What is going on with my door?

[Yit]

So i took measurements of the frame at 3 points for width and for height.

Lowest measurements were

768mm
1981mm

Perfect right easy to get a door at these measurements.

Take 3mm off each side and 3mm off top and bottom for expansion gap etc

Put the door in the frame and its rubbing on the side

So measure the door and somehow I've taken 3mm off in parts and less in others with the plane.

So try again and now I've take too much off and can see daylight when i shut the door through the door stops.

I hate myself right about now

Put me in the DIY disaster

 

[Notch7]

So i took measurements of the frame at 3 points for width and for height.

Lowest measurements were

768mm
1981mm

Perfect right easy to get a door at these measurements.

Take 3mm off each side and 3mm off top and bottom for expansion gap etc

Put the door in the frame and its rubbing on the side

So measure the door and somehow I've taken 3mm off in parts and less in others with the plane.

So try again and now I've take too much off and can see daylight when i shut the door through the door stops.

I hate myself right about now

Put me in the DIY disaster

If its any consolation, door fitting is not as easy as it seems......as youve discovered.

I expect most chippies use a track saw these days for shooting in doors.

 

[Yit]

If its any consolation, door fitting is not as easy as it seems......as youve discovered.

I expect most chippies use a track saw these days for shooting in doors.

I guess i had a wobble going on with the planer i was careful to keep a steady hand but I'm figuring i lifted up whilst moving forward. I didn't have a fence with this machine.

 

[Keithmac]

I used a power planer when doing ours, had a pencil line as a guide.

Ours were solid pine and some parts were harder than others so easy to get a wonky door edge.

 

[Yit]

I used a power planer when doing ours, had a pencil line as a guide.

Ours were solid pine and some parts were harder than others so easy to get a wonky door edge.

Yeah i had a 3mm pencil line as a guide and left the line these were just bog standard £30 hollow core doors its frustrating as i was careful not to slip and it looked like it was biting through easily enough.

 

[KenGMac]

how about thicker door stops?

 

[Keithmac]

Have you had a straight edge down the door frames?, none of ours were square or plumb.

Must have hung each door at least 3 times and carrying 8 of them in and out of the house to plane was fun!.

 

[Yit]

Have you had a straight edge down the door frames?, none of ours were square or plumb.

Must have hung each door at least 3 times and carrying 8 of them in and out of the house to plane was fun!.

Yeah checked that in fact before we had the hallway reboarded and plastered i made a point of shimming out the door frame which wasn't being taken out making it level in case they were out.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Hanging a door in an existing opening is as much an art as it is a science. I always check the head for level and the legs for bow (with a 6ft level) because they are often out (even on new builds which is why I ensure that whoever fits the casing then hangs the door!). Once I have an approximate sizing with maybe 1mm unevenly around I tune the gaps to get my 3mm ideal gap using a combination of power planer and hand plane - power planes on their own are far too aggressive and cannot ever give an exact fit. So as much art as science and a fair bit of practice to do it relatively quickly, I'm afraid. Trimming to length I often do with a Festool saw and rail guide (multiple passes to get the depth) these days as mentioned above. The thing is I don't ever expect the door opening to be right at all - I just aim to make it "visually correct". Oh, and the 3mm isn't really an expansion gap as such - it's there so that you can paint the door, install brush seals, etc

 

[Yit]

Yeah checked sides with 6ft level they were perfect and the top square. I know now i had measured wrong this damn tape is hard to spot the smaller units i was out by 4mm explains the gap. At least now i have a waste door almost the correct size. Glad it was a cheapie

 

[Keithmac]

Just take your time with the next one, every day's a leaning experience!.