Leon wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message
Leon wrote:

If the screw is stripped forget about plugging the hole. Put a 3" deck
screw in all the way into the stud.

To one involved in the building trades, your advice is even worse than
Norm and his "put a few brads in it" or chocolate wood stain on
everything. Even if no one else noticed the silver screw head, it
would bother me just knowing it was there.


I posted the correct way to repair, With tooth picks or dowels you are
screwing into end grain. Its a temp fix.

Hey Leon. How is wood glued in an opening a "temp fix"? As far as the
end grain, that is why I counseled against using oversize dowels to
make the repair. But with glued toothpicks/matches essentially all of
the wood fibers are glued in place. Even if the wood grain is cut,
there won't be any weakening of the attachment - glues's stronger than
wood, right?

A couple of other points. Your original post had this: "The door is
typically already hung in the door jamb and the installer only has to
insure that the sides of the jamb are plumb and that the top of the
jamb is level. He uses longer screws to attach the jamb to 2x4 door
opening. He uses wedged shims between the door jamb and 2x4 to allow
for a tight fit in the opening."

An exterior door frequently has several of the hinge screws replaced
with longer screws for added security. It is not a standard procedure
for hanging an interior door to install the frame with screws, as your
initial comment would indicate. Where exactly are these screws located
that you're talking about? You mention the door is already hung - are
your screws counterbored and plugged in the face of the jamb? Or are
you suggesting that existing screws are either removed and replaced, or
that those longer screws are hidden behind the hinge leaf?
Counterboring and plugging can't be right. Hinge screw placement
shouldn't be too close to prevent splitting of the jamb, so it's not a
good idea to hide them behind the hinge leaf. If longer screws were
to be used the manufacturer would supply those longer, matching screws
and leave some of the hinge jamb screws out to receive them - I've
never seen that on an interior door. The standard way to install a
prehung door, or any interior door for that matter, is with a nail gun,
or lacking that, with finish nails and a hammer.

Your description of the function of the shims is also a bit misleading.
They are not there to make a "tight fit". The shims are there to
straighten out the jambs and, as you did mention, plumb the frame in
the opening.

The main issue I had with your later advice was the use of the deck
screw. If I saw someone installing one as a replacement in a hinge,
my comment would be along the lines of, "Are you #@&!%# kidding me?"
Even if the hinge is a satin nickel (which is becoming a more popular
finish, but nowhere near as common as a brass finish), why would you
use a deck screw? Because it's handy? My chisels are always handy and
I don't use them to open paint cans. Use the right screw.

The basic idea of any repair is to make it invisible. Your suggested
repair is not. At the least longer, matching screws should be used to
replace the stripped ones.

R