Best method of trimming door edge

[AMS1]

Hello

I've just had some bedroom carpets fitted with nice thick underlay. They look great, but unfortunately I now am unable to get the bedroom doors back on properly because of the added thickness.

The doors are those 6 panel Pine Colonial ones from Maxwells that are hollow inside. I need (I think) to take about 7mm from the end of one door and just over 1cm from the other door.

I'm worried about how much can actually be taken from the bottom of those types of doors as essentially they are just a frame, so how much can I realistically cut from the end? And what would be the best tool for the job?

We have a jigsaw but none of the blades seem to go deep enough to cut all through. I have been thinking about getting one of those Bosch Multi tools for ages, and was wondering if that would be suitable or not? If it could be used for the job I would buy one sooner rather than later - and give me the excuse I need

Thank you.

 

[foxhole]

Use a circular saw or a hand saw, jigsaw is far from ideal for long straight cuts.
The first door you cut will indicate if you have enough timber in the base. If you cut out the timber with the cut then you will need to reinstate that timber to base of door.
Safer to take a few mm off top and bottom and rehang the door, but will require a plane.

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

You could drill a small hole in the end and see how deep the wood goes. It'll be a piece of softwood, maybe 1" wide before the door was fitted. Note that the fitter will have taken different amounts off each door, as each door is completely unique, it's amazing how they vary.

I sized doors using a power plane and some cheapo work benches.

A jigsaw is fine for straight cuts as long as you use a guide. G clamp a piece of straight wood or a spirit level to the door to guide the saw. You can always do both sides. Or clamp some straight edges to each side to act as a guide for a hand saw. If you do go through, you could glue in some new timber along the edge, clamping it while it sets.

 

[AMS1]

You could drill a small hole in the end and see how deep the wood goes. It'll be a piece of softwood, maybe 1" wide before the door was fitted.

That's a good tip I hadn't thought of - cheers!

I see no-one is giving me the encouragement I need to purchase a multi-tool - drat!

 

[foxhole]

Even with a guide the jigsaw blade can bend and flex leaving only one side cut straight.

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

Even with a guide the jigsaw blade can bend and flex leaving only one side cut straight.

I have cut 1" mdf with a jigsaw and got perfect edges, even though knowledgeable people were against it.

The best approach would be to try, take 5 mm off the door that needs 1cm removing, but only go 4" from the edge, then see if the back side is straight.

 

[chirpychippy]

I agree with Foxhole Circular Saw. If you haven't got one it would be Cheaper to get a chippy in to cut them to size for you and re hang them!.

 

[foxhole]

Even with a guide the jigsaw blade can bend and flex leaving only one side cut straight.

I have cut 1" mdf with a jigsaw and got perfect edges, even though knowledgeable people were against it.

The best approach would be to try, take 5 mm off the door that needs 1cm removing, but only go 4" from the edge, then see if the back side is straight.

Doors are not made of 1'' mdf , they are twice as thick and twice as difficult to cut with a jig saw.

 

[AMS1]

Even with a guide the jigsaw blade can bend and flex leaving only one side cut straight.

I have cut 1" mdf with a jigsaw and got perfect edges, even though knowledgeable people were against it.

The best approach would be to try, take 5 mm off the door that needs 1cm removing, but only go 4" from the edge, then see if the back side is straight.

Doors are not made of 1'' mdf , they are twice as thick and twice as difficult to cut with a jig saw.

To be fair the doors are hollow, so I think the frame itself is not going to be that thick at all.

Would a circular saw be ok to use though, given the relatively small amount (approx 7mm) that needs cutting from the end of one of the doors?

 

[Nigel_Cro]

I have used circular saws to skim small amounts off things - doors in particular.

I don't possess a power plane...

Just make sure you clamp a good straight fence across the door and you have the right blade in the saw (lots of teeth for a nice fine cut) and you will be fine.

I wouldn't dream of using a jig-saw, with or without a fence, I can never get a nice square/parallel cut with a jig-saw. Probably says more about my woodworking skills than the tool though...

 

[foxhole]

Even with a guide the jigsaw blade can bend and flex leaving only one side cut straight.

I have cut 1" mdf with a jigsaw and got perfect edges, even though knowledgeable people were against it.

The best approach would be to try, take 5 mm off the door that needs 1cm removing, but only go 4" from the edge, then see if the back side is straight.

Doors are not made of 1'' mdf , they are twice as thick and twice as difficult to cut with a jig saw.

To be fair the doors are hollow, so I think the frame itself is not going to be that thick at all.
The frame is the thickness of the door [around 45mm].

Would a circular saw be ok to use though, given the relatively small amount (approx 7mm) that needs cutting from the end of one of the doors?

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

Even with a guide the jigsaw blade can bend and flex leaving only one side cut straight.

I have cut 1" mdf with a jigsaw and got perfect edges, even though knowledgeable people were against it.

The best approach would be to try, take 5 mm off the door that needs 1cm removing, but only go 4" from the edge, then see if the back side is straight.

Doors are not made of 1'' mdf , they are twice as thick and twice as difficult to cut with a jig saw.

A fire door is about 45mm thick, a normal door made from hardboard and a softwood frame is about 34mm thick. This evening I cut a slot through a piece of 70mm by 70mm pine I had lying around. The cut was straight, but it was a slow job, not surprising really as the end of the blade is blunt. I also tried a piece of 70mm wide by 45mm thick softwood, and got a decent cut. I angled the blade back and used a piece of MDF as a guide. However, it is slow work, and I would not want to do more than one door.

Since there are 6 doors, I would buy a circular saw, it is bound to be much easier. Tools are always good to have, and how much is your time worth?

 

[OwainDIYer]

I just took the top off a door with a tenon saw at a shallow angle.

It's a bit rough but nothing that won't be hidden with a bit of filler and some paint.