Trimming Doors — Best Way?

GDB2222

What is the door made of?

Section62

These days I'd use a router with a straight cutter... making sure to protect the face of the door the router base is sliding over.  Cut about 90% of the thickness of the door on one side, then flip it over and use a straight trim bit to finish off.  I have a 'jig' consisting of a piece of hardboard (for surface protection) with a strip of hardwood glued to it as the straightedge guide for the router.  The hardboard is g-clamped to the door (or whatever workpiece).

If the router method is good enough for doing kitchen worktops then IMV it is good enough for doors.  Also much easier to trim 'square' than using either an electric or manual plane(r).

And a router has so many other uses for DIY projects.... such as hinge sinking/adjustment.

Nearlyold

Get one of these, with a guide rail it will cut a dead straight and square absolutely perfect edge with zero chipping in no time. They're so good to use you'll be knocking on your neighbour's doors begging them to find you something to use it on.

Section62

Nearlyold said:

Get one of these, with a guide rail it will cut a dead straight and square absolutely perfect edge with zero chipping in no time. They're so good to use you'll be knocking on your neighbour's doors begging them to find you something to use it on.

At £340 ?

Likely to be cheaper to get a chippy to fit the doors.  (this is MSE after all)

travis-powers

john.h said:

Plunge saw or electric plane. Or a hand saw and plane if it’s still 1987

This 100%! Plunge saw to cut the bottom even a new handsaw can make a mess of the thin veneer.
The only time I would cut the top rail would be to shoot it in with the frame, the stiles and head should be the same thickness, the bottom rail is wider so the cut will not be noticeable, should you expose the core of the door give it a couple of coats of sbr I’m 56 and have never had a call about swollen doors.
Measure door lining, top, middle and bottom take off 5mm and transfer to door use a tracksaw  or electric planer you can use a hand plane but it needs to be razor sharp!
offer door in lining and check that the top of door is parallel to lining adjust to suit.
Using a hinge as a spacer you can now offer door in lining and mark the top of the hinge recess of the door lining to the door, with a sharp utility knife cut round the outline of the hinge then carefully cut out with a sharp chisel, swing your door  and make adjustments so you have a perfect parallel gap 99.9% it will be at the bottom so you will have to take door off to plane!

Gavin83

While they’re great at what they do unless you’re planning on using it a lot plunge saws are too expensive. It’s far more cost effective to buy a circular saw and use a piece of straight wood as a guide.

Personally I wouldn’t use a handsaw to cut a door. I think you’ll struggle to get it perfectly straight.

paperclap

Reviving this thread... if possible!

Just a thought. Would it be an idea to clamp too straight lengths of wood (say, battens) to the door, to act as a guide for a handsaw to run through? Cheap, and hopefully a straight cut.