I need to take 1/4" off the bottom of an interior door. What's the best tool for the job? I recall using a plane in my school woodworking days, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Obviously I'd like to get a consistent result along the width of the door and I don't trust my ability with a plane. Is there any alternative?
A sharp plane with a bit of weight to it is OK. An ordinary panel saw will do the job quite easily, and you'd only need to chamfer the edges afterwards to get a neat finish. A power planer will be recommended by someone, *but* if you use one, be *very* careful with your fingers (and other parts). If you've got a circular saw, that'll do the job and you will only need to lightly rub down the edges of the cut. Ditto the care aspect!
Circular saw and one of these;
Sharp new cross cut saw.
And sandpaper to finish.
If I can take a similar amount of a 20mm sold oak door in 20 minutes*, you shouldn't be in trouble on a normal cardboard and softwood door..
*including unmounting, and redrilling for 'higher' hinges...The message from "The Medway Handyman" contains these words:
Seriously useful, however the one I made had a minor mod. I had another strip of ply screwed/glued on edge to the double-thickness bit under the saw. Low enough to clear the back of the motor (or far enough back, depending which saw I'm using). Made it more rigid, which is an advantage if you're not working on a nice flat bench. For cutting really thin ply or hardboard it made quite a difference.
That's a great idea. I don't have a circular saw, but I do have a jigsaw. I suppose the sawboard would work with that too.
That's not a very good idea at all. The blade will tend to wander. You can minimise this by cutting an inch or two along from alternate sides, but this is a PITA. A panel saw would be far better, and doesn't take long either!
Jigsaw won't cut a straight line whatever you do, not what the tool was designed for. If you did get a straight line it wouldn't be square. You can pick up circular saws for £20 these days
But my jigsaw has a base plate. That would be up against the guide ripper on the sawboard, so enabling a straight line cut. ? I'll do a few test cuts to see if it works.
The blade itself bends (especially) when cutting along the grain. The cut on the "top" may well be pretty straight, the other side could wobble all over the place, maybe
+/- 3/8" (9mm) for the thickness of a door.
Instead of: You'll get:
| | | | | | | | | door | | door | | | | | | | | _,,-.
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In theory - but it doesn't really work like that. The blade will often flex at the root, so you appear to be following the line until you get to the end and find that the top may be a straight line but the bottom's wandered all over the place.
If you ain't got a circular saw, just use an ordinary hand saw, it'll do the job in less than a minute and be much much straighter and neater.
ok. But I'm wondering, as it's such a small amount I need to remove, if a plane is the right tool to use after all.
You could, but if you don't want a "schooldays experience", make sure it's sharp! You can chamfer each side, and then remove the central portion, which takes less effort than going full width all the way:
| | | | |_________| \_______| \_______/
1 2 3Don't forget to plane "inwards" from each "edge" to avoid the timber "breaking out"
You should be able to cut off 1/4" with a hand saw, though, make sure it's sharp, and don't force it through, just let it rub through with little pressure on it.
Apologies if you are already experienced...
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Possibly, but either fit a bit of scrap to the end to support it, or always plane in towards the middle otherwise you'll snap a big splinter off the far side.
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Sodding baconrays again.
:) Oh the memories come flooding back! Why didn't I listen to my old woodwork teacher? Thanks for the advice folks. I'll invest in a decent plane.
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