Ken's Pompeii Door

[Ken524]

My Christmas Eve project was to build a door. I'm really happy with the end result.

The door is made from:
16 gauge steel sheet
8" angle iron
Expanded metal sheet
Heavy duty black handle (garage door handle)
Galvanized nuts & bolts
High Heat black spray paint
Leftover Kaowool insulation board

Everything but the Kaowool was purchased from Lowe's (popular US home/hardware store). I cut the 16 gauge steel easily with a Skil Jigsaw.

[Dannyboyblue]

Very nicely done, Ken. I wonder, though, if the is any disintegration/dust factor with the Kaowool, and if it might last longer and be more food safe if it were sealed/enclosed somehow.

[Ken524]

I thought about that. I'm going to keep an eye on it. As long as the stuff is kept dry, the board is pretty firm and stable. The way it fits, I don't foresee much wear and tear on the edges.

Time will tell.

[Les]

Very clever and cool Ken! Merry Xmas...

Les...

[asudavew]

Nice looking door Ken.

Where did you find the 16 gauge steel at Lowes?

I couldn't find anything that heavy there.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
I hope Santa smiles on all of you!

Dave

[Ken524]

Originally Posted by asudavew

Where did you find the 16 gauge steel at Lowes?

Hardware isle. In the same display that they keep the angle iron.

Merry Christmas!

[christo]

Sweet.

Looks like you have a slight flare to your oven throat. -

I found having a flared opening to the oven allowed me to pull the door out slightly to allow air in or push it fully in to close off completely. No need for little venty things on the door.

Looks like I'll have to go to the Big Orange Store and get some thicker sheet metal this week!!!

Christo

[gjbingham]

Great looking door Ken. With the flat iron at the bottom, will you be able to tip the door to allow air passage for use as a draft door while burning? Perhaps just rotating it a bit will work.

George

[Ken524]

Here's a long overdue update on my door. (Thanks to Mfiore for reminding me to update)

After reading some concerns about exposed insulation board in the oven, I modified my door with flashing (aluminum??) that I had laying in the garage. It's the stuff they sell in rolls at home centers for exterior house work (chimneys, siding, etc).

I disassembled the door and wrapped a long, wide piece of flashing around the edge of the board, snipping and folding as necessary to get a good fit. I made the flashing wide enough so about an inch could fold over the front and back edges.

A second piece of flashing was cut to fit the exposed back side of the board and is held in place with the expanded metal screen. After screwing it back together, the metal screen does a good job sandwiching everything in place.

Total time: about an hour.

So far so good. I did this early in the summer and it's still working fine.

I hope the photos help. The flashing is pretty well stained from heat and smoke.

[mfiore]

Thanks for posting the update, Ken. That's what I was looking for!