Security Doors

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Toepopper
Patriot ⭐ Construction, Shelter
Patriot ⭐ Construction, Shelter
Posts: 1229
Joined: 16 Aug 2007 12:03
Location: Southwest Oregon

Security Doors

Post by Toepopper »

The front door on my house is made from wood. It has a keylock and a deadbolt but those locks are not going to prevent someone from getting in if they are serious. One or two swings of a sledge hammer against those locks will break the door jamb and split the wall framing and that door will burst open. So, I have decided to beef up the door frame with 1/8" thick steel plate. I removed the wood door stop and used a skillsaw to cut a series of 1/8" deep horizontal kerfs about an inch apart, then took a wood chisel and removed the wood between the saw kerfs. I hung a canvas tarp over the door on the outside of the house to retain the heat and a piece of clear plastic sheeting on the inside to contain the mess and worked between the two, using the door to help hold the plastic out of my way while working. I went to a steel supply place and they cut a piece of eighth inch thick by 8" wide mild steel, 79- 1/4" long. This cost me $17.50 and the steel will lay up against the door jamb. I drilled holes in the steel every 6" along the length of the steel staggered from one side to the other, on a drill press. Also drilled a series of holes where the dead bolt and door lock will slide into the steel. This took the most time since I had to resort to using a small hand file to smooth down the holes so the locks would work. Spent 3 hours filing to make it right. Painted the steel with red primer and let it sit next to the woodstove overnight to dry. The next morning I used 6" deck screws to screw the steel plate onto the door jamb and into the wall framing studs. Deck screws are able to bend a little bit and will withstand some shock if someone starts winging on the door with a sledge hammer. Of course the dead bolt would not align with the corresponding hole in the steel so I had to remove the steel and file it down some more to make it fit properly. I was able to remove the original door stop without breaking it so I drilled three small diameter holes into the steel and screwed the doorstop through the steel, into the wood. Now if someone wants in they are going to have to smash that door into kindling because the steel reinforced door jamb won't break.
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