Trimming The Bottoms Of Doors

Hi,

Does any of you know of a jig I can use to cleanly trim the bottoms off several interior doors? They are custom made, hardwood, and weigh a ton each. The builders cut the tolerances too close; they sagged and no longer clear the floor. The tools I have available are hand planes, a hand planer, and a router. I live in Costa Rica so I would have to fabricate the jig myself.

Many thanks, Gary

Reply to
Gary
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A straightedge and a circular saw will do the trick.

Reply to
Meanie

I didn't comprehend the tools you have available. Instead of a circular saw, a straightedge and the router will work also.

Reply to
Meanie

No jig necessary. Scribe a line, roughly corresponding to the floor, and plane to line.

If the concept of "scribing" to an uneven surface is not familiar, look here, the concept is the same:

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Reply to
Swingman

But he doesn't have a circular saw. A straightedge and a roudter will do it if he has the right cutters.

Reply to
clare

...

+1

This is presuming at least a jack plane or longer.

Ensuring the plane is sharp first is key, of course.

Reply to
dpb

Depends how much end grain you are going to need to chop. A big-assed router with the right cutter, run against a straight edge clamped to the door would be the fastest if there is much tough end-grain involved.

Reply to
clare

Gary wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@supernews.com:

Think the screw trick might help? It's where a sagging door is fixed by removing one of the top hinge screws and installing a long screw that goes fully into the jack stud. It works wonderfully on prefab doors, but may not work on a custom door like yours.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

On Thursday, August 7, 2014 10:38:37 PM UTC-5, snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com wrot e:

I would certainly try this first. If they worked correctly and had the rig ht tolerances and reveals at one time, then they were simply hung wrong. I have hung a lot of solid wood doors as well as over sized doors. 4" hinges , an extra hinge and plenty of shims and attachments will handle any door.

If you go the screw route, choose a screw that is nearest to the center of the jamb to minimize deflection. Find a long screw, with a head large enou gh to just sit flush with the hinge. Here's a great trick I use to keep fr om splitting the jamb when you tighten down the screw: drill out the screw hole in the jamb wide enough to let the screw body slip through without hit ting the sides of jamb. When the head makes contact with the hinge, it will spread the load across the hinge leaf and prevent splitting of the jamb.

If you have a lot to lift, then do this with a couple of screws on the jamb , and take up a little bit at a time with each screw until you get the door where you want it. A heavy door might pull out or strip one screw, but no t two.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

...and/or a shim (a few sheets of paper or a piece of cardboard) under the lower hinge. But you're right, if it's sagging, it's probably the frame bending under the weight.

Reply to
krw

With the humidity in Costa Rica it could be anything - sagging frame, warpage, door swelling, - ANYTHING.

Reply to
clare

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