I have a door that has never been painted or sealed. After 30+ years it's
sagging against the strike side of the jamb. My idea is to take it off the
jamb and square it up, glue any loose joints, clamp until the glue sets
and rehang it. This is the Plan:

I'll take the door down and lay it on a sheet of plywood. The plywood will
have a jig made of either 1x2 or 2x4 in an "L" shape, where the corner is
known to be square. Using this square corner, I'll wedge the door into it,
then square up the other 3 corners, checking to insure the sides are
parallel. Set glue into the joints (What about the side on the plywood?),
pipe clamps across the door and possibly wedge the free sides so they
can't move.

Any suggestions or corrections?

--
charles

On Feb 9, 8:31*pm, (Charles Bishop) wrote:
I have a door that has never been painted or sealed. After 30+ years it's
sagging against the strike side of the jamb. My idea is to take it off the
jamb and square it up, glue any loose joints, clamp until the glue sets
and rehang it. This is the Plan:

I'll take the door down and lay it on a sheet of plywood. The plywood will
have a jig made of either 1x2 or 2x4 in an "L" shape, where the corner is
known to be square. Using this square corner, I'll wedge the door into it,
then square up the other 3 corners, checking to insure the sides are
parallel. Set glue into the joints (What about the side on the plywood?),
pipe clamps across the door and possibly wedge the free sides so they
can't move.

Any suggestions or corrections? When you are done, measure the two diagonals of the door, if they are the same, the door is square. I would double-check the opening before operating on the door.

--
charles

Are you sure the door is sagging and not the frame of the house itself?

On Feb 9, 9:31*pm, (Charles Bishop) wrote:
I have a door that has never been painted or sealed. After 30+ years it's
sagging against the strike side of the jamb. My idea is to take it off the
jamb and square it up, glue any loose joints, clamp until the glue sets
and rehang it. This is the Plan:

I'll take the door down and lay it on a sheet of plywood. The plywood will
have a jig made of either 1x2 or 2x4 in an "L" shape, where the corner is
known to be square. Using this square corner, I'll wedge the door into it,
then square up the other 3 corners, checking to insure the sides are
parallel. Set glue into the joints (What about the side on the plywood?),
pipe clamps across the door and possibly wedge the free sides so they
can't move.

Any suggestions or corrections?

--
charles

Do you know for sure that it's the door that it out of square and not
the jamb itself?

What are these "joints" that you speak of? You didn't describe the
door. Is it a raised panel door, with stiles and rails?

How do plan to "set glue into the joints"?

In article
,
DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Feb 9, 9:31=A0pm, (Charles Bishop) wrote:
I have a door that has never been painted or sealed. After 30+ years it's
sagging against the strike side of the jamb. My idea is to take it off th=
e
jamb and square it up, glue any loose joints, clamp until the glue sets
and rehang it. This is the Plan:

I'll take the door down and lay it on a sheet of plywood. The plywood wil=
l
have a jig made of either 1x2 or 2x4 in an "L" shape, where the corner is
known to be square. Using this square corner, I'll wedge the door into it=
,
then square up the other 3 corners, checking to insure the sides are
parallel. Set glue into the joints (What about the side on the plywood?),
pipe clamps across the door and possibly wedge the free sides so they
can't move.

Any suggestions or corrections?

--
charles

Do you know for sure that it's the door that it out of square and not
the jamb itself?

It could be a little of both, but a square shows the jamb is mostly
square. If it's not, I can reset the strike side of the jamb. (Bigger
hammer)

What are these "joints" that you speak of? You didn't describe the
door. Is it a raised panel door, with stiles and rails?

Sorry, it's an entry door, raised panel, 9-light, 6'8, 1 3/4. The "joints"
are at the junction of the top, bottom and central rails and the stiles.

How do plan to "set glue into the joints"?

Dunno. Maybe a glue hypodermic. There are spaces visible now making it
obvious that the joint failure has caused the sagging. (The hinge stile
still has a fairly even gap between itself and the jamb. The lockset stile
has a huge gap between itself and the top of the jamb.

It's worth a shot, rather than buying a new door.

--
charels, unless the cats get out, bishop

On Feb 10, 2:31*am, (Charles Bishop) wrote:
I have a door that has never been painted or sealed. After 30+ years it's
sagging against the strike side of the jamb. My idea is to take it off the
jamb and square it up, glue any loose joints, clamp until the glue sets
and rehang it. This is the Plan:

I'll take the door down and lay it on a sheet of plywood. The plywood will
have a jig made of either 1x2 or 2x4 in an "L" shape, where the corner is
known to be square. Using this square corner, I'll wedge the door into it,
then square up the other 3 corners, checking to insure the sides are
parallel. Set glue into the joints (What about the side on the plywood?),
pipe clamps across the door and possibly wedge the free sides so they
can't move.

Any suggestions or corrections?

--
charles

You will need to take it apart & clean the old glue off the joints.
Complete waste of time if you don't.

The hard bit is assembling it without a twist, you need a flat surface
to glue it upon and ideally, sash cramps/clamps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clamp_(tool)

If you are stuck, you can use a rope loop and tension it with a bit of
wood to twist it up. Or truckers webbing if you have a tensioner.

Measure, exactly, from the top left to the bottom right corners of the
door. Result: ________
Then measure from the top right to the bottom left corners of the
door. Result: ________
Measure from the top left to the bottom right of the jam (doorway
opening). Result: _________
Then measure from the top right to the bottom left of the jam (doorway
opening). Result: _________

Show us the results of your exact measurements.

Sonny

Be very careful with glue.

Panels are normally NOT glued. They are set in grooves so that
movement is possible, and the direction of grain of the rails is
carefully chosen.

As humidity changes, the panels expand and contract and move in the
grooves. But they only expand along the grain direction.

If you put glue in the wrong groove (depending on the grain direction)
then the panel WILL split.

On Feb 10, 2:06*pm, Sonny wrote:
Measure, exactly, from the top left to the bottom right corners of the
door. *Result: ________
Then measure from the top right to the bottom left corners of the
door. *Result: ________
Measure from the top left to the bottom right of the jam (doorway
opening). *Result: _________
Then measure from the top right to the bottom left of the jam (doorway
opening). *Result: *_________

Show us the results of your exact measurements.

Sonny

Complete waste of time. The door opening is not likely to be square.

On Feb 10, 7:57*am, TimR wrote:
Be very careful with glue.

Panels are normally NOT glued. *They are set in grooves so that
movement is possible, and the direction of grain of the rails is
carefully chosen.

As humidity changes, the panels expand and contract and move in the
grooves. *But they only expand along the grain direction.

If you put glue in the wrong groove (depending on the grain direction)
then the panel WILL split.

I thought wood expands 'cross grain' as the cells fatten with
moisture, not "...along the grain..." thus lengthening a piece of
wood.

Which is it?

On 2/9/2012 8:31 PM, Charles Bishop wrote:
I have a door that has never been painted or sealed. After 30+ years it's
sagging against the strike side of the jamb. My idea is to take it off the
jamb and square it up, glue any loose joints, clamp until the glue sets
and rehang it. This is the Plan:

I'll take the door down and lay it on a sheet of plywood. The plywood will
have a jig made of either 1x2 or 2x4 in an "L" shape, where the corner is
known to be square. Using this square corner, I'll wedge the door into it,
then square up the other 3 corners, checking to insure the sides are
parallel. Set glue into the joints (What about the side on the plywood?),
pipe clamps across the door and possibly wedge the free sides so they
can't move.

Any suggestions or corrections?


If the door is sagging I would expect it to drag on the bottom. If it is
against the strike I would expect loose hinges. Impossible to say from
the information given. For instance is the contact on the strike side
the full length or just top. Can you see joints opening from a sag.

--
bud--

On Feb 10, 8:59*am, harry wrote:
On Feb 10, 2:06*pm, Sonny wrote:

Measure, exactly, from the top left to the bottom right corners of the
door. *Result: ________
Then measure from the top right to the bottom left corners of the
door. *Result: ________
Measure from the top left to the bottom right of the jam (doorway
opening). *Result: _________
Then measure from the top right to the bottom left of the jam (doorway
opening). *Result: *_________

Show us the results of your exact measurements.

Sonny

Complete waste of time.

Not so.

The door opening is not likely to be square.

Exactly. The poster has likely not giving the correct info, for us to
suggest the proper fix. These measurements would tell us which, the
door or the frame, is the problem area, unless it is the hinges that
are loose.

Sonny

On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:27:08 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy
wrote:

On Feb 10, 7:57*am, TimR wrote:
Be very careful with glue.

Panels are normally NOT glued. *They are set in grooves so that
movement is possible, and the direction of grain of the rails is
carefully chosen.

As humidity changes, the panels expand and contract and move in the
grooves. *But they only expand along the grain direction.

If you put glue in the wrong groove (depending on the grain direction)
then the panel WILL split.

I thought wood expands 'cross grain' as the cells fatten with
moisture, not "...along the grain..." thus lengthening a piece of
wood.

Which is it?

It is both- though across the grain is more.

You are unlikely to find 2 pieces of wood that expand and contract at
the same degree or rate. That's why those panels should be allowed
to move. [OTOH- the first person to paint the door will negate the
benefit of no glue.]

Jim

On Feb 10, 5:45*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:27:08 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy





wrote:
On Feb 10, 7:57*am, TimR wrote:
Be very careful with glue.

Panels are normally NOT glued. *They are set in grooves so that
movement is possible, and the direction of grain of the rails is
carefully chosen.

As humidity changes, the panels expand and contract and move in the
grooves. *But they only expand along the grain direction.

If you put glue in the wrong groove (depending on the grain direction)
then the panel WILL split.

I thought wood expands 'cross grain' as the cells fatten with
moisture, not "...along the grain..." thus lengthening a piece of
wood.

Which is it?

It is both- though across the grain is more.

You are unlikely to find 2 pieces of wood that expand and contract at
the same degree or rate. * That's why those panels should be allowed
to move. [OTOH- the first person to paint the door will negate the
benefit of no glue.]

Jim- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Depends. If the panels are plywood it is less of a problem.
Traditional doors needed the non glued panel.

On Feb 9, 9:31*pm, (Charles Bishop) wrote:
I have a door that has never been painted or sealed. After 30+ years it's
sagging against the strike side of the jamb. My idea is to take it off the
jamb and square it up, glue any loose joints, clamp until the glue sets
and rehang it. This is the Plan:

I'll take the door down and lay it on a sheet of plywood. The plywood will
have a jig made of either 1x2 or 2x4 in an "L" shape, where the corner is
known to be square. Using this square corner, I'll wedge the door into it,
then square up the other 3 corners, checking to insure the sides are
parallel. Set glue into the joints (What about the side on the plywood?),
pipe clamps across the door and possibly wedge the free sides so they
can't move.

Any suggestions or corrections?

--
charles

Sounds like what I did but my father in law had a huge assembly table
with the square already built in. No plywood needed.

Jimmie