On Aug 19, 2:23*pm, Bob Simon wrote:
On Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:26:48 -0700 (PDT), gpsman

wrote:
On Aug 19, 12:57 pm, Bob Simon wrote:
Can a hole be filled in such a way that would not be very noticable
with a clear coat finish?

Well, yeah, for about the cost of a new door, or thereabouts.

If I decide to hide the hole, I was told that one way this could be
done is as follows:

Plug the hole with a similar wood trying to match the grain.
Lightly sand the existing door retaining the wood dust.
Mix the wood dust with a suitable binder (he said epoxy but I'm
thinking varnish) making a thin paste.
Paint the finish over the repaired hole and feather out.
Sand and repeat.
Finish.

Does this sound feasible or bogus?

Can a good carpenter modify the door frame so the door will look good
and work well?

"Good" is kinda subjective, but I would suspect so.

What should be done about the missing 1/8" in width?

Nothing, probably, that's 1/16" per side... but that's relative to the
existing door, and not the opening, so that would depend on how well
the existing door fits.

The existing door fits poorly. *Every couple of years I have to put on
new weather stripping to reduce heat (and cooling) losses. *Here's my
chance to fix this problem for good along with substantially upgrading
the appearance of the front door.

In that case I would probably build a new jamb to exactly fit the new
door. You'll have to cut down the trim around the door and/or buy
new. I don't know how you'd finish the outside; that depends on what
kind of siding you have.

nate