Best way to trim a bit off the bottom of interior door?

[CluelessDIYer1]

Our doors are the original 1930s wooden doors (can upload photo if required) but googling this you get a basic idea of:

Anyway, i now know why the previous owner had a short pile carpet in the box room.

After having a real nice carpet fitted...the door wont close. Well, it will, but to be on the safe side i'm having to pull it to with both hands supporting top & bottom for fear it'll put too much strain on the hinges as i drag it across the carpet & give it a windscreen wiper effect.


I suspect electric planer?

If so then what's the best way of doing this? If it was the long edge then just have it on edge & plane across surely?
But with it being the base, i can't stand it on end & reach the top. Likewise i would've thought laying it on say a table & planing in mid air wouldn't have been the best idea?


Just looking for tips. Thanks.

 

[alan333]

I employed the "laying on a table and planing in mid air" technique with an electric plane. Do from each end into the middle tho, cos the edge splits off if you don't. If you have a fair bit to plane off then mark the door first and work to your line.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I tend to do the job with a circular saw and a guide rail (in my case a Festool, but home-made will do just as well - NOT the rip fence BTW) - advisable to knife the exit point to avoid spelching. A circular saw works with a guide works better if you need to take more than about 6 or 8mm off a door IMHO, but it does require a sharp, fine tooth blade. Unless you are highly competent with a hand saw I wouldn't recommend that approach. An electric planer will do the job just as well - keep checking that you are planing square to the face of the door and don't plane all the way through - that last part of the cut needs to be worked in to the centre of the door to avoid spelching

 

[CluelessDIYer1]

Thanks for the rapid replies.

I don't actually know how much to take off. The carpet doesn't drown the base of the door so I'm guessing only a few mm. Although it'll be a bit of a PITA to take 1mm off each time & then put the door back on so id probably bank on 3mm for the first try.

When you start at 1 end working in the middle does it not make a mess of the end? If no then why not when you say don't finish on an end? Why would starting on the end not be a problem?

 

[big-all]

the planer blade by its actions is cutting in a forward motion at the surface or up to 2mm below
if you dont weaken[cut the edge with a stanley type knife]the edge it will more than likely splinter badly
you can avoid this by edging with say 2x2" timber clamped to the breakout edge
but remember if you do plane to an open edge you must transfer support to the back off the plane so when the nose comes off the work it wont drop

 

[geraldthehamster]

Circular saw with a fence clamped to the door every time for me, and finish with a belt sander.

Cheers
Richard

 

[CluelessDIYer1]

I'm sure my dad had some sort of table circular saw in the shed although I've no idea where as it's a bit of an aladdins cave.

Out of interest what should I expect from a joiner for a few mm off 1 door?

My first thought is that they won't get out of bed for it, but assuming they did...?
There's room for it to be cut on site too.

 

[geraldthehamster]

I'm sure my dad had some sort of table circular saw in the shed although I've no idea where as it's a bit of an aladdins cave.

You don't want a table saw - ideally you want to bring the saw to the door, rather than the other way around. I suppose you could use a table saw if you have 8 feet to work in, and an assistant.

Cheers
Richard

 

[CluelessDIYer1]

Oh right hahaha ... I thought that's what was meant when the term circular saw (a round blade) was used.

Just googled circular saw now & nope we certainly don't have one of them.

Haha what an idiot