Doors are really interesting. I mean in some ways they're very ordinary, and we can go in and out of them for years without noticing them. This is what my front door looks like. Not really fancy, but I will tell you its a handmade door - milled and made by the original owners who decided to use pecan for all the trim, doors and woodwork when they built the house in 1963. It's on a lovely tract that used to be a pecan grove. Here is what the doors and shelves in the library look like:
And this is the pocket door in the library. Also out of pecan. Very heavy. Really pretty. All the doors work amazingly well for being 46 years old!So, I go in and out of our front door all the time just taking them for granted. Then we have to have some repairs done to the locks and a door specialist (a "Schmutzie" if you will) comes to the house and starts fixing the things (sorry I don't know all the names).
He pointed out a most interesting thing on our front door. There seems to be no threshold seal. And he was thinking maybe he should redo our threshold when he noticed a small, weird bolt-like thing on the inside of the bottom of the door.
You can see it in this photo. Well, it turns out that that when the door closes and the bolt hits the metal plate in the door jamb (which you can also see) a rubber strip is pushed down - and the door is sealed. It is very cool! The Door Guy was kind of amazed. In fact, he really was fascinated by it and his enthusiasm was quite infectious. I also took time to be amazed. And grateful to the family that built this house for taking the time to do things like that.
In a previous part of my life I might have blown this guy off. I might not have taken the time to talk to him, to listen to what he was saying, and to really appreciate the fact that he loves what he does. But, I thought of Schmutzie, and I smiled, and I listened.
And now, I have this amazing door. I mean, I had that amazing door all the time. I just didn't know it.
Yeah, but does your door guy wear a gas mask? And have those... arms? Eh? I thought not.
ReplyDeleteNo. I Wish! He's not bald either. So, I have to make do by trying to just be nice. :)
ReplyDeleteI did a door replacement on the north shore, Kenilworth I think,...and the door was 48 inches wide.(a foot wider than most doors)
ReplyDeleteI'd guess it was 70 years old (original) when I did the job.
As I was marveling at this door, the homeowner asked me what was so weird about it.
"The door knob is in the dead center of the door! 2 feet from the edge!"
So?
"That means the people who milled the door had to bore out a 2 foot hole from the edge of the door, and then install a 2 foot backset mechanism!!! You turn the knob, and two feet away a little plunger retracts from the lock. TWO FEET!!!!"
So?
Modern backsets are more like 2 1/2 inches. That's why door knobs are so close to the edge of the door. A simple little 2 1/2 inch mechanism that connects the knob to the catch.
TWO FEET? Imagine the precision required to drill out that hole, and have it meet the knob perfectly in the middle of a 4 foot door. Amazing.
(The replacement part? hahahahahah hah!)
Those days are gone, along with the days of cam activated rubber threshold gaskets.(cool feature Arts.)
Oh and, you can't help but be nice Arts, and as for you DTAT2.....my arms?
Really?
Schmutzie- I loved the story of the door knob! I've seen those before -- and you're right that is an amazing feat.
ReplyDeleteYes, this guy was replacing head and foot bolts and laughed at the idea of replacement parts too :)
And, what DT2 said. Arms. Really. Yes.
Don't ever tell anyone I told you this, because we like to keep our little secrets...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.blainewindow.com//extab.cfm?
Hmmmmmmm. Don't you click that trash can mister.
ReplyDelete