Hanging Doors - Who does this?

[andyman]

Hey guys,

After looking through youtube for a bit, I stumbled across this; When replacing old doors, using the old one as a template?

Personally, I've never done this, seen it, or know of anyone who does it, but after all it is a template..

Just wondering how common this actually is?


~WW

think I might have used one or two badly out of shape to give an idea of top and bottom of door cuts but never copied one

 

[Doug S]

I use the old door as a template but always cut an extra 10mm-15mm off all 4 edges, this ensures that the door does not catch the frame if it swells up  [wink]

 

[mwildt]

The video features Tom Silva from This Old House. He has a very good reputation so I'm sure there is good reason for choosing this method. I bet he checked that the door frame wasn't warped/ badly installed etc a head of time. Online video snippets tend to cut things out.

If really bad I bet he would have put a Dutchman in and then recut the hinges on the frame etc.

 

[DB10]

Dunno about you lot but I fit the door to the casing/lining.
Fit the door to the hole, mark where the hinges go when its in the casing and then set the hinges on the door.

Yep, and in my book that's how it should be done.
To answer [member=22]greg mann[/member] question, using the old door as a template is ok I guess if your working on your own home, I guess what ever method works for you is going to be ok on your own home. But for a trained professional working in a professional environment there is a tried and tested method that should achieve the best results and that is what I would use and expect my fellow workers to be using.

 

[Ajax]

Tom Silva is a pro.

There are many ways to do things.  I don't know why people get so negative if the approach is different than their own.

I just finished making a combo screen/storm door for my old house.  I have the old broken/rotted door.  I think I might use it as a template so I don't have to move hinge locations and so I can take into account any variations in the shape of the opening.

Thanks for posting this thread.  Very useful.

 

[jools]

There's always a reason for doing anything different from the normal. Putting new doors in old linings is always challenging. Some of our uk houses have moved considerably with age,  the only thing upright and level, is the carpenter standing in it  [big grin]. I've used old doors as patterns and also used the trend skeleton hinge jig to transfer hinge positions from the lining to the new door especially when three hinges are used. Always more accurate than measuring and a lot quicker. If your skill level is in the learning phase and the old door fits well' where's  the harm? Shooting new doors into new linings is easy with all level and true. Not so easy when the floor slopes at 5deg, the head at 9deg and the door is 20mm narrower at the top than the bottom and neither leg is true
Jools
Been hanging doors for 20+ years

 

[greg mann]

As I mentioned in my post, in the case of the home we sold the doors were fitted in metal frames where the hinge pockets were stamped into the frame. The hinge pocket definition was poor, and unmovable. The pockets had wooden backers to accept the screws but there certainly was no chance to use move the hinges in any way. Since the mortises were so imprecise, with clearance in the impression all around the hinge it only made sense to use the doors for a template. The original installer must have first installed the hinges in the jamb and then positioned the door for marking off the hinges, or, set an adjustable hinge jig to match the placement of the hinges as he too would never have been able to determine location from the pockets alone. It worked so well for me I used the technique later on when replacing some cheap doors in my own place.

I did replace one door differently as I never liked the way it swung into the path of some closet doors if they had been left open. In that case I moved the new door to the other side of the jamb so it swung out of the room instead of in. I made a hinge jig for that capable of milling both the door and the jamb. I made that jig mostly for the experience and fun, and also made a jig for the door handle and strike fitment. That one has a plate with a pattern bore for the knob assembly and 2 separate pieces that are fit to it with dry dominoes. One positions for the strike bore and is then removed and replaced with a template for the rectangular mortise. For all of the other doors I had started out with a lock boring jig like the one Tom Silva used but the cheap plastic construction of it was offending my sensibilities so I wanted to come up with something of my own. After about a dozen doors the plastic one was pretty beat up and I was ready to trash it anyway. I knew making my own jigs would accelerate me along the learning curve towards real competency.

I have now replaced about a dozen doors. I guess that makes me qualified to start making my own U-tube vides.  :

  [popcorn]

 

[fixit]

Using an existing door as a template can be useful as long as it was originally fitted to a standard that you are happy to copy.

 

[James Metcalf]

Greg; Our repretation gets there before we do ; [big grin]
I have never read anything you did not put a great deal of thought in and as always a benifit to me.
All the posts were helpful. "Different strokes for different folks"
Thanks

 

[greg mann]

Greg; Our repretation gets there before we do ; [big grin]
I have never read anything you did not put a great deal of thought in and as always a benifit to me.
All the posts were helpful. "Different strokes for different folks"
Thanks

Thank You, James. I remember reading an article in Hot Rod magazine when I was about 15 years old. It dealt with a step-by-step on how to rebuild an engine. When they were done they brought up the breaking-in process and it went something like this:

"Ask ten different mechanics how to break-in an engine and you will get ten different answers. We are going to tell you how we do it and you can add our method to the list of those that work."

 

[WelshWood]

Greg; Our repretation gets there before we do ; [big grin]
I have never read anything you did not put a great deal of thought in and as always a benifit to me.
All the posts were helpful. "Different strokes for different folks"
Thanks

Thank You, James. I remember reading an article in Hot Rod magazine when I was about 15 years old. It dealt with a step-by-step on how to rebuild an engine. When they were done they brought up the breaking-in process and it went something like this:

"Ask ten different mechanics how to break-in an engine and you will get ten different answers. We are going to tell you how we do it and you can add our method to the list of those that work."

Well said,

I always told this to any apprentices I had working under me..

"Here is my method, as long as you get the same result, you've done it right"

~WW

 

[JimD]

Any time you can get a template to use instead of measurements you reduce your chance of error.  But no good craftsman would use a poor fitting template either.  So if the existing door fits, I would use it.  If it mostly works but some things need to be different I would mark that and use it.  No reason to over complicate it.  But people also develop systems that work for them and messing with that is a source of error too.