I'm working on replacing the door to the utility room with a louvered
door. I've got the hinges morticed, but I have other questions.

The original door measures 29 3/4 inches, while the replacement measures
30 inches. Is this difference normal, or should we have tried to get one
the exact size of the old door?

How should I go about transfering the door knob and catch? I only plan
on doing one door, so I'm not too thrilled about the prospect of
purchasing a template kit.

Thanks in advance

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

In article ews.net,
Puckdropper wrote:
I'm working on replacing the door to the utility room with a louvered
door. I've got the hinges morticed, but I have other questions.

The original door measures 29 3/4 inches, while the replacement measures
30 inches. Is this difference normal, or should we have tried to get one
the exact size of the old door?

"Stock" door widths come in 2" increments.

All wooden doors have a reasonable thickness of solid 'wood' around the
perimeter, so you can 'trim to fit' a door that is slightly too wide.

The critical dimension is not the size of the old door, but the size of
the opening it fits into. was it a 'snug' fit in the opening or was there
a bit of a gap?

Be cautioned that 'well fitted' doors are -not- the same width on the front
and the back.

The front has to be 'a little bit narrower' -- so that the outside front
edge will clear the jamb as it swings closed.

How should I go about transfering the door knob and catch? I only plan
on doing one door, so I'm not too thrilled about the prospect of
purchasing a template kit.

use painter's tape, or anything similar, to carry the centerline of the
strikeplate opening out onto the strikeplate, and onto the front of the jamb.
make *sure* this strike-line is -horizontal-.

Mount the door in the opening.
close it.
transfer the strike-line onto _both_ surfaces of the door..
open the door,
and 'connect the dots' across the edge of the door. scribe a vertical
down the middle of the door edge. 'x' marks the spot to drill the
bolt-hole.

on the 'inside side' (closest to the hinge-pins, carefully measure in
the distance specified for the knob, along the strike line. and that's
the centerpoint for drilling for the knob. Most knob assemblies are
designed with _some_ play in the mounting -- thus, out-of-position by 1/8"
or so, is not a disaster.

If you don't know what the distance to the center of the knob is 'supposed'
to be, you can measure from the door edge to the outer, and the inner,
edges of the opening on the door being replaced. and 'split the difference'.

Tain't difficult -- you just have to make sure you're always 'square to the
world'.

"Puckdropper" wrote in message
reenews.net...
I'm working on replacing the door to the utility room with a louvered
door. I've got the hinges morticed, but I have other questions.

The original door measures 29 3/4 inches, while the replacement measures
30 inches. Is this difference normal, or should we have tried to get one
the exact size of the old door?

How should I go about transfering the door knob and catch? I only plan
on doing one door, so I'm not too thrilled about the prospect of
purchasing a template kit.

Thanks in advance

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

I lay the old door minus the hardware on top of the new door and
transfer/mark locations for the lock/knob set and hinges. This is all with
the understanding that the original door fit correctly.

(Robert Bonomi) wrote in
:

*trim*

*snip*


The critical dimension is not the size of the old door, but the size
of the opening it fits into. was it a 'snug' fit in the opening or
was there a bit of a gap?

Be cautioned that 'well fitted' doors are -not- the same width on the
front and the back.

The front has to be 'a little bit narrower' -- so that the outside
front edge will clear the jamb as it swings closed.

It was a snug fit. I took a closer look at the old door with a square,
and indeed the sides were not square. Thanks for the information, I'll
definately make use of it when I get back to the door.

*trim & snip*

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

Mike O. wrote in
:

On 05 Sep 2007 06:50:16 GMT, Puckdropper
wrote:

The original door measures 29 3/4 inches, while the replacement
measures 30 inches. Is this difference normal, or should we have
tried to get one the exact size of the old door?

A hand plane or portable planer or joiner can make the door the right
width. New doors are normally sized in 2" increments to the full
inch.

I'll find a good way to take it down. (Probably a circular saw and belt
sander. My hand plane's not that great.)

How should I go about transfering the door knob and catch? I only
plan on doing one door, so I'm not too thrilled about the prospect of
purchasing a template kit.

A drill and a couple of bits and a chisel should do it.
Go ahead and hang the door first and then just transfer a mark from
the center point of the existing keeper to the door. If you still
have the old door (or lock) Check the back-set (the distance from the
face of the bolt to the center of the knob) normally it's either
2 3/8" or 2 3/4". Make your mark accordingly. Check the size of the
bore (normally 2 1/8") and use a hole saw to make that hole first. A
standard 1" bit usually is the right size for the bolt hole which will
be centered in the edge of the door.

Hm... Hole saw... Don't have one. Looks like it's time for a NEW TOOL!!!

Be sure to check all of the above mentioned sizes. While these
measurements are most common, I've seen some strange locksets over the
years.


Mike O.

It looks like a pretty standard lock set, but I'll definately make sure I
check it before I do anything more to the door.

Sorry about not getting back to you guys sooner, Real Life (and darkness)
got in the way of finishing this project.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

On 09 Sep 2007 02:42:34 GMT, Puckdropper
wrote:

I'll find a good way to take it down. (Probably a circular saw and belt
sander. My hand plane's not that great.)

Suggest a router, 2" straight bit, and straight edge. Finish with
slight back bevel with a hand plane or sander, and a 1/8" or 3/16"
roundover.

My favorite shop-made version of router straight edge is like this:
http://www.darkroomsource.net/sawguide.shtml

You can make one in minutes. Mark the jig with which tool and bit it
matches for future use. I keep an 8' and 52" version handy.

---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------

B A R R Y wrote in
:

On 09 Sep 2007 02:42:34 GMT, Puckdropper
wrote:

I'll find a good way to take it down. (Probably a circular saw and
belt sander. My hand plane's not that great.)

Suggest a router, 2" straight bit, and straight edge. Finish with
slight back bevel with a hand plane or sander, and a 1/8" or 3/16"
roundover.

My favorite shop-made version of router straight edge is like this:
http://www.darkroomsource.net/sawguide.shtml

You can make one in minutes. Mark the jig with which tool and bit it
matches for future use. I keep an 8' and 52" version handy.

---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------


That's a nice simple jig to make. If I don't have to cut anything, I
could have it made in 5 minutes. :-)

I wondered about the 2" bit when I was getting the 1" pattern bit.
Thought it might be a bit of a unitasker, though.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

On 09 Sep 2007 18:42:31 GMT, Puckdropper
wrote:

I wondered about the 2" bit when I was getting the 1" pattern bit.
Thought it might be a bit of a unitasker, though.

I don't use a pattern bit with that jig, but a standard straight bit.
That way, you don't have to hire a guard to protect the straight edge.
The base of the router simply rides along the inner rail.

Mine uses a jointed straight hardwood strip in the middle.

The router leaves a really nice edge, really quickly.



---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------

B A R R Y wrote in
:

On 09 Sep 2007 18:42:31 GMT, Puckdropper
wrote:

I wondered about the 2" bit when I was getting the 1" pattern bit.
Thought it might be a bit of a unitasker, though.

I don't use a pattern bit with that jig, but a standard straight bit.
That way, you don't have to hire a guard to protect the straight edge.
The base of the router simply rides along the inner rail.

I wouldn't either, unless it happened to be mounted in the router at the
time...

I just did some quick math in my head, and with the your jig the 2" bit
would be great for getting through some of my most common sized material.

Mine uses a jointed straight hardwood strip in the middle.

The router leaves a really nice edge, really quickly.


Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm