Wood Screen Doors - Pocket Holes to Prevent Sagging?

[Susan]

I posted a couple of photos of a wood screen door that we recently purchased to replace one that has seen much better days.  We're thinking about reinforcing the frame to prevent sagging and are hoping to use a few strategically placed pocked holes.  Seems like it shouldn't be all that different from putting together a face frame for a cabinet?  I added indicators to one photo for pretty much every "pocket hole" option I could come up with and thought I'd see what might have worked for someone else.

https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1800809258?prof...

 

If you select the original photo and then double-click a time or so, I think you'll get an enlarged version that's big enough to see the "options indicators" that were added...

~ susan

[Jens Jensen]

I have built lots of screen doors using pocket screws but I use 1x 6 on top and bottom rails also mid rail .Look on my photos

[Susan]

Somehow, I missed seeing your reply when first posted.  Apologies for the slow response.  Those are beautiful screen doors.  http://kregjig.ning.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=0...  You got creative with a lot more than just the Kreg Jig.  But none of the photos show where you placed the pocket screws.  Maybe another photo of the flip side?

 

I think we'll just use a cabinet door example for guidelines at this point and see how it goes.  I'll take photos in case this turns out to be an effective fix and might be helpful to someone else.  We'll fill in the obvious gaps with carpenter's wood filler before we start drilling pocket holes.  The wood is so lightweight and "basic" that we shouldn't need more than the one pocket hole to reinforce most areas.  Since this door arrived with the screen already inserted, best to just do everything on the front side?  Or just stick to the basics and do the obvious on the back side?

We cleaned the screened-in porch and furniture yesterday so we'll make our project for today reinforcing the door, adapting one panel for a pet's door, and getting the new door installed.  No more sharing with the insects, frogs, toads, lizards, scorpions, spiders, and other local fauna.  One good thing about the rain is that we've pretty much escaped this year's yellow pollen coating of everything.  (Seems like there should be at least a few good things associated with this year's more-than-bountiful rain considering what so many people are experiencing.)  Next ... dealing with all the red clay and road dusts ...  :-)

~ susan

 

 

[Jens Jensen]

Notice my doors all are 1x6 rails so i have three screws at each connection to stiles.Also I use Gorilla Glue just for added strength.To get your screen tight I suggest you use two people one to pull screen taunt and other to staple. I stretch mine by myself but I made a secret jig. Sorry it cant be shown.Ifyou paint doors just caulk the pocket holes or I sometime use body filler

[Jens Jensen]

http://kregjig.ning.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=3... I dont think you got all photos

[Susan]

You're right about not finding all the photos.  I don't know why my search terms resulted in showing just three of the screen doors.  I really enjoyed looking through all of the photos.  Thanks for taking the time to share some of what you've done as well as what you've thought might be helpful to the rest of us.  I've found that uploading photos (at least for me so far) isn't as quick a process as one might think when you want to post something that shows details, etc.

The "dado" photo for the screen door http://kregjig.ning.com/photo/dado-for-screen?context=user pretty much answers my where to put the pocket holes question: Best on the interior crossbars with a horizontal orientation.  I'll see about putting them on the back side of the door, even though the screen is already on it.

I have to admit to being a big fan of Gorilla Glue pretty much from when it first showed up in stores.  The first time I used it, I ended up with something that looked like a kid's volcano science project.  Yep, it really does expand and foam.  The manufacturer really does mean it.  lol

Again, thanks so much for helping us out with this one.  If we'd discovered all your photos sooner, we might have been encouraged enough to just go for it and build a new one from scratch.

 

~ susan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jens Jensen]

Susan you could have built your door cheaper that what you paid for the one you have Your only looking at 2 -1x4x8 and 3-1x6x8 at the most screen is CHEAP AND i USUALLY DONT DADO FOR SCREEN i STRETCH IT AND STAPLE THEN PUT A I INCH NAILING STRIP OVER THE STAPLES , DARN CAP LOCK ANYWAY