Repair Cracked Wooden Door

Home repair expert Henry Harrison helps a guest repair a cracked antique door. The guest has put on a metal plate as a temporary fix, but Harrison shows how to use dowel rods to make a long-lasting repair that doesn't mar the exterior of the door. On his elbow grease scale of one to four, Harrison gives this job a two.

Tools:

workbench
power drill with paddle bits
clamps
power sander
fluting jig
flathead screwdriver
rubber mallet
pull saw
carpenter’s square
putty knife
paint scraper
utility knife
spring clamps
pencil
dust mask
safety glasses.
wood glue
primer
wooden dowels

1. Drill a hole deep enough to intersect the crack in the door. Clamp a combination square to the door and use it as a guide to drill straight down into the door (figure A). Use a paddle bit that is the same width as your wooden dowel.

2. Cut the dowel rod to a manageable length and hammer it through a fluting jig using the mallet (figure B). The fluting jig cuts grooves the length of the dowel, which will hold onto glue better than a smooth dowel, resulting in a stronger bond.

3. Cut the fluted dowel to length, slightly longer than the hole you drilled.

4. Pour some glue into the hole in the door, then coat the dowel with a liberal amount of glue and insert into the hole (figure C). Wipe away excess glue. Use the rubber mallet to tap the dowel solidly into place. Let the glue dry about 30 minutes before trimming away excess dowel with a pull saw.

5. Drill another hole for a smaller dowel, this one perpendicular to the first dowel. Hammer the smaller dowel into position so that it locks onto the first dowel, keeping it from moving back and forth. Cut off the excess length of the small dowel with a pull saw (figure D).

6. Use a carbide scraper to scrape old paint off door where metal plate used to be attached.

7. Repeat the process at the bottom of door if necessary. Also fill in rough areas with wood putty (figure E).

8. After everything's dried, use a power sander to smooth off the dowel ends as well as sand down any areas you scraped and puttied (figure F). Finish by sanding by hand.

9. Apply primer to protect the wood. Paint door to desired color.