A couple before and after photos of doors I built

[Hassin Bin Sober]

Both door are pre-hung mahogany. The surrounds I built from scratch out of (mostly quarter sawn) white oak.

The first one I kept the old arched transom as it was in good shape - and I chickened out on learning how to steam-bend oak.

The second one was easier as I didn't have to match old and new. I did manage to save the old transom glass (not pictured) as it had lettering stenciled on the transom. The side lites in both are new laminated glass.

The second one is shown without plinth blocks installed yet.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Gorgeous doors!

Cool-looking buildings, too.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. Thanks!

What's funny, is I haven't really paid a whole lot of attention to the stone work while I was working on these doors.

They really don't build them like this anymore. Even high end building, say, on the north shore aren't as detailed.

If you think about it, it's crazy. As far as I know, these were just apartments in the early 1900s.

[cantbeserious]

2. Outstanding - Excellent Work

eom

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Wow......I can really appreciate that.

Mr. Dixie works magic with wood, and he has taught me to see quality.
Nice job!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. I've really fallen in love with quarter sawn oak.

Oak has gotten sort of a bad rap. I think do to the fast grown saplings that get used these days.

One of my friends always says "honey oak, yuck!"

a nice piece of rift sawn or quarter sawn oak is beautiful. I almost passed on the pieces I picked for the first door casings as I thought they would be too dramatic. But those stripes really make the door. They really show in the left casing in this photo.

I've been tempted to do my kitchen in QS oak. But I'm worried about resale. Everybody wants cherry cherry cherry.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. I have some gorgeous oak pieces of furniture, English made, and love the pattern.

Down here in the South, you see a lot of pine wood flooring, and cypress mantels.
One of the nicest things about buying the older houses here, all the wood floors, the molding, window sills, doors are solid wood, stuff that I treasure and love being around.
It kills me when the old oaks are felled in a storm and people cut it up for firewood.

[No Vested Interest]

6. Beautiful. I love the warm tones of the wood. nt

[roody]

8. Beautiful.

[beac]

9. As ever, your work is amazing and beautiful.

[lostnfound]

10. It's really cool that you posted these and that you're capable of doing such beautiful work

Good for you. Thanks for sharing. What transformations

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

11. Looks great, real craft work

I gotta ask ,how did you apply the stain ?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

12. That's old masters wiping stain. Brush on rag off. Then 3 coats of spar urethane.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

13. Yea, brush and wipe.

Timely but the finish is just right ! That is just a amazing ,and that is some really good works you did there. And you got to get a close up look at the works of craftsman of old. Makes us humble with all the tools we use today.And the architecture.

This is a pic of the old Smith Tower in Seattle. An old client from years gone by bought the place and saved it from a terrible thing that could have happened should the tower had fallen into the hands of those nasty developers.
they restored the building completely refurbished the inside ,sand blasted the outside and brought it back to life.

I wasn't in on any of that but I did get a look at the plans ,surveys ,so fourth. The old guy was doing the business well up into his eighties ! It was restored than sold to a N.Y. investment outfit. And of course it still stands.
It wasn't all him but he was the life blood of the real-estate development corp.
A group of investors .

https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/Df8mKqNj0Q_GPz_zNGto5w--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NDUwO3E9OTU7dz0zMzc-/

[Luciferous]

14. Those are beautiful doors!