hello from St Evenage - Pine door wont close

[frustin]

Hi all,

I'm not a chippy just a DIYer and I joined because i need to plane the top of a door and i dont know what sort of plane i should be using.

It's a bog standard unpainted pine door and needs about 2mm off on top corner. i cant pack the hinges because the floor is wonky. It's been hung a while and it's years old (not victorian though) so it's dried.

I'm thinking i might need a no.4 smoothing plane, rather than a no5 jack plane?
Then it's a question of: which plane shall i buy for this task?

thanks very much for any advise

 

[Eshmiel]

It might be that the top corner you want to plane is largely end grain, if the posts of the doors encase the rails, which is the usual arrangement for a frame & panel door. In that case a low angle block plane or a bevel-up No 4 would be best, with a low cutting angle (usually 37 degrees) that'll slice pine end grain better than the standard cutting angle (45 degrees) of a standard No 4 or 5.

But if the door is of another design with one long piece as the top rail, any plane wide enough will do the job (if you can plane with the grain). Borrow the appropriate kind of plane, in any size you can, as long as its wide enough, for that one-off job. If you're going to, instead, buy a plane then there'll be a hundred other jobs later, so those should be factored in.

Many (and I'm one of them) opine that a No.5 or jack plane of bevel-up design is the most versatile. Just swap out blades with different microbevels on the standard 25 degree main bevel for a plane that can have cuttings angles of anything between 37 degrees and 60+ degrees. Various timbers and their grain respond best to plane cutting angles of various pitches, so .... .

*************

It can help to have a fence on the plane when planing awkward things that must be planed at a right angle. If you don't want the expense of a dedicated fence (and the posh plane that takes such things) a piece of wood stuck on with double-sided tape is good enough for one job such as trimming a door corner to fit.

 

[Fitzroy]

I have planed the bottom of doors and holding the darned things is the biggest pain. A circular/track saw and a straight edge is the easiest way. If you are going to plane it a 4 or 5 will do the job, mark both sides of the door and plane down to your lines. Plane from the door edge towards the middle, not towards the edge of the door else you'll blow out the end grain on the door styles. I'd buy a second hand Stanley from gumtree/ebay/FB to get the job done.

 

[frustin]

My door is the "usual arrangement" you stated. The place it needs planning is where the post meets the rail. There's a peak between the join and a small knot.

 

[JSW]

No. 5 is too big for this job, a No. 4 is perfect, needs to be sharp!
Straddle the door between your legs, you'll be hitting the end grain of the stile first, so focus on that area and don't follow thru too much into the long grain of the rail. Sight down the edge you've planed to see if it's true, or a 12" steel ruler may help to check your progress. Little steps, don't go raging into it.
I've done 100's this way, most probably into the thou's, not easy but take your time and its doable.
Oh and put a nice small arris on the edges to finish off.

 

[Bingy man]

Is it possible to set the bottom hinge slightly deeper ( not packing it out ) this in turn will bring the top corner of your door down slightly. It’s not easy planing end grain with the door in situ as a beginner to woodworking or if you have never done it before. A sharp chisel will do this but it does depend on the door and how it’s hung . You could also ( if you have or can loan one ) use a circular saw and a straight edge set up and clamped to the door ( door removed ) and literally take a saw blades width 0ff the door and taper the straight edge from your read 2mm down to mm - bit fiddly but achievable. Tip if you take this option remember to mark the top if the door ..

 

[skeetstar]

And when it's done remember to paint/treat the bare wood, or it'll absorb moisture and swell.

if it's only a little you need to remove.. maybe some low grit number abrasive on a sander might be an alternative.. take longer than a plane though.

Thing is this is an easy job for someone with the right tools, without the tools it can be a real puzzle, and hard to get right.

 

[okeydokey]

If the door is in situ it's an easy but tricky job as however you wedge the door it will go wibbly wobbly as you try to plane end grain. There is a chance of taking lumps out instead of nicely smooth. As it's only 2mm you could sand it off, you say there is a small knot chisel that down as it will be harder wood but have you considered set the bottom hinge a bit deeper as bingy man suggests.

 

[toolsntat]

A course half round/flat rasp on the top of a door can be very effective on end grain, especially with a knot. Even some of the cheapo ones are savage enough for long enough to get the job done.
60 grit on a belt sander takes no prisoners as well...
Cheers, Andy

 

[JSW]

Packing the top hinge out won't work, do the math to achieve a 2mm drop, way to big a packer
Recessing the bottom hinge ditto
Plus the door will be totally out of square with the frame

 

[frustin]

have you considered set the bottom hinge a bit deeper as bingy man suggests

yeah, i thought about altering the hinges to make a change but because of the wonky floor: when i open the door, the gap between the door and floor is about 2mm. when i close (ish because it wont close) the door, it's about 25mm. Altering the door hinge would stop me from opening it fully.

I bought this no.4 Record smoothing plane.

 

[frustin]

paint/treat the bare wood

what shall i use? i'm not going to paint it, to my untrained eyes they all look untreated. no linseed or anything. they dont smell of anything.

 

[Cabinetman]

yeah, i thought about altering the hinges to make a change but because of the wonky floor: when i open the door, the gap between the door and floor is about 2mm. when i close (ish because it wont close) the door, it's about 25mm. Altering the door hinge would stop me from opening it fully.

I bought this no.4 Record smoothing plane.

That looks to be a good choice, and not expensive at all, looks like it was sold by someone who knows planes so probably won’t need much fettling, you just need a stub of candle to rub on the sole and away you go!

 

[Fitzroy]

I bought this no.4 Record smoothing plane.

Brill! Looks like its all set-up and ready to use. Start with the blade/iron fully retracted so that it doesn't take a cut then slowly advance until it starts to cut. You can then judge how thick a shaving it is willing to take. The temptation is to whack out a heavy cut from the start, this is a recipe for a chipped blade, or a slipped tool and injury/chunk out the door in the wrong place.

 

[frustin]

That looks to be a good choice,

thank you. I decided on that Record based on a few comments i'd seen in "hand held tools", choose a pre-1950's Record. Googled Record planes and saw that the colour of the handle and knob is a rough indication of the age. Saw that ebay one, the chap that wrote the description clearly knows a thing or two. Price made sense based on what i'd seen in Toolstation for a brand new plane.

 

[okeydokey]

Looking forward to hearing how you got on
And did you take the door off to do it
Also if it's just floorboards it might be worth taking a bit off the wonky floor while your at it

 

[frustin]

loorboards it might be worth taking a bit off the wonky floor while your at it

The whole floor is a bit wonky on account of the house being 300 years old. hence open door is 2mm gap from floor, close door: 25mm

I will try and leave the door on when i plane it. i'll ensure it's super sharp. i have some whetstones. and like @Fitzroy said, i'll start really fine.

I wont be painting the door, what can i use to treat the wood and stop it absorbing moisture

 

[XTiffy]

I take it that this is an interior door, as the door isn't treated, I would not bother to treat the top after trimming. The stiles (posts!) will not shrink in length (timber will normally shrink across the grain but very little along the grain), the rail will vary with humidity but at the age of the door not by much. Normally with standard construction doors the stiles will stand proud of the rails as the rails shrink across their width.