Press Release
Homestead Interior Doors, an Ohio based company, introduces doors made with agricultural fiber bi-products, a.k.a. straw. You heard it right, straw!
The straw is specially processed and mixed with environmentally friendly resins and glues to create an exceptionally strong, urea-formaldehyde free, particle board substrate known as "Microstrand" wheat. This wheat based particle board is used as a core for the door components. Real wood veneers and edgings are then overlaid onto it to create beautiful wood doors in a myriad of wood species. This process reduces the amount of wood needed to build a door by up to 80% yet still giving consumers the look and feel of an all wood door.
Pricing of wheat core doors is comparative to doors made with traditional particle core construction but is substantially less than doors made with solid wood construction. Don’t worry, Homestead Doors is still offering their beautiful solid wood doors for the traditionalists, but with the addition of the wheat core doors are now able to give their customer base more options for LEEDS credit projects and environmentally conscious consumers. For more information and literature on Homestead’s beautiful wood doors please contact them at info@HomesteadDoors.com .
Friday, December 24, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
FSC Certified Doors
FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. The council originated in the 1990's theoretically to promote responsible forest management. Right now it is a voluntary practice with no direct role from government. However it is an indirect government requirement as a result of LEEDS mandated construction projects.
In the authors humble opinion one of the principle guiding forces of this program is the belief that individual woodlot owners as well as State and National Forest managers do not have the ability to manage forests in a "responsible" way. It is certainly not a stretch to believe that the long term goal of the FSC would be to eventually dictate forest management practices for all public and private lands by lobbying for Federal laws that require FSC certified wood products in all National Building Codes. FSC certification is supported by Greenpeace, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, and World Wildlife Fund.
In the authors humble opinion one of the principle guiding forces of this program is the belief that individual woodlot owners as well as State and National Forest managers do not have the ability to manage forests in a "responsible" way. It is certainly not a stretch to believe that the long term goal of the FSC would be to eventually dictate forest management practices for all public and private lands by lobbying for Federal laws that require FSC certified wood products in all National Building Codes. FSC certification is supported by Greenpeace, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, and World Wildlife Fund.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Lyptus for Interior Doors
Lyptus is a trade name used by Weyerhaeuser Forest Products to market their sustainable eucalyptus tree plantations in South America. In a partnership with Aracruz, Weyerhaeuser is the only company in the U. S. A. marketing Lyptus flooring and lumber. Since 1967, Aracruz has planted and managed more than 7 million Lyptus seedlings and other native species native to the Amazon region. Aracruz is included in the selected group of companies on the NYSE Dow Jones Sustainability Index, DJSI that epitomizes the best corporate sustainability practices on earth. Eucalyptus trees grow very fast and can be harvested in 16 years of planting on average. Lyptus forests are touted as being 10 times more productive per acre when compared to temperate forests. Temperate forests typically take 70 to 120 years to mature. Weyerhaeuser claims that Lyptus plantations also produce roughly 30 times the volume of lumber per square mile when compared to a natural temperate forest. Approximately 25% of the Lyptus plantations are managed as permanent native forests.
Lyptus is well known as a more economical and sustainable replacement to mahogany. It is primarily used for flooring but can also be used for interior doors. However, because of it's relatively high co-efficient of expansion and contraction it is recommended that the door panels not exceed 13" in width. Lyptus is an open grained wood that is beautiful when finished natural with a nice array of interesting color variations. Lyptus can also be finished to look like other more expensive hardwoods such as walnut or Brazilian cherry. It's scientific name is Eucalyptus Globulus.
Lyptus is well known as a more economical and sustainable replacement to mahogany. It is primarily used for flooring but can also be used for interior doors. However, because of it's relatively high co-efficient of expansion and contraction it is recommended that the door panels not exceed 13" in width. Lyptus is an open grained wood that is beautiful when finished natural with a nice array of interesting color variations. Lyptus can also be finished to look like other more expensive hardwoods such as walnut or Brazilian cherry. It's scientific name is Eucalyptus Globulus.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Interior doors commercial prehanging
By using the KVAL 960-3 Automatic Strike Jamb Router on exterior or interior doors, an operator can machine 5 jambs per minute with a full lip strike routing pattern. The 960-3 has a fully automatic machine cycle with clamp-up and ejection functions.
Popular options available with this door jamb machining unit include pushbutton changeover to a "T" strike routing pattern, and end drilling units for sills and head jamb screws.
The 960-3 is designed so that router movements are fully automatic with the router moving in a rectangular pattern for faceplate and then in to route for the deeper latch hole. Both flat jambs with stop, as well as split jambs, can be accommodated.
The wood jambs are placed against either a right-hand or left-hand indexing stop and are clamped firmly into position at the touch of a foot pedal. Standard set-up is for full-lip routing standard.
Popular options available with this door jamb machining unit include pushbutton changeover to a "T" strike routing pattern, and end drilling units for sills and head jamb screws.
The 960-3 is designed so that router movements are fully automatic with the router moving in a rectangular pattern for faceplate and then in to route for the deeper latch hole. Both flat jambs with stop, as well as split jambs, can be accommodated.
The wood jambs are placed against either a right-hand or left-hand indexing stop and are clamped firmly into position at the touch of a foot pedal. Standard set-up is for full-lip routing standard.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Interior door prehang machines
The KVAL Company is short for the owners last name of Kvalstein. They produce door pre-hanging machinery and have since the 1940's. Their mode1990F-3 (6’-8”) is equipped with options for automatic door positioning and is one of their most popular models of interior door pre-hanging systems.
They say the typical cycle time to machine a door and jamb for three hinges the lockset, and attach three hinges is 40 to 55 seconds. This machine is generally used together with their Handler Door Feeder, 700-CAssembly Table, and the 960-3Strike Jamb Router. When doors wider than 3' need to be machined, either the ON2 Door Feeder or ON3 Door Feeder is required.
Their standard 990F-3 is designed to accommodate interior doors, 1-3/8” thick and exterior doors, 1-3/4” thick doors and jambs. Hinge size changes between 3-1/2” x 3-1/2” and 4” x 4” can easily be completed without tools. Vertical adjustment is made with top and bottom turrets that are pre-set to the customer’s specifications. The horizontal size adjustment is made with two 1/4" long pins that are either removed or installed as needed. They say 2 or 3 minutes are all that are needed to remove the safety covers, make the hinge size change, and reinstall the safety covers at each head. The ability to switch the hinge size on all (3) hinge routers simultaneously with one switch on the control panel is also an upgrade option. With this option the hinge size change takes less then 5 seconds.
They say the typical cycle time to machine a door and jamb for three hinges the lockset, and attach three hinges is 40 to 55 seconds. This machine is generally used together with their Handler Door Feeder, 700-CAssembly Table, and the 960-3Strike Jamb Router. When doors wider than 3' need to be machined, either the ON2 Door Feeder or ON3 Door Feeder is required.
Their standard 990F-3 is designed to accommodate interior doors, 1-3/8” thick and exterior doors, 1-3/4” thick doors and jambs. Hinge size changes between 3-1/2” x 3-1/2” and 4” x 4” can easily be completed without tools. Vertical adjustment is made with top and bottom turrets that are pre-set to the customer’s specifications. The horizontal size adjustment is made with two 1/4" long pins that are either removed or installed as needed. They say 2 or 3 minutes are all that are needed to remove the safety covers, make the hinge size change, and reinstall the safety covers at each head. The ability to switch the hinge size on all (3) hinge routers simultaneously with one switch on the control panel is also an upgrade option. With this option the hinge size change takes less then 5 seconds.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Jambmaster
I did purchase a Jambmaster and it works exactly as advertised. What an awesome tool! It is very well constructed from rigid aluminum and is light weight and easy to carry around. I estimate that it should pay for itself in labor savings in only 1 or 2 door jobs. A prehung door can be installed with precision and quality in less than 10 minutes (not including door knob or casing installation). Current pricing including shipping is about $675 or you can get it for about $500 from Homestead Doors Inc., if you order a sufficient number of interior doors from them. You will also need a router (which you probably already have), a 3/4" to 7/8" straight cutting router bit, a router guide bushing (don't forget to order the locknut along with it), possibly a router adapter base to accommodate the router guide template, a hot glue gun and hot glue sticks. The Jambmaster can also be used on exterior doors, but keep in mind that if the floor is out of level you will need to shim the threshold for a plumb installation.
The Jambmaster works on single doors and double doors from 18" to 72" wide, 80" to 96" tall and will accommodate jamb widths from 3" to 8". It also works with flat jambs, rabbetted jambs or split jambs of any thickness, as well as cased openings, bifold and bypass door jambs. I have only used the Jambmaster with well manufactured prehung doors. If you purchase poorly manufactured prehung doors you may encounter other problems such as hinge binding and improper clearances between the jamb and door. My guess is that if you care enough about quality to purchase a Jambmaster then you probably know where to buy quality doors.
So if you are a quality conscious contractor who wants your work to hold up for many years to come, but who is also concerned with speed and efficiency then this is the tool for you.
The Jambmaster works on single doors and double doors from 18" to 72" wide, 80" to 96" tall and will accommodate jamb widths from 3" to 8". It also works with flat jambs, rabbetted jambs or split jambs of any thickness, as well as cased openings, bifold and bypass door jambs. I have only used the Jambmaster with well manufactured prehung doors. If you purchase poorly manufactured prehung doors you may encounter other problems such as hinge binding and improper clearances between the jamb and door. My guess is that if you care enough about quality to purchase a Jambmaster then you probably know where to buy quality doors.
So if you are a quality conscious contractor who wants your work to hold up for many years to come, but who is also concerned with speed and efficiency then this is the tool for you.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Interior door hanging tips part 2
If you are a contractor who is hanging doors on a regular basis or a homeowner who is willing to spare no expense then the Jambmaster door shim setting tool is something you may want to consider. This tool is basically an adjustable metal framework that sets up within the door rough opening that allows the user to preset the door shims quickly and accurately without the door or the jambs being in place. Plumb and square studs are still important but this tool will easily compensate for some variances and stud twisting as long as it is not too drastic. Once the shims are set, it is then a simple matter of fastening the door jambs to the studs and hanging the door. It is easier to watch the video on the Jambmaster website than to try to explain with words exactly how this tool works.
This invention is one of the most novel approaches to door hanging that I have seen in a long time. I have not used the Jamb Master jig as of yet but plan on buying one soon and giving it a try. More interior door hanging tips will be forthcoming.
This invention is one of the most novel approaches to door hanging that I have seen in a long time. I have not used the Jamb Master jig as of yet but plan on buying one soon and giving it a try. More interior door hanging tips will be forthcoming.
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