Thread: Help! Any carpenters here?

Perhaps you could plane 3mm off both long faces - will appear more balanced than 6 off the non hinge surface (depending on door design of coourse).
3mm with a good sharp plane shouldnt take too long and less chance of a table saw horror show!

S

Maybe you're losing a bit on the hinge side. Are your hinges recessed correctly?
Otherwise agree with 'roverrescue' re taking a bit off each side of each door.

forget the doors, hang a curtain rail and hang hippy beads! go back to drinking beer!

Thanks guys. I taped up the door edges and ran them through the saw. I don't know why I was so hesitant. At least I now have a new skill...turning good bits of wood into sawdust. Jim

You're obviously extremely lucky to have a perfectly square and plumb doorframe!! Very rare those!!

it normally goes something like this:

frame opening = door width x2 + jamb thickness x2 + 9-10mm for 3 gaps + 15-20mm for frame to jamb gaps.

The 9-10mm for 3 gaps I refer to is the gap down each hinge side and the gap in the middle. I like to shoot for a nice 3mm gap at hinges and up to 4 in between the doors. Reason being this allows for paint and future swelling/movement etc. Good quality hinges are normally about 2.5mm gap anyway. The reason you need a touch more down the middle of the doors as when both doors are opened simultaneously, they get longer due to arc being scribed and pivot point of hinge, so to speak, and can bind if not the right gap. Obviously you don't want a big gap that looks like poo.

you need gap between the frame and jamb as no frame is perfect straight or plumb and you need to be able to adjust the jamb to suit the doors. Even if your floor was dead level and frame perfect, the doors may not be....

now remember if you have rebated doors you need to measure of the same face or you could end up making your jamb and opening too wide or too narrow. If you do not have rebated doors you need to know if you are using some sort of plant on stop on one of the doors and if this needs to be allowed for.

Planning the doors would have been preferred than the table saw, but what ever works is best in the end.

Thanks all. Doors hung in place and all is good. Jim

For the next time. Scribe the marking with a razorblade/stanley knife, before you cut, (will help with any chipping). Also at that small amount, it would have been easier to plane off excess.

Door jambs are usually 19 or 20mm, but that depends on your timber, I know NSW leans to using meranti, but here in QLD we tend to use pine, so slightly thinner. Jambs don't necessarily sit hard against the studs, they can sometimes add 2mm plus.

Try using hirline hinges for an easier fit rather than checking out into the door.

Glad to hear you did it. Always is more satisfying when you can do things youself. (Even if the neighbourhood may have heard)