Trimming a section of stripwood for doorframe

chezybezy

Hi there,
I'm struggling to trim a "plank" of stripwood, to enable an internal door to look square (by fixing the left side frame).
I've attempted to sand and use an half inch chisel but am not having much success, I'm just making a mess.
The problem is the top of the "plank" needs more off the top then it does lower down. Think triangle shape for about 45cm down, but it can't be all the way across. I've attached a quick scribble if it helps. Can anyone think of a way I can do this?
I can't replace or change the door or surround either. In a bit of a pickle here ladies and gents, please help, there must be a way as I'm sure my "idea" of chisel and sanding is wrong.

I might have to tweak the measurements of the trim section once tested.
http://imgur.com/HpjpfpN

Jackmydad

Plane it down with a hand plane before fixing it in?

EssexExile

Belt sander or power plane take material off pretty quick.

chezybezy

EssexExile wrote: »

Belt sander or power plane take material off pretty quick.

Jackmydad wrote: »

Plane it down with a hand plane before fixing it in?

thankyou very much! May I ask a few follow up queries?
can either of those tools work at the "slope" angle I need or how would I achieve this please? Also would it be easy to only trim this "slope" to half width of the strip as needed?
Which would be my cheapest option of these?
Would any of these also allow (for easy, noob user) straight trimming on bits of sheet material / strip wood I'm using to box in? Or would all these tools still be uneven. As I'm struggling with this issue to and if I can solve both issues with one that would be awesome.
Thank you very much again

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

For cutting sheet material just use a decent hand saw, slow and steady should see a good cut. The other option if you have one is a circular saw with a guide which you can either buy or just use a straight edge. Either way a couple of 6 inch bar clamps (Irwin are pretty good without being overly expensive) would be a good idea to keep everything still as you cut.

If you want to take a couple of mm off a bit of wood the sander will do this (but getting a 100% straight edge over a long length won't be easy), a hand plane is probably best.

If you want to take lengths of timber and reduce their width with a completely straight finish then a table saw is the tool really, the cheap ones aren't very good and the good ones are very expensive.

You could try a post on Facebook or similar to see if someone local has one and will cut the wood for a few beers (a table saw will cut your sheet material as well).

chezybezy wrote: »

can either of those tools work at the "slope" angle I need or how would I achieve this please? Also would it be easy to only trim this "slope" to half width of the strip as needed?

You'd draw a line on the wood marking what needs to be removed and use the sander or plane until you meet the line.

However when say half the width do you mean half the depth as in have one face square and the other trimmed at a slope?

If so and the bit trimmed is on the back just persist with the chisel and the mess will be hidden, if on the face then in theory you could do this with the sander or plane but taking off only 6mm sloping to 0 is going to be fiddly.

Probably be easier to just fit the wood square and fill any gap all way down with caulk.

chezybezy

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

For cutting sheet material just use a decent hand saw, slow and steady should see a good cut. The other option if you have one is a circular saw with a guide which you can either buy or just use a straight edge. Either way a couple of 6 inch bar clamps (Irwin are pretty good without being overly expensive) would be a good idea to keep everything still as you cut.

If you want to take a couple of mm off a bit of wood the sander will do this (but getting a 100% straight edge over a long length won't be easy), a hand plane is probably best.

If you want to take lengths of timber and reduce their width with a completely straight finish then a table saw is the tool really, the cheap ones aren't very good and the good ones are very expensive.

You could try a post on Facebook or similar to see if someone local has one and will cut the wood for a few beers (a table saw will cut your sheet material as well).



You'd draw a line on the wood marking what needs to be removed and use the sander or plane until you meet the line.

However when say half the width do you mean half the depth as in have one face square and the other trimmed at a slope?

If so and the bit trimmed is on the back just persist with the chisel and the mess will be hidden, if on the face then in theory you could do this with the sander or plane but taking off only 6mm sloping to 0 is going to be fiddly.

Probably be easier to just fit the wood square and fill any gap all way down with caulk.

Brilliant, thanks ever so much for all that awesome advice, i can't wait to have a crack at cutting the bits now. Something like these? https://www.amazon.co.uk/IRWIN-QUICK-GRIP-150mm-Mini-Clamp/dp/B001DZQ3IE ? (i think these had a issue with level 'feet' but might be fixable). and any old factory edge straight strip of wood as a straight guide?

ah so for trimming edges, a good idea would be a hand plane if its a few mm (and maybe build up over time if more than a few mm), i guess i will learn to get it straight over time?

what a brilliant idea i'll ask around next time i need timber / large sheets cutting.

sorry i wasn't clear - by half width - take the 185(l) x 7(w) x 1cm (thick) stripwood ventricle. if you draw a line down the middle, at 3.5cm, everything to the left of that stays untrimmed. The section to the right of that, needs trimming. But only the top 40cm, the rest under that stays untouched. So a rectangle of sorts needs removing.

If that makes sense, here's where it gets complicated, that rectangle, needs to be sloping. At a rough guess, 4mm off the top end, to about 0mm off at the bottom of the rectangle (~40cms from the top).

Sadly this has to be the front face of the wood to allow the door to shut. Let me know if any pics would help? I'm unsure what to show.

I wish I could fix what's out of align with filler, sadly it's the opposite! This internal door is a RPITA, hence my crazy idea with slap wood on, it also covers the old water damage too. the tops out as well as the bottom, but the other direction! that i can fix :P

please let me know if i'm not explaining well enough, it took me a long time to try figure it out myself! if it is clearer, are the tool suggestions the same? if so would you be able to link me to something on amazon for the tool (hopefully not too expensive as i'm on a really tight budget)?
i've read hand planes require 'fixing' before use and i don't think i could do that - can i just ignore this for my purposes as i'm not building something intricate or the ark?
i'm unsure if an electric planer would allow a way to create the 'slope'? and these seem more costly?
also am unsure if a belt sander would be useful for other purposes, but i guess it could slope by holding slightly off...hmm

any thoughts please? and thank you once again for all your help and advice so far!