Straight door in crooked frame?

I have a M&T hardwood front door, on 3 brass hinges which I fitted myself several years ago. The door is an Alicante, the tenons are glued in with what looks like a black resin. I am very inexpert in joinery. Although the door fits well at the hinge side, the top of the lock side meets the frame before the bottom, so that there is a bit of spring in it to make the latch close. The door is not warped and is too rigid to rack into shape.

I wonder if I should address this by moving the hinges (remember I am a clumsy woodworker and the door is very heavy so I might make it worse) or perhaps shave the frame down at the top of the locking side. I do not have a rabbit plane but I think I could shave it down with a sharp chisel.

It is in an open porch so not exposed to the weather. The frame is stained softwood.

Is the door stop removeable? then the easiest is to re-position the door stop

Also it can be done by re-positioning the top hinge out slightly and the bottom hinge inwards. Put some small thin dowel or a few matches wedged in the old hinge holes with wood glue and dried before re-drilling the new holes. Might be an idea just do the top hinge first and leave the bottom hinge alone to see how you get on first.

Do one hinge at a time saving you taking the door off completey

Thanks for your reply

masona said:

Is the door stop removeable? then the easiest is to re-position the door stop

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Alas, no, it's a machined section.

masona said:

Also it can be done by re-positioning the top hinge out slightly and the bottom hinge inwards. Put some small thin dowel or a few matches wedged in the old hinge holes with wood glue and dried before re-drilling the new holes. Might be an idea just do the top hinge first and leave the bottom hinge alone to see how you get on first.

Click to expand...

I don't think I can move the bottom hinge in; the hinge side closes tightly.

The top edge also closes tightly (now)

But there is a 5mm gap at the bottom of the lock edge.

So I suppose I want to move the top hinge 5mm out in the frame, but not move the hinges on the door??

I suppose I will have to take out all but one slack screw from the bottom hinge to allow the door to re-align? As my new screw holes will be so close to the old (and the door is very heavy) I think I had better drill them all out and tap in a close-fitting glued dowel.

If I wedge up the door in the Open position while drilling the new screw holes, is there anything else I should think of? How do I allow for the fact that the door will hang a bit lower when it puts its weight on the hinges? (I am very ignorant about door-hanging)

yep masonas got it pretty much right

just to add

are you realy shure its the frame thats out!!!!!!!
has it mooved try gently carresing the frame with a block of wood and a big hammer
if it does move back check you havent knocked the frame out off line [bent] youl need to put in a couple off frame fixings near any point it moves

if its definatly the frame i would move the difference to all corners
say the door is 20mm out you move the diagonaly opposit hinge out 5mm and the bottom hinge in 5mm
this will average the problem out to 5mm each corner rather than just moving it to the hinge side
if its a rebate the door sits in and dependant on clearence the you will need to shave off the door stop edge from the centre hinge from zero to whatever at the bottom and from the lock up on the other side

you may also have to adjust the door on the weather bar or frame along the bottom edge

you may have to ease the middle hinge which which hasnt so much moved as rotated on its centre

clear as mudd eeehhh


well there you are it took me half an hour to type this in which time you replyed

Thanks, the gap at the bottom of the lock stile is about 5mm so I think I will start by undoing the central hinge, slackening the bottom hinge screws just off their countersinks to accomodate the movement, and moving the top hinge out by 5mm.

But I will drill out and plug dowels into the old screwholes in the frame for the top hinge first.

As I am not experienced at this I think I will try fixing the top hinge with a single screw and see if I have got it in the right place before I go further.

Is that sensible?

well as long as your happy with moving the gap to the hinge side!!!!!

dont forget to check your frame to see if it has any movement in it
you only need 2 mm movement on 2 corners to sort the problem

hanging the door on one screw at a time to check is fine just make shure all the screws in the other half off the hinge are tight to stop it dropping

I've given the frame a good tug, it won't move. I can see the frame fixing screws through the side, I can't see any in the head, there might be some in the cill under the water bar.

The frame is set in an internal porch, fixed to the side of the end of a stub cavity wall, so the bricks are probably looking for an excuse to break apart if I hammer at it or drill for new fixings. The other frames in the house were fastened with loops of wire built into the brickwork, so it might not move even if I took out the screws. The internal wall has a sand and cement render up to the frame, with a hard plaster skim.

it was more tap than a whack to check for any movement

you wont normaly have any fixings along the bottom as this would bridge the damp proof membrane

just another thought
if you have,nt got draught excluder fitted why nor try fitting it as it may bring the door into line with the light pressure over a large area

or if fitted try doubling up on the "tight " top section to push the bottom inwards