Trimming Doors

[lawrence567]

After having carpet laid the doors won't open/shut properly as it was an old house & the old boy before had bare wood floors with rugs on.
I need to get about 5-10mm off of the bottom of the door.
Apart from a circular saw which i don't have or have the funds to buy, how long would it take using a manual wood planer?
Hours?
Or would it be a better idea to buy a cheap electric planer from B&Q / Focus etc etc?

[Milky Bar Kid]

Having recently done something similar, I would strongly advise that you go and buy a rotary plane. So, so, so much quicker and simpler than using a hand plane. Oh, and it's also much easier to get a good finish on things too. It was well worth the £20-30 I paid for mine.

[Simpo Two]

For 5-10mm, an electric plane for sure. A circular saw could rip out the grain along the edges.

Two provisos. One, starting the run takes care - it's very easy to plane a bigger chunk than you wanted out of the first inch or two until the base of the plane is sitting flat. Two, don't run the plane off the end, you could break out the grain, so stop short and start from the other end.

[herbialfa]

^^^^^What he said^^^^^^

[gaz132]

I had a similar problem so borrowed an electric planner. I then felt I couldn't use the planner safely. Using a WorkMate I laid the door on its side to use the planner in the vertical position, but this didn't 'feel' right(?). So standing the door up (again held by the WorkMate) I was then using the planner horizontally, but it was the same height as my face once I was stood on something. In the end I bought a good hand saw and used it with the door flat. Ended up with a good clean cut and took only a few minutes to do in one go. Not really sure if I was doing something wrong with the planner. My DIY skills are a bit limited.

[mgtony]

For removing any more than about 3mm,the easiest and quickest way is with a circular saw. Why not hire one?
A cheap planer will have a maximum cut depth of about 1mm at a time, so planing off 10mm is going to take some doing while keeping the cut square, with the possibility of burning out a cheap planer.
There's probably not much in cost between a cheap circular saw or planer.
If you go for the saw option, make sure it has the blade depth as deep as the door thickness. Lay the door flat with the rear or side that is seen the least faced upwards incase of any breakout, clamp a straight edge guide for the saw to follow, keep both hands on the saw and make the cut.
Oh and make sure you trim the right end of the door!

[Wings]

The company that laid the carpet should have a special saw that cuts the door whilst still hanging. I have used both an electric plainer and a good quality panel/hand saw, hand saw Stanley costing possibly £7.95.

[Eggle]

Circular saw with a very fine tooth blade. Get a budget saw. More accurate than a plane.
When I did mine, I just clamped my spirit level to the door as a guide.
2 mins and a bit of sandpaper and you are done.

[rfisher]

Are these back doors

[garycat]

I'd rather use a router than a circular saw as saws can tend to twist. With a router cut using several passes each of about 1cm depth making sure that that the guide is securely clamped across the door at the right distance to take a few mm off the bottom at a time.

[lawrence567]

I laid the carpet myself so i'm the one having to trim the doos unfortunately!
All the doors are going to need doing eventually, as even the ones in the kitchen barely open above the lino!
Circular saw & a B&D workmate to hold the door?

[SeeFive]

garycat said:

I'd rather use a router than a circular saw as saws can tend to twist. With a router cut using several passes each of about 1cm depth making sure that that the guide is securely clamped across the door at the right distance to take a few mm off the bottom at a time.

Also make sure that there are no nails in the area you are going to trim if you use a router or you could wind up with a face full of TCT fragments off the cutter.

If your hand sawing is not too good, I'd us a budget circular saw with fine HSS blade and the supplied guide fence on the saw, or a straightedge clamped to the door. Set your fence to remove the right amount of material and the depth of cut 5-10mm deeper than the door width and take it slowly, letting the saw do the work and you should minimise tearout. Go very slowly as you approach the end of the cut, again minimising tearout on the end of the door. A little rub with some sandpaper, and the jobs a goodun.

You can hit nails with any power tool in the bottom of a door depending on its construction. So make sure that you follow the manufacturers instructions and most importantly, wear eye protection while you use them.

[Simpo Two]

To be fair, if the cut ends up at a slight angle it's never going to show. Far more important is to get clean edges on both sides. My old doors were sapele veneer and they splintered like a bd - the big teeth of a standard circular saw blade would rip them to bits. If however your door is the hardboard/fake [anel type then you're probably OK.

Hand saw - not for the novice

Router - quite specialist, you may never use it again

Electric plane - yes it will take a few passes and you need to mark both sides of the door and monitor/adjust progress as you go. Re slight angle, it doesn't matter if 9/10 cuts are on the piss as long as the last one is level. Best bet is to find a low wall or flight of stairs so someone can hold the door firmly frmo below while you are up higher and can get a decent working position. Trying to plane in an uncomfortable/unatural position is much more likely to go wonky. But remember it's only a door bottom, it will never be seen (apart from the edges) so if you're a mm or two out, it doesn't really matter

[lawrence567]

I've got about 4-5 doors that are going to need the same amount taking off them, so maybe a circular saw is going to be best?
I can't cut straight to save my life with a hand saw though so thats out.
I do have a low wall in the garden or a B&D workmate @ home i can use.
I'm not too fussed about a "perfect" straight edge as they're going to be on the bottom of the door anyway!
It's an old house so the door's are "proper" wood instead of those new style ones made from tissue paper!
Is a circular saw going to be easier to use than an electric planer?
What's best to use as a straight edge?
Piece of wood & clamp it?

[SeeFive]

lawrence567 said:

I've got about 4-5 doors that are going to need the same amount taking off them, so maybe a circular saw is going to be best?
It's an old house so the door's are "proper" wood instead of those new style ones made from tissue paper!

I wish I could see what wood it is. To be sure, you may, depending on the wood, want to make a deepish cut across the fibres of the wood with a stanley knife first. Then make your saw cut to the waste side of that line and you should get real minimal tearout on the door bottom.

lawrence567 said:

Is a circular saw going to be easier to use than an electric planer?

Personally, for the amount you want to take off, I would say so. You need to come in from each end of the door to the middle with a power planer or you will rip the end out of the door. You will be making several passes, meaning that there are lots of opportunities to run out. Also, on a door end you will probably be holding a planer at a very odd angle to try to maintain a square cut.

lawrence567 said:

What's best to use as a straight edge? Piece of wood & clamp it?

The saw should come with a guide fence. If the bottom of your doors are in good nick, use that against the bottom edge of the door. If not, clamp a straightedge to the door. Make sure you know the distance of that straightedge from the edge of the blade that will govern your cut (there are 2 edges to a blade about 3mm apart across the kerf - use the correct edge or you will be 3mm out).

What blade to use really depends on your door. Chances are some of the bottom will be end grain and some will be with grain for the frame of a multi-panel door. If your door is completely flat on the surface (e.g., no sunken panels), then the chances are that you will have the same frame construction, but will be cutting across the grain on the panel. This is where I would try to cut through the fibres of the panel with a sharp stanley knife, and then cut to the waste of that to minimise tearout. Very fine tooth blades can burn, blunt quickly and be slightly unsafe cutting along the grain, so without seeing the door it is difficult to advise.

To cut, simply lay the door flat on the workmate, clamp it or have someone hold it firm while you cut. Make sure that you are not going to cut through the workmate, especially any of the metal bits of it and away you go with the saw comfortably on top of the flat surface. Go slow, especially at the end of the cut as you exit the wood.

Please wear eye protection, and if your helper is anywhere near the cut, get them to as well.

[GreenDog]

mgtony said:

A cheap planer will have a maximum cut depth of about 1mm at a time, so planing off 10mm is going to take some doing while keeping the cut square, with the possibility of burning out a cheap planer.

I bought a cheapy from Makro for about £13 to be used for just this sort of thing. Cuts to about 2.5 or 3mm and is more than powerful enough.

My advice would be to get a cheap electric planer and just take it easy until you get the feel for it, you don't have to take the full 10mm or whatever off in 1 go. Perhaps have a practice of some scrap wood clamped into your workmate first.

[Simpo Two]

Well think of it this way - 5x2mm cuts with a planer or one cut with a circular saw. That's five chances to get it right versus just one... make a mistake with the circular saw and you've probably buggered it.

All depends on your skill level and what you feel most comfortable with!

Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 11th June 12:16

[lawrence567]

I've not got massive confidence in my abilities but i'm willing to try!
A planer seems easier as you say you get a few goes not put it right, where as with a circular saw you don't get a second chance really!
A circular saw would be more useful though in the future for cutting wood etc.

[Simpo Two]

OK well if you're going the saw route I'd suggest you get a blade with smallish teeth for a smoother cut, and practice on some scraps first until you get the feel of it. As for a guide, I prefer to clamp a batten firmly across the work; the little built-in guides can be trickier to line up at the start. Make sure the batten is perfectly straight and is low enough not to foul the saw as you work. Take time measuring and fixing it just right; if the batten is fixed wrong, your cut will be wrong.

The good news is that you can lay the door on a coupe of trestles and get a good working position easily.

I bought a smallish cordless circular saw for my kitchen. It doesn't have the power/torque of a mains one but that can be an advantage - it has thinner blades that cut very cleanly and the lower power means that it will slow down or complain rather than just rip chunks out!

[Wings]

lawrence567 said:

I've not got massive confidence in my abilities but i'm willing to try!
A planer seems easier as you say you get a few goes not put it right, where as with a circular saw you don't get a second chance really!
A circular saw would be more useful though in the future for cutting wood etc.

One of the best, and most useful DIY tools I have ever purchased, is an electric plainer, and i have found more use for the plainer than the circular. However, even saying that, before Simpo Two could set up his circular saw, me and my Jet or Stanley hand panel saw would have completed the trimming of the door. Believe me if you do not have confidence with DIY electric saws, then stick to a good quality hand panel saw, when you will be in better control of the job you are attempting to do, less chance of things going wrong.