How to Make a Door Wedge
As long as doors have existed, people have employed doorstops to hold them open. Although doorstops have evolved over time from a rock or brick to something as ornate as a decorative statuette, the simple wooden door wedge is still the most common.
Make door wedges for every door in your house from one 2-by-4 inch stud in less than an hour.
Things You Will Need
- 2-by-4 stud
- Workbench
- Clamp
- Protractor
- Pencil
- Safety glasses
- Saw (handsaw or circular saw)
- Sandpaper
- Optional: polyurethane sealer or wood stain
- Optional: paintbrush
Tip
When using, orient the wedge with the cut side toward the floor. This way, the bottom edge of the door will contact continuous grain. This will help to prevent splintering of the cut edge.
Warning
Wear safety glasses when cutting wood.
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Secure a 2-by-4 stud to your workbench with a clamp so that it overhangs the bench at one end. Line up a protractor with the edge of the wood. Mark a 20-degree angle on the stud with a pencil until it contact the opposite edge. Make a diagonal cut through the wood along the line with your saw.
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Sand down all sides of the wedge with medium grit sandpaper. Concentrate especially on the cut side to prevent rough edges that could mark the floor or splinter off into someone’s foot.
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If you want your project to have a more finished look, finish the wood with a brush-on polyurethane sealer or wood stain. Allow one side to dry sufficiently before staining the other side.
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Move the clamp further down the stud. Saw a perpendicular cut at the edge of the first angled cut to create another door wedge. Line the protractor up against the stud and measure a 20-degree angle for the next set of door wedges. Repeat the process, measuring and cutting until you have as many wedges as you need. Sand and then stain if desired.
The Drip Cap
- As long as doors have existed, people have employed doorstops to hold them open.
- Mark a 20-degree angle on the stud with a pencil until it contact the opposite edge.
- Sand and then stain if desired.
Check out this related video from Homesteady on Youtube.
Resources
Writer Bio
As a literature and grammar teacher, Laura Roberts began editing in 2002, gradually expanding her nonfiction writing to include new curriculum units. In 2008, Roberts began publishing her “Ask the Savvy Bride” column connected with her e-commerce wedding store. She holds a bachelor's in English education from Robert Morris University.
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