[Shop-talk] Making a door thinner

Sun Dec 22 13:05:03 MST 2019

I second the router guide shown in the video if you don't have a local 
shop with a door sized industrial sander.

Brian

On 12/22/2019 10:08 AM, Miq Millman via Shop-talk wrote:
> I just did something similar:  had a door that was too wide, so I used 
> a router to make the hinge pockets 1/4" deeper then ran the door 
> through my table saw and sliced a bit less than 3/16" of the hinge 
> side and about 1/16" off the latch side.
>
> I think you can do something similar.  Look up "router jig to flatten 
> wood" and make a sled that is roughly 31" long and as wide as your 
> (possibly new) router base.  Woodworkers use this kind of rig for 
> flattening live edge slabs and the like.
>
> Here's a good video that explains it and shows how to make it using 
> some plywood and simple rails: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0SDvKHcL5M
>
> Basically, you get a nice wide straight bit and set the jig on the 
> door, then make passes cutting off 1/8" or less at a time.  Make a 
> pass, move the jig less than the diameter of the bit, make another 
> pass, etc.
>
> You might not even need to finish the final surface with a plane, but 
> here's a chance to get a nice jack plane, like the Stanley No. 62  
> (Orange big box has them for ~$100).
>
> I've done this, for end grain cutting boards, where I used a 1x2" 
> aluminum rectangle tube for the rails,
>
> --
> __
> Miq Millman miq at bigllama.com <mailto:miq at bigllama.com>
> Tualatin, OR  Big Llama Productions
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 22, 2019 at 6:26 AM Jim Stone via Shop-talk 
> <shop-talk at autox.team.net <mailto:shop-talk at autox.team.net>> wrote:
>
>     I am installing a barn door in my recently remodeled house and
>     have come up with a problem I would like the group’s help with.  I
>     need to put up a pair of 8’ x 30" barn doors, one of which will
>     slide in next to a tall kitchen cabinet.  So, not exactly a pocket
>     door, but it needs to fit into a pocket.  When we
>     designed/installed the kitchen cabinets we planned the cabinets
>     for a 1 3/8” - 1 1/2” door, which I planned to make out of tongue
>     and groove boards or possibly shiplap.  However, my wife has
>     lately decided that she doesn’t like the look of the board door
>     and wants to try something different.  I wanted to install
>     something temporary while she shops and decides and we went to
>     Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore yesterday to see if they had
>     anything that would cheaply do the trick, at least for the
>     holidays.  To our surprise, they had a pair of new, really nice,
>     8x30 shaker style doors for $50 each that would look really good
>     in the house.  They are solid wood, I think poplar, and the only
>     problem is that they are 1 3/4” thick.  I bought them anyway,
>     figuring I could always donate them back if there wasn’t a good
>     way to make them work.
>
>     There is a possibility that I might be able to make the doors work
>     by tweaking the barn door hardware, as the opening is about 1
>     5/8”.  I will try that, but doubt the wall tolerances are that
>     precise.  It it doesn’t work, my only option - besides re-donating
>     the doors - is to try to narrow the doors a bit.  This /should/ be
>     possible, since the stiles and rails are 4” and 8”, respectively,
>     so I am not talking about narrowing the entire width of the door.
>     (For what it is worth, I should add here that while the doors are
>     currently 8x30, I need to tweak that a bit to make the match the
>     cabinets and door opening and will be cutting them down to about
>     84” x 29”.
>
>     I currently have a good bench top planer that I can’t see anyway
>     to use, and a cheap HF hand planer that might work.  But, of
>     course, I would be happy to buy a new one or another tool that
>     would do the job.  We are probably looking at more than $1000 for
>     a pair of 8’ doors that make my wife happy, so there is lots of
>     room in the budget for a new tool.  So, what does the group
>     think?  Can I safely take about 1/8” off each face of these
>     doors.  Is an electric hand planer my best option, or is there
>     another way?  They will be painted in the end, so I can fill in
>     any random gouges, but they do have to be smooth and even.
>
>     As always, thanks for any advice and Happy Holidays to all!
>
>     Jim
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