I'm contemplating enlarging a small letterbox in a wooden door. I'm
not 100% sure that the site of the intended larger hole is completely
solid, which might make the proecess more difficult than otherwise, but
I suppose that all I can do is proceed carefully and - if necessary -
try to fill in gaps in the frame if I find some?

What's the "standard" way to enlarge an existing hole? Do I use a saw,
or drill lots of holes and then knock sections out with a chisel, or
what? Or a power jigsaw (carefully)? I'm not planning on taking the
door off its hinges unless that's absolutely necessary.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Jeremy C B Nicoll wrote:
I'm contemplating enlarging a small letterbox in a wooden door. I'm
not 100% sure that the site of the intended larger hole is completely
solid, which might make the proecess more difficult than otherwise,
but I suppose that all I can do is proceed carefully and - if
necessary - try to fill in gaps in the frame if I find some?

What's the "standard" way to enlarge an existing hole? Do I use a
saw, or drill lots of holes and then knock sections out with a
chisel, or what? Or a power jigsaw (carefully)? I'm not planning on
taking the door off its hinges unless that's absolutely necessary.

You expecting large parcels?

Jeremy C B Nicoll wrote:

What's the "standard" way to enlarge an existing hole? Do I use a saw,
or drill lots of holes and then knock sections out with a chisel, or
what? Or a power jigsaw (carefully)? I'm not planning on taking the
door off its hinges unless that's absolutely necessary.

A big router, long straight fluted cutter and a guide template (you can
buy/hire them, or make your own with a jigsaw and a bit of ply)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"Jeremy C B Nicoll" wrote in message
...
I'm contemplating enlarging a small letterbox in a wooden door. I'm
not 100% sure that the site of the intended larger hole is completely
solid, which might make the proecess more difficult than otherwise, but
I suppose that all I can do is proceed carefully and - if necessary -
try to fill in gaps in the frame if I find some?

What's the "standard" way to enlarge an existing hole? Do I use a saw,
or drill lots of holes and then knock sections out with a chisel, or
what? Or a power jigsaw (carefully)? I'm not planning on taking the
door off its hinges unless that's absolutely necessary.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Drilled holes and a *sharp* chisel might be most controllable. An electric
jigsaw easiest. Or a hand padsaw such as:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...5566&id=14725#

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Jeremy C B Nicoll wrote:

What's the "standard" way to enlarge an existing hole? Do I use a saw,
or drill lots of holes and then knock sections out with a chisel, or
what? Or a power jigsaw (carefully)? I'm not planning on taking the
door off its hinges unless that's absolutely necessary.

A big router, long straight fluted cutter and a guide template (you can
buy/hire them, or make your own with a jigsaw and a bit of ply)

That's how I did mine, although the template was a few bits of straight wood
screwed to the inside of the door. I finished the bottom edge at an angle,
using a strip of wood as a guide and another under the router base to tilt
it, so that the hole is larger inside than outside. I find that helps long
items, particularly newspapers, to drop through, rather than to hang in the
letterbox if they are not pushed right in. I gave the inside bottom edge a
good radius as well, for the same reason.

Colin Bignell

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Jeremy C B Nicoll wrote:

What's the "standard" way to enlarge an existing hole? Do I use a
saw, or drill lots of holes and then knock sections out with a
chisel, or what? Or a power jigsaw (carefully)? I'm not planning
on taking the door off its hinges unless that's absolutely
necessary.

A big router, long straight fluted cutter and a guide template (you
can buy/hire them, or make your own with a jigsaw and a bit of ply)

That's how I did mine, although the template was a few bits of
straight wood screwed to the inside of the door. I finished the
bottom edge at an angle, using a strip of wood as a guide and another
under the router base to tilt it, so that the hole is larger inside
than outside. I find that helps long items, particularly newspapers,
to drop through, rather than to hang in the letterbox if they are not
pushed right in. I gave the inside bottom edge a good radius as well,
for the same reason.

Colin Bignell

Make your templates out of Perspex, them bus shelter windows are perspex.
:-)