holding a door for electrical planing

[Harold Davis]

Hi,

I need to plane the bottom of an internal door and have done this with other doors using an electrical plane. But when I did it before, I had someone to help me by holding the door upright so I could stand on some steps and run the plane along the top. Now she won't be there to help and I'm going to have to do it on my own.

What's the best way to hold the door tight? I'm sure I've seen tradesmen use electrical planes on doors without assistants, but I can't remember exactly how they've done it! There's no way I can stand it on the floor and plane the top as before - it wouldn't stay still.

Thanks in advance!

Harry

[Harold Davis]

"Phil L" wrote in news:26obx.696085$ [e-mail]:

Thanks for this, Phil.

Is that so? :-) I'll be OK if I clamp it to the table, then.

The reason I did it the other way before is to make gravity my friend, pulling the plane down evenly onto the surface being planed. It's quite a heavy plane and we did several doors - about a dozen including cupboard doors - and the amount of vibration was close to the maximum I would want to withstand.

Thanks again!

Harry

[David Lang]

Don't use a plane. Use a circular saw and a sawboard with the door on a bench or blocks.

[Andrew]

Take the door off and clamp vertically, short side upright, long side horizontal into a workmate or similar. Place large enough block of wood or breeze block under the other end, which you want to plane. Easy.

[stuart noble]

is the right answer

[Tricky Dicky]

Andy's dads way is the traditional way of planing the end of a door with a hand plane, however I would not recommend doing it that way with an electri c plane. As you have to stand astride the door holding it in place with you r knees, one slip and you could find yourself planing your knee caps. The o nly safe power tool method in my opinion is to use a router. I have a Tee-s quare like guide which I clamp to the door with the Tee part held against t he long edge at the end of the cut with a sacrificial piece of timber held in between. This produces good edges without splinters, the only problem I have encountered with this method is the tendency on some cheap panel doors to use staples to hold the framing timbers together during manufacture, bu t these are a problem whatever method is used.

Richard

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I tend to clamp the door in the edge of the workmate vice, with the door on the floor. For top or bottom, space one end off the floor enough to get clearance for the plane.

[John Rumm]

The traditional solution:

(you can also grab the end of the door in the side of a workmate)

[John Rumm]

[Harold Davis]

David Lang wrote in news:mCobx.866800$ [e-mail]:

Yes, but I haven't got one! :-) Are you saying it's not feasible for someone to do it on their own with an electric plane?

Harry

[Harold Davis]

Andrew wrote in news:mkl6ua$b4g$ [e-mail]:

Have you ever done that, Andrew? My electric plane is very heavy and vibrates a *lot*. I don't think that would be feasible, except maybe if you are Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Harry

[Huge]

I've laid the door on its side, on blocks so the plane will go all the way down to the end, and held it upright with a B&D Workmate. And then plane vertically. You do *have* a Workmate, right? :o)

[Huge]

It's how I've done it, and although I'm 6'3" and 17st, I fly a desk for a living, so Arnie I'm not.

[Harold Davis]

Huge wrote in news: [e-mail]:

No I haven't got one of those either, but could buy one. Have you done what you describe with a 1000W+ 3kg+ electrical planer that vibrates like nobody's business?

Harry

[Harold Davis]

Huge wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Sorry, Huge; I replied to your other post before I saw this one.

I'll get a workmate (the non-human kind) and try what you say.

Harry

[The Natural Philosopher]

A leccy planer that weighs less and vibrates less will set you back next to nowt as will hiring one

Another possible is to clamp a straight edge as guide to the door and use a router, suitably supported...

[Huge]

[28 lines snipped]

If your planer "vibrates like nobody's business", there's something wrong with it. I have a 710W Freud one from Screwfix which probably weighs a couple of kilos & I have planed doors with it as I describe.

[rick]

Have done this with door on edge held - far end held in a workmate ... though a second pair of hands is best.

[Andy Burns]

I have, and I only used it a few days ago, still just took me 15 minutes to find it hiding behind the roofrack ...

[Huge]

I chucked the roofracks out a while ago. I don't own a car they'll fit on any more.

But I would like to know where my stock of threaded rod is, though.