Austin builds the special in Special-Lite

Austin is a member of our Bench department. This department manages the final steps of production by putting on the finishing touches of hardware and lite kits.

Doors come to this department fully assembled and with lite kit cutouts. However, Austin, and his fellow technicians must complete other machining for hardware and install both the hardware as well as a great variety of lite kits. A binder full of basic templates is a starting point for much of the work they do. Then, the Special-Lite Detailing department delivers job-specific information and drawings to the Bench team.

Still, as department manager, Corey points out: “Because everything we do is made-to-order, there really isn’t a book that can give us all the answers. So, there are little things we’ve learned about our flush doors and stile and rail doors in terms of the vast array of hardware that exists. It’s that experience that we put to the test every day.”

Corey concludes: “Our experience is what really makes the finished product special.”

Upper left: Burning off excess fiberglass burrs left over from the machining of the FRP face sheet into the aluminum stiles and rails. Upper right: Buffing the edges. Lower: Blowing and wiping down the entire unit after each machining step.