Reveal

[Lonsdale73]

Since I cannot find a reliable joiner to hang some doors for me I am going to try tackling the job myself. Looking at the office door behind me I notice there is a gap between door and frame and it's not the same all the way round. I have some questions, first being is the reveal on the hinge side determined by the hinge itself? Should it be the same all or is that just aesthetics? It's actually a pair of doors to replace the up-n-over one on my garage-cum-workshop so where they meet should the reveal be the same or twice as much? Or is it not the simple at all?

 

[That would work]

Yes in theory at least. If both leaves of the hinge are set flush... one in the door the other in the frame then the joint (gap) would ideally be whatever is left from the overall thickness of the hinge (leaves when closed paralell to each other)There could be more variables though depending on the hinge, but the above is the basic idea. AND assuming you are talking about butt hinges.

 

[ColeyS1]

If its internal doors a 3mm gap on each side and top will be fine.

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[AndyT]

If you use a powered router to set the hinges, the gap is effectively limited by the design of the hinge.
But with a chisel you can set one or both leaves at an angle so that the pin is further out into space, beyond the edge of the frame or door. This gives you more scope to vary the gap.

 

[Lonsdale73]

If you use a powered router to set the hinges, the gap is effectively limited by the design of the hinge.
But with a chisel you can set one or both leaves at an angle so that the pin is further out into space, beyond the edge of the frame or door. This gives you more scope to vary the gap.

Without wanting to sound snide or snotty, genuine question, why would I want to do that?

Which reminds me: in his videoseries Ron Fox uses a bearing guided router bit to create a hinge jig for routing with a guide bush. If you have a bearing guided cutter, why would you need to use a guide bush?

 

[Setch]

Short answer; to make the reveal even on the opposite side, or prevent binding. It can also adjust for uneveness in the hinges, which aren't always exactly the same.

That said, I recently experimented with bending the knuckles on hinges using an adjustable spanner to tweak the reveal on some steel doors with non-adjustable hinges, and it worked a treat. I'll be using the technique again for sure.

Re: guided cutters vs guide bushings, it's a price thing. With a guide bush you can use cheap generic cutters rather than expensive beating guided ones, and if you do a lot of this work, the price difference will be worth considering.

 

[AndyT]

Like Setch said, to even things up. It would be fiddly though - I might do it on a cabinet door but just live with the unevenness on a room door.
But you asked if the gap was determined by the hinge and although it generally is, this is one way it need not be.

 

[Stigmorgan]

Just a note to think of as nobody seems to have mentioned it, the gap around the door will also be determined by how "square" the door frame is, I recently replaced 6 doors at school, all but one look perfectly even around the door but one has almost double the gap at one bottom corner because the frame is not square, nothing I can do now but live with it as the frames are all metal.

 

[Lons]

Are you fitting a new frame as well or using the existing that your up'n'over door is fitted to?

I suspect that it's unlikely the existing frame is perfectly plumb, level or straight so you're going to have some adjustments to make to doors and / or frame, it's not difficult just a bit fiddly especially on your own with large heavy doors. The good thing is the frame won't have a rebate so you can plant on stops for a good fit afterwards.

If fitting a new frame as well what I've done in the past is pre-fit the doors to frame in the workshop or on the ground outside, remove them then fit the frame to the brickwork one side only getting that side perfectly plumb just wedge the other side, fit the door to the fixed side then level the frame and fix the other side. If you then fit the second door you should be fine but still possible to tweak the frame by removing or inserting packing between frame and wall.

Sometimes if the reveal is a long way out I would fit the second door before the loose side of the frame is fixed and just wedge and pack securely, carefully open that door and fix properly.

Sounds complicated but it isn't! Probably just the way I've tried to explain. :lol:

PS. Before you start check the diagonals across the door frame as it's quite possible the floor isn't square to the frame and you need to take that into account or you'll be trimming the door bottoms.

EDIT:
Stig posted while I was typing #-o

 

[Lonsdale73]

Thanks chaps

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If its internal doors a 3mm gap on each side and top will be fine.

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Interesting thought ........... I've not seen an up and over door used indoors. :lol:

 

[Doug71]

In the old days the gap around a door was meant to be the same as the thickness of a penny (a penny gap), these days you are talking the thickness of a pound coin (inflation?).