Removing 10mm from timber in situ

[Windmill]

I have a doorway which was 23" wide. By removing the decorative wood I've exposed two hefty uprights, 6-1/4" x 2-1/2" (they built well long ago), and the doorway width is now 608mm. which doesn't really leave clearance for 600mm wide appliances.

So I'd like to take about 10mm off each of those uprights, reducing the

2-1/2" to about 2-1/8". This is just the doorway into what would once have been called a scullery so beauty doesn't matter, though it'll look OK after the uprights have been sanded, nail holes filled, and painted.

But a power planer might be a slow way to remove wood.

And removing the uprights for sawing would be difficult and would cause a lot of damage.

Can anyone suggest something quicker than planing? (No, not an angle grinder!)

[Davidm]

Reciprocating saw, something like

tho you may find something cheaper if you only need it for this job.

[Dave Baker]

Best way is probably a circular saw with the depth of cut set to just a smidge under 10mm. Then make hundreds of cuts a few mm apart and use a razor sharp chisel to remove the kerf just as you would in a mortice and tenon joint. Sand the remaining surface and it should be as flat as makes no odds.

[newshound]

A power planer is pretty fast, as long as it does not encounter too many nails or screws!

And an angle grinder with coarse sanding disk is a close second. Not that I would suggest this for the whole job on account of the dust, but they can be used quite surgically to get into corners.

[GB]

Quicker than a *power* planer? Nope. :)

[fred]

In article , Windmill writes

Got a router? 30 odd mm flat faced bit, make 3 x 3mm passes.

Use smooth battens fixed either side of the framing pieces to stop it cobbling about as material is removed.

Finish the closest bits to the top frame & floor with a hand saw and uber sharp chisel for smoothness.

[<no_spam]

+1

[Tricky Dicky]

I would check if the uprights are needed. If the lintel above the opening g oes onto the brickwork either side of the opening then the two uprights ser ve no other purpose than to narrow the gap and could be removed giving you plenty of space. Get a structural engineer to eyeball it if you are unsure. Removing them is a much simpler option than trying to reduce their thickn ess in situ.

Richard

[The Natural Philosopher]

router is able to cut more than a planer with a single pass.

But this is a job where you simply assign an afternoon to it and get going with whatever tools you have.

[RobertL]

Aren't most '600mm wide' appliances rather less than 600mm deep? They would fit through sideways?

Robert

[stuart noble]

I'd prefer the router. Don't like planing across the grain. Circ saw a bit too bulky to be doing that many 3mm cuts

[Windmill]

Well yes. 595 mm nominal is less than 600 ;-)

[The Medway Handyman]

Wont touch the last few inches either way.

[Scott M]

I've not measured but I reckon that most aren't far off square. Washing machines often favour particularly bulbous doors that might actually make them deeper than wide.

If it was me, I'd be in there and open it up to the full 2'6" - but I seem to make a pastime of colliding with doorframes!!!

[Windmill]

Removal is something I'd be reluctant to attempt myself, and I'm hoping to trade my time for the cost of employing others. I doubt if the uprights support much; internally the house uses load bearing brick walls where strength is needed. The doorway is in a corner so one upright is against one brick wall, but the other upright, although also against a brick wall, may be supporting the lintel. I'd need to strip some plaster to find out for certain (and plastering isn't one of my skills).

[Windmill]

Yes, but with protrusions some are 600mm as described in their specifications. (Sideways can be worse.) The other thing is that there are no right angles nor level floors in a house of this age, and with a doorway 6-1/4" = 158mm. deep and 600mm. wide it would be only too easy to get something wedged in the doorway.

[Windmill]

Thanks; hadn't thought of that possibility so I'll take a look.

[Windmill]

I burned out my lightweight circular saw using a metal cutting disc on a garden gate, so ATM I only have a heavy LIDL special (but it could be a good excuse to buy a replacement).

Would there be much kickback, do you think? There could be knots, and though narrow the doorway is 6'6" high so I'd be holding the saw well above me.

[Windmill]

Maybe mine isn't too good. I used it last on the top edge of a door which had warped (or the building had) and it took a long time (and set off the fire alarm). Removing 10mm. with it might be slow. SO far I'm just weighing my options, but at some point I'm going to have to get stuck in and see what works.

I had thought of a multi tool for that part of the work, but an A/G is an option I hadn't considered; maybe I should.

[Windmill]

Mine didn't seem fast when I last used it. Needs new blades maybe?