Portlight Door
A couple walked into my shop with a 90 lb. port light, a need for a front door, and asked: "Can you do something with this?, we picked it up at a flea market".
The door is solid Honduran Mahogany with African Mahogany panels. The rails and stiles are joined with massive mortise and tenon joints.The door core is made up of 6" lengths of mahogany finger jointed and glued with marine epoxy. Because epoxy is not UV resistant, the 3/16" thick door skin veneer and edges are glued up with resorcinol adhesive. Resorcinol is the only structural exterior adhesive I feel confidant will withstand the rigors of outdoor exposure.
The finish is Sikkens Door and Window applied by spray. It incorporates Iron Oxide pigments to protect against sunlight while offering sufficient transparency to let the wood shine through.
The port light is mounted with silicon bronze hardware.
Because the door weighs nearly 200 lbs., a white oak subframe was installed and bolted to the house framing.
The door swings on three 4-1/2 inch ball bearing hinges, and closes on silicone bulb weather stripping. An adjustable two fin silicone rubber door sweep is installed into a mortise cut into the door bottom, and can be removed and adjusted without tools.
The door operates with pressure from a single finger and closes with the authority one would expect from a Mercedes.
I'll have more pictures of this door up in the next 2-3 days.