Replacing all internal doors

[peterkonczak]

Hi,

I have decided to replace all my internal doors. I have bought the new doors (solid, pine) and now need to hang them. Can someone please let me know:

1) the best way to trim them? (no idea how to secure them while I cut/saw/plane/sand!?)

2) the best tool to trim them with?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Pete

 

[noseall]

i use an electric plane and an electric sander to finish.

secure it between your legs.

you will need an inside leg greater than 30" though!

 

[gregers]

be aware as it sounds like your first time at hanging doors,to make doubly sure of how much you need to remove from each door,if in doubt get someone in.coz it could be an expensive cock up if it goes wrong.good luck and take your time.

 

[peterkonczak]

thanks gregers, will do - measure twice, cut once!

thanks noseall - have been looking at the Axminster power planer as I haven't used one before and trust Axminster's build quality.

I guess that's what I'll go for unless anyone has any more suggestions of efficient ways to trim doors down....No. 4 plane anyone??

 

[big-all]

strait lines circular saw
curved lines less than 5mm planer/belt sander more than 5mm circsaw/jigsaw dependant on amount of deviation from the strait

practice on the old doors with any tools especialy the belt sander and planer

arris all edges
undercut the leading edge on the lock side by 1.5mm

if you use cheap hinges you wont be able to cut the hinge into the door as they are so thin and wont give you 2mm clearence

 

[JohnD]

the lift-off hinges are IMO very handy, especially as you will be lifting the door up and down to trim it for fit.

They also make it far easier for decorating, carrying furniture through, fitting carpets etc.

 

[gregers]

are you intending doing any more?if not then spending your hard earned dosh on tools that will be packed away and forgotten about may be a waste of time and expense,why not get a chippy in to do the job?have you had quotes?or is this a personal challenge youve set yourself?if so good luck,made me laugh when you said no4 plane,suddenly remembered my jack plane is buried in the garage somewhere

 

[joenineo]

Dunno if this helps, but I used a circular saw to take off the bottom edge of a cheap plywood door. Took so much off that I was looking at the cardboard baffle on the inside.

Had to then extract the wooden bottom from the cut-off and stick it back in with glue... and it still scrapes the new carpet

Will be putting new doors on in any case so I'm not too worried.

Joe

 

[peterkonczak]

Thanks big-all, that's really helpful.
I thought my circular saw may be overkill but i'll give it a whirl in the knowledge that I'm using a tried and tested method!

Thanks JohnD, will see if I can afford 14 of them!

Gregers, I am intending on doing lots more actually - I just finished my Institute Of Carpenters Intermediate Award and now putting it into practice by refurbing bits of my flat! Fingers crossed!!

Thanks awbcm and joenineo - I'm just starting out really so all advice / information is very greatfully received!

Cheers guys.
Pete

 

[gregers]

Institute Of Carpenters Intermediate Award


congrats on completing the above,what is this equal too?ie nvq/city and guilds,and can you go further?

are you aiming to become a chippy in the near future,if so visit your local boot fair and start buying a load of tools,YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH

let us know when you have done the doors and post some pics .

oh i always have a couple of 2 pence pieces in my toolbox for when i do doors,so when you have got the top of the door parallel with the frame pop the 2ps in between,that way you ensure a nice gap between the door and frame so you can then mark where the hinges go.

 

[peterkonczak]

Thanks gregers.
Apparently it's equivalent to an Intermediate construction Award which does have some NVQ exemptions (Level 2 I think) but because it's only workshop based I'd need to be in the trade full time to be assessed on the job up to NVQ standard - which I unfortunately can't do just yet!
I would like to try and pursue it but being 29 and with a mortgage to pay, my options are a bit limited.
Anyway, I wanted to go for the IOC Advanced Craft but the college pulled the course because they would no longer be subsidized and £1500 a student was a bit much for us all to pay. I decided to jack in the desk job anyway and see if I can make a real go of it - I've got a few months before I do it but I thought if you're going to go for it, you may as well go 100%!

Cheers for the tips, I'll get out there and start bargain hunting!

 

[MultiskilledBob]

If you intend on hanging lots of doors in the future I would advise a couple of door clamps, a good router, a good circular saw, varying size straight edge clamps and Lock and hinge jigs...this is all costly stuff but once you have practised with all this gear and purchased it of course, you will be recouping the costs in months to come because those nice big contracts you get to hang 50 doors in a new office complex will be cut shorter by the minimal time you use per door, and the finish is alot better and uniform.

Well done on the certificate and good luck in your career, I have been doing it now 20 years and have never looked back!

 

[peterkonczak]

Thanks MultiskilledBob.
I can't wait to get all the proper kit / toys!
As soon as I start (hopefully) making some money from it, I intend to upgrade my gear! I suppose it's like a cycle, the more I earn, the better kit I get, the more I can do, the more I earn etc etc

 

[MultiskilledBob]

Absolutely... If you can and I know how hard it is when 1st venturing out buy decent professional tools all the time, you end up spending more money in the long run replacing cheap tonker toy tools like draper.
I remember (don't worry its not a hovis advert)when I started as an apprentice bench hand joiner many moons/Eons ago there used to be a rep from Stanley come around to the workshop and sell us hand tools at a discount price, bear in mind I wasn't on a fantastic wage like my colleagues there but alot better than my mates who were doing YTS courses at the time, so one time I opted to not buy a stanley hand plane but a cheaper one in the local hardware store nearby, not only was I laughed at buy my colleagues but the damn thing seized up and fell apart after 2 months..moral over!

 

[iaith]

I find magic grippers very useful when planing doors. I'm afraid I haven't got a picture or a link , but I got them from magnet trade.