had the right vibe.   I've sort of arranged the "Amazing Mold Putty" molds I made near the areas of the frame I used to make the molds.  The center medallion from the bottom of the frame, the additional detail at the bottom of the door from both bottom sides of the frame, and the detail at the top of the door from the top of the frame.   These frames are very inexpensive, mine was about 3 dollars.

Use this process, or another process, to create details that you would like to use on the doors.  One method I thought of that I knew would work was embossing paper.  This was my first thought, but I could not find an embossing pattern that I liked for my Steampunk doors.  I am sure they are out there, they just weren't where I was!

Sorry for the picture quality~  Ouch~!

After casting the resin molds, trim out the details that you want to use.  All of my pieces started out like the large cast piece above.  (Sorry for the horrid pic, I haven't figured out why some of these come out this way when most pictures are fine! I took about 15 pictures of these and THIS was the best!)

I cut portions of the patterns out that fit the portions of the door that I wanted to decorate to get my final look.  Use your imagination!

Once your pieces are trimmed, paint them flat black, and then apply Polyurethane Satin Finish.  I like the Minwax Water Based poly, since it is a breeze to clean up.


Step 7:  Adding the Decorative Metal Bars


Now for the fun part!  We get to begin assembling the door.  Finally!

More horrible pictures~ !  

To create the decorative metal bars, I used 16 gauge wire.  All you will need is a pair of wire cutters and a wire forming tool.

I will share with you that using the green wire was not my original plan, but it was a happy accident.  I love it. I had originally thought I would use copper wire, but the craft store I went to was out of just about everything! So I found green wire and gold wire, and nothing else.  The green was the lesser of two evils, so I bought it.  Now that it is in the door, I am SO glad that happened!

To make the decorative door rods, I cut three pieces of wire for each window, and shaped them into matching gentle curves for both sides.   They ranged from about 2.5 inches to about 4 inches in length.

I used a mini awl to create small pilot holes along the vertical edges and bottom curves of the windows on one of the two door pieces that make up each door.  I chose to place the metal bars on the outside window surface, they could be placed  on either side.  This was a delicate process, but doable.  I placed holes at the (reasonably) correct angle for each bar at the bottom of the window and the outside edges.

To insert the metal wire into the door frame, I chipped tiny channels into the wood to hold the wire between the door pieces.  I chipped them out with a utility knife, just enough to allow the wire to sit inside the sides of the window.  I placed the wire into the channels and glued it in.



Step 8:  Assembling the Door

I applied the two door sides together like a "wire sandwich" with the wire laying against the acetate I used for the window, and the 2nd door piece in back of that.  I glued and clamped the door at that stage, to ensure a good solid meld.  

After the glue dried, I applied the kickplate to the door in its proper position.

I applied the "metal work" next, which helped me to decide exactly where to place the door mullions to look best.  They are slightly lower than the original pattern, but are where I think they look best. 

Step 9:  Gaze lovingly at the final result. 


This door was a real challenge to design and build for me, but I am quite pleased with the overall effect of the doors.

Hot off the press!  Glue is still drying!

I ignored all I learned about the direction of the door swing.  I played with both inside swing and outside swing, but for these doors, they just did not look proper swinging inward.  So I took advantage of the occasional example of exterior doors swinging outward, and the little ones will just  have to cope!

I am excited about continuing the process of finalizing design and building doors and windows for the first floor, because they add so much life to the interiors.  I plan to tie in the windows along the front of the house with these doors more by adding ornate detail there as well, and the Grand Parlor at the other end of the ground floor will get windows that echo these doors.   I will not be finalizing installation of any of these windows and doors until after having completed the interior ceilings, and the exterior of the ground floor.

Did I ever tell you this is fun?  :0)

Hope the tutorial was informative!

Doug S

Sheer Determination?

The only way to find the limits of the possible 

is by going beyond them to the impossible.

Arthur C. Clarke

What a journey!  I've spent my last couple of weeks working on getting the kitchen doors designed and built. I probably have a couple more weeks to go to complete them.  But I thought I would share the progress so far, as for me, getting to this point has been quite an effort!

First, I have a very important list to share. 

My List of Nevers:

1. I have never ever cut circles in wood with my new Proxxon Scroll Saw.
2. I have never ever made anything resembling a door.
3. I have never ever tried to work with tiny wood pieces smaller than my fingers.
4. I have never ever tried to carve detail into wood.
5. I have never ever tried to stain wood that I have carved. 

With that list of nevers, this project was a stretch!  However, I have arrived somewhere, and I have yet to determine if somewhere is where I want to be!  :0)   I feel good though, at having arrived somewhere.  

I am likely to redo these doors, using the many lessons I learned as I pursued the impossible.  But for a first go, I am actually reasonably happy with my results so far.  I say this with full knowledge that I am nowhere near done with the FIRST try.  I must be a masochist.  Yes, I am convinced I am a masochist.


The "Plan":

To explain myself, I need to show you what I am using as my inspiration picture.  Like usual, I go for gold, and have the talent to create dross, but that don't stop ME!  :0)

This door completely captured the feeling I wanted for the kitchen doors. It screams Steampunk to me, and I really love the scroll work in the windows and the black metal trim.   I knew going into this that I would not be able to completely recreate this masterpiece of a door, but I thought perhaps I could approximate the door, simplify it a bit, and get the basic concept in place.

With this inspiration in mind, I came up with a "concept" as seen above. There is SO much between a "concept" and "reality"!  You've seen that what I have so far is a long ways away from this even, and THIS is the dummied down version!

Curse my affinity for "unusual" and "artistic" expression.  Bah! Humbug!  I've had to continually simplify my design due to the limitations of my current abilities.  But I am still excited about the direction of the door, and know that with time, I will be able to create something that I think meets my standards and communicates a similar feeling.

You can see though, that I am FAR from complete with my little endeavor!


The "Reality":

I just wish I could communicate the comic events that have taken place to get me to this place in the process. I can think of no way to demonstrate the ups and downs without writing a TRUE novel, so I'll just give you an account of what I have done to get here, and let you fill in the blanks.

Almost immediately, I realized that I did not have "room" for all of my "unusual and artistic" concepts in the space I had left for the door in the kitchen room box.  After that rather disappointing realization, I "redesigned" the door slightly to allow me to keep the basic concept, while eliminating the problem of not having enough "canvas for my muse".  The basic change was to the window shape.  I narrowed the window space, turned it into four window lites leveraging the kitchen window design, and proceeded.

Even this simple change took me some time to figure out.  My original pattern (right) felt too "squished", with the top two windows looking out of proportion, especially when viewed in conjunction with the windows I had designed.  So I altered the pattern to make the top windows larger, and changed the shape of the lower windows slightly to give them more shape (left).  

Another side trip.  I spent 3 days at least on trying to figure out how to place the doors.  Which "direction" should the door jamb face?  Outward, or inward?  What IS the standard for that?  I found MANY articles on how to build a door frame and how to hang a door, but NONE of them told me how to decide which direction to face the door!  I think it is one of those details that those "in the know" assume "the rest" of us know.  Well, they were WRONG.  

I finally started looking at every door I could find, to determine what was "right".  I still don't know.  :0)  But I DID pick up on the fact that MOST exterior doors have the jamb facing inward, with the door opening inward.  So that is what I decided needed to happen.  Maybe someone out there can inform me whether I was right or not!  It would be nice to know!

After reaching this stage, I procrastinated for a few days.  (Actually, life caught up with me, and I've spent a good portion of my time dealing with "stuff" I won't bore you with! . . . but I ALSO was procrastinating!)  I knew I wanted the curved, carved profile at the bottom of the door, and that I wanted to stain the wood to create that warm, aged glow in the original inspiration picture, but I was just not sure how to go about it.

Sometimes, you just have to jump in the lake and hope you learn to swim.  So I traced my pattern on 3/32" lumber, and then tried to figure out how I would cut the windows in.  I had a jigsaw, a scroll saw, a fret saw and a utility knife.  Each had their liabilities.  

I tried first with my new scroll saw.  Remind me sometime to tell you about that.  It involved figuring out how to change the (too long) saw blade with no decent instructions, and very little experience with a scroll saw that was more than a toy.  Not pretty. 

I finally gave up on getting the the scroll saw set up, and tried a fret saw.  I broke the wood several times before I decided THAT wasn't the "correct" procedure.  Then I tried the craft knife.  That worked, but the curved edges were just not up to snuff, and I was unable to come up with a solution for that.  So I THOUGHT about the hand held jigsaw, but since I am such a smart cookie, I remembered my LAST encounter with that on small cuts. Rejected out of hand.  No way that was going to work.  So back to Square One.  The new scroll saw, which by this time I had already learned to hate!  

 

I knew the first step was to drill holes, which I did, and then I began to break things.  LOTS of things.  After many tries, many more broken scroll saw blades, and many more frustrations, I finally worked out a solution that actually worked.  But to do it, I had to perfect my skills at assembling and reassembling my Proxxon saw. 

I brought in the "big guns" to help me with that learning curve.  My very mechanical son.  Lo and behold, even he had trouble with the saw!  Yea, it wasn't me!  We perfected a method that worked (and definitely NOT the way the instructions identified!), and I proceeded to cut windows holes into the doors.  

Once I got all of the windows cut out, I tackled the carved "detail" (not so much!) at the bottom of the doors.  I began with a 1/8 inch thick piece of wood, cut to the general shape with the scroll saw.  I drew a circle to define where I wanted the "bulges" in the base trim to be. 

I then began to "carve" (something more like TEAR!) the wood out where I wanted the profile to be thinner. My first try was atrocious.  I am wise enough not to post that!  No one will ever come back if I do! 

This was my second try.  A bit better, but still too much "tearing out" going on.  It only "marginally" resembles the inspiration door.  But it was close enough that I thought perhaps it could be an "old" door, that had been damaged.  For the moment, we moved on. 

I used a golden oak stain to stain the wood, and carved my second door trim piece, which turned out rather better.  (minus the amateur look!)  After adding an acetate window, I ended up with this (yes, you've seen this before!

Then of course, we had to "check" to see if it was "going to look good".  Yes, it looks great we think.  Then we watch the beautiful tile fall over from its precariously balanced position directly onto my (BRAND NEW) expensive, specialty reading glasses. (Yes, I need them!)  Smashed to pieces.  Luckily, they were SO new that they were still under warranty, and my eye doc (did I tell you he is GREAT?) replaced them free of charge.  Whew!

So now you have heard only the SMALLEST bit of the trials and tribulations I have gone through in the last two weeks.  Do you feel sorry for me?  NO??!!  Why!  I think it is a great sob story!

Here are my halfway completed doors (propped, No, we did NOT learn our lesson) in their frames.  

The "Challenge":

My challenge going forward is to add the additional details to both the doors and windows that help to take them from their current, somewhat amateur state, to the Grand, Glorious, STEAM PUNK doors and Windows I envisioned.  Still a long ways to go!  I need to add black painted metal trims and add the metal art noveau details.   I MAY decide to do both doors over again, as mentioned before, so that I can improve the final look.  I would like to do a "better" job with the carving details, and I think I would like the wood color on the door to be a bit deeper.  Much depends on what things look like as I progress further.  

The whole process has been that peculiar blend of frustration and absolute FUN.  There is something about working through the "trials and tribulations" of working out problems and coming out "somewhere" on the other side that really floats my boat.  I have learned a boatload as well, so I have a "fully loaded floating boat".  How many of you can say that?  :0) 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my many mini travails.  There is a book called "Hinds Feet in High Places" I read once that follows two characters (as well as the main character 'Much Afraid") named "Sorrow" and "Suffering".  After many tragic and horrible events endured with "Much Afraid" in tow, they finally arrive at the top of a mountain, where their names are changed to "Grace" and "Glory".  I hope that is my fate when it comes to these doors. I've certainly earned it!  :0) 

I also want to take a moment to welcome several new followers!  I'm excited to get to know you all, and your "patronage" is most appreciated.  I hope you will enjoy watching me learn, and I hope that my mini endeavors leave you a little wiser than I.

Until next time!

Doug S

The Quest for Miniature Steampunk Windows

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

I've spent the last week dithering, trying to make the decision about what I wanted to do with the windows for the front of the Ground Floor of the Manor.  And figuring out how a window should look.  And trying to figure out how to build a window.  And questioning everything I did.  And taking a thousand [mostly unsuccessful!] pictures.  Sound familiar to anyone?

Needless to say, I am somewhat relieved to have arrived at the point that I have some progress to share.  I was able to finally make the decision as to what I wanted, but of course, it's me, so that may very well change!

I thought I would post about the process of getting there, more from the spirit of confession than anything else!  But perhaps there are a few things that can be picked up in the process.

As usual, I had a pretty good idea of the effect I wanted to create, but was not sure how I would get there.  I am drawing heavily on the Art Nouveau aesthetic throughout the design of this manor, and I knew I wanted the windows to align with that look but to still, more importantly, support the Steam Punk theme. 

So I drew out a rectangle that represented the size of the window, and drew in a pattern that I thought approximated what I wanted.  

I drew the pattern only on one half of the drawing, since I wanted the two sides to match exactly.  One trick I have learned over the years is to draw one half of the final design, and to fold the paper evenly in half.

Once drawn and folded, the paper can be cut to the new design.  This provides two exact, and reverse replicas of the design.  

I used the cut pattern to trace the new design onto mountboard.  Please forgive the quality of these pictures! I think they are the worst set of pictures so far, and I am not sure if it is me, or if my camera is just dying. They will have to do though, since several tries have not produced better. 

After cutting the new pattern out of the mount board, I cut rigid acetate at the same size, and added the "frame" out of Foam Core Board as a mock up.  I reviewed my results inside and outside, and for me, they just fell short of what I was going for.  

So back to the drawing board!

Meanwhile, I did decide to take a bit of a side trip, and build the frames I needed for each of the 4 windows I needed that were this size.  I used 3/8 inch strip wood for the outside frame, and 1/8 inch battens for the inside. 

A little trick I picked up off of the Internet I think is worth sharing here.  You will notice above that there is a Foam Core "frame" around the frame in the above picture.  These are 3/8 inch wide lengths of Foam Core measured to fall just outside of the required frame size and glued to a Foam Core background.  I used this "jig" to ensure that all of my windows were exactly the same size.  It worked like a charm!  I always like to pass along those little secrets.  They make life so much easier! 

Here you see the original design I came up with placed in the wood frame.  I thought perhaps I might like it better with a "real" frame, but no cigar.  It still didn't meet my "exacting" standards.  :0) 

So we began the process of altering the plan.  First I tried taking out the center post, opening up the entire window to increase the ability to see through it, and to try another approach to getting "the look".  

Nope.  Still didn't speak to me.  

Third time is a charm, right?  I tried again, using another approach that was a blend of the two above.  I opened the center of the window up, but added two muntins to either side of the window. 

Better, but still no cigar.  

I was playing with the pieces, trying to figure out what to do next, and happened to place one of the cutouts over another, and lo and behold . . .  "THE LOOK".  It spoke to me.  Steam Punk.  Victorian.  Art Nouveau.  THE LOOK.

Yep.  It worked in the windows too.  Other than the fact that when I cut the window openings out months ago, I didn't get them level or straight, either one.  So I corrected that, which of course, leaves a gap to fix later.   But they are now straight and level!  So I can jimmy up something to "fix" the problem later. Enough covering up, and anything can look great, right?

I'm a long ways from completed on these windows, in fact, they are extremely rough at the moment.  I had to re-cut the window openings (and will have to for all four!) because I was just 1/32 of an inch too large for the existing window openings.  Sigh.  

More opportunities, right?  

Overall, however, at this stage, I am quite pleased with the overall effect. Above is a shot of the Scullery, with the new window cutouts in place.  It totally gives me that Steam Punk vibe.   Cleaned up and finished, it will serve well, I think.  Still dithering around on what color I want the window frames to be, but that can wait a while.  My purpose so far has been to determine window sizes and shapes, so that I can move forward on the rest of the kitchen.  

As a blog follower, this has to be a bit frustrating, I am sure!  Always moving on before I finish!  I promise I'll come back and finish it all some day soon! 

I need to determine the basics of any portion of the kitchen that is toward the back, because I plan to enclose a portion of the kitchen soon.  So it was important to work with the windows to determine overall shape and size, so that I could settle other questions I need to work through. 

Here is the Butler's Pantry, with it's new window as well.  I really am pleased by the effect, though it is a bit harder to see, due to the black mount board contrasted with the ivory.  But that is just paint.  The shape works well with the interior, and will fully support the eventual look I am going for on the Exterior of the Manor.  More on that later!

It is exciting to start seeing the windows begin to go in because things start to feel more real!  Someday, after about 5 more years, this is gonna be cool!  :0)

By the way!  I am TOTALLY open to ideas on color for these windows.  I bounce between black, white, ivory, and brown mostly.  Above you see the "stone" that I plan to use on the exterior of the house.  In a mad moment of minor revelation, I will also share that the window boxes will be treated differently, [think metal] and that the windows must set into that backdrop perfectly.  Any suggestions?  :0)

Until next time!

Doug S