Author Topic: Hardening a Door Frame.  (Read 3125 times)

Offline thatGuy

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Hardening a Door Frame.
« on: February 26, 2013, 02:04:12 AM »
Hey Gang,

A buddy ran across this article on Instructables and he wanted to know what I thought of it..

Hardening a Door Frame.

I thought it was a great idea! As any of you guys who have booted down a door know, the strike side of the jamb is the weak link for sure. Not only because the strike is held in with a 1/2" screw but because there is only 3/8" of wood between the bolt and you. This how to addresses that issue.

It can be done with rudimentary hand tools and a hired welder will do those welds for a couple of bucks a piece.

Once done you are now dealing with steel and have brought the wood framing that holds the jamb, header, wall and roof into the mix..  a vast improvement.

If I was the original author I would have added a continuous hinge to the otherside of the door and called it.

You would be hard pressed to boot that down!  [url=http://www.freesmileys.or

Offline JohnyMac

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2013, 09:43:47 AM »
Good article TG - Bookmarked it.

Same subject different gear; In retrospect I wish I had installed a commercial door frame and door. As you know commercial door frames and doors are metal. I am sure it is some kind of code thang.

On another note: While beefing up your doors is a great idea for normal burglary; however it is still pretty simple to break into most houses IF NOBODY IS HOME. Break a window reach in and unlock the window; climb in. No more noise than kicking in a door. Not that I know personally ;) a great breaking in method, if the house has a basement, are basement windows. Easy to kick in; low level of noise and easy to crawl in from. Leave from back door as you lock the door.

Now what I worry about more than a burglary is Sturmtruppen's. Throw a 'flash bang' in a window followed with the crashing of a slider if your doors are reinforced.

Just thinking out loud.   
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Offline mountainredneck2051

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2013, 12:53:08 PM »
at this point the door itself is a big weakpoint,

they got bullet proof doors at lowes for around $200
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Offline v0dka

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2013, 06:10:09 PM »
Good article TG - Bookmarked it.



Now what I worry about more than a burglary is Sturmtruppen's. Throw a 'flash bang' in a window followed with the crashing of a slider if your doors are reinforced.

Just thinking out loud.   
They make film you put on your glass to stop it from breaking into pieces. that coupled with window bars and building a all steel door into the walls will give you more then enough time to react.
sic luceat lux

Offline mountainredneck2051

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2013, 06:22:56 PM »
claymores j mac     :P
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Offline JohnyMac

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2013, 10:02:13 PM »
I have one acquaintance who is on the county (Newport) SWAT team. He has never mentioned claymores although he has mentioned other things. On that note no commentary here: Get a face mask. One that can handle the basic gases like tear gas. 
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Offline thatGuy

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2013, 11:50:38 PM »
Yeah JMac steel doors and jambs are the way to go for sure and it is a code thing. The doors themselves usually have a piece of gypsum inside and the jambs are grouted with cement and perlite. The whole point is to make sure the door can be opened even if on fire. 

For you guys who are looking to upgrade check out the local building salvage guys, they will usually sell you a commerical door in jamb with all the hardware for $150-$500 depending on condition. Last year I bought 3 great solid wooden doors in jambs w/hardware for $80 each. The knobs were $300 each so I feel like I did ok ;)

But like JMac is pointing out, when you harden one point of entry you essentially soften another if that makes sense.

We have fought this fight a million times and I never really cared for any of the answers whether it be,

Expanded metal between the sheetrock and the framing (yeah, that is how they do the pharmacy and cash cage in Walmarts),

Grouted CMU Block with 3 pieces of #5 bar tied to a concrete lental (like every opening in a block wall ever)

3 staggered mats of #9 bar 8"o.c. in 18" of 5000psi concrete (Credit Union Vault)

Because fortifying shit means no more windows, no more freedom, no more natural light and cool breezes. A prison is a fortress with all the locks on the wrong side of the door.

So instead think about slowing them down and buying yourself a little time. Making them approach from your good side as it were.

Know your neighbors and let them know you.. this is the best security system in the world.


Offline JohnyMac

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2013, 10:01:06 AM »
Great comment (s) TG:
Quote
So instead think about slowing them down and buying yourself a little time. Making them approach from your good side as it were.
Know your neighbors and let them know you.. this is the best security system in the world.

The farmer across the road and our family are the only folks on our dirt road. He has petitioned the township for he and I to take over the maintenance of the road in exchange for putting a fence up. Well he was shot down.

So now we are looking at putting a pressure sensor or UV trip to give us both a heads-up when someone comes down our road.

As TG wrote; it's to buy us a little time.
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Offline thatGuy

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2013, 10:24:58 AM »
What's the distance to the gate JMac?

Offline JohnyMac

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2013, 11:21:00 AM »
TG, from where you turn off the State Road (Which is dirt too) onto our Township road is where we would have put the gate. The distance from this spot to our houses, is 3/10 of a mile. The road continues 2 miles to a State road. The road runs west/east.

At the east end of our road, about 300 yards west of the highway was a bridge which was washed out in 2006.  The township can not afford to repair it. There is a fence on both sises of where the bridge use to be.

So for vehicles there is only one way in/out which is at the west end. 
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Offline NOLA556

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Re: Hardening a Door Frame.
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2013, 08:48:20 PM »
i read this thread the day it was posted but never commented.

well... I got paid today..  >:D

thanks for the excuse to spend more money TG... I'll take pics and post an after-action report.  [url=http://www.freesmileys.or
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