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Fitting
Begin by removing the existing door and detachable threshold, and check the height of your new door, reduce if required so that it is about 6mm less than the opening height.
When the fitting procedure is complete, a 3mm gap will exist around the top, and both sides of the door. Initially though, we will only be concentrating on fitting the door into the opening, so that it's a snug fit all round. There are a number of ways of going about this, the more experienced would place the door up to the opening and remove the appropriate amount until it fits, but if this is your first attempt, it would be safer to measure the width of the opening across the top, middle and bottom and transfer the sizes onto the door. The door can then be gradually reduced to the correct width by planing equal amounts from each side, (so by maintaining its symmetry). The door should be offered up to the opening to check the progress, and at the same time visual checks can be made between the top of the door and the frame head. If it is found that the head of the door and frame are not parallel, adjustments can be made in the early stages (if the difference is minimal) by planing the door in such a way that it is 'tilted', which will at the same time correct the difference at the top.
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The likelihood is that you will be fitting the new door to the existing frame, so that the recessing for hinges may not be necessary. However, if you find that the existing cut-outs are not suitable, or do not match the new hinges in some way, you may need to 'make good' the areas first by splicing-in new sections of timber.
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Mind Your Head
If the frame head is out of level, correction can only be made be scribing the top of the door so that it matches the 'out of level' frame head. To do this, the door should be raise up so that it touches the head of the frame, and place wooden wedges under it to keep it in position. An evaluation can now be made of the door's shape in relation to the head of the frame. If the frame and door are true,the top of the door and the head of the frame will be parallel; if they are not, a diminishing gap will exists between them and the top of the door will need to be adjusted by |
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scribing to the frame so that they match. To do this, the door should be kept in this same position and a pencil mark placed on the door just below the gap. (At the point were the gap is greatest) From this mark, scribe a line across its width, maintaining the same distance from the frame head at all times so that the pencil line and frame head run parallel. To aid this procedure, you could make a simple hardboard or thin plywood guide as shown above. Alternatively, measure the distance of the mark that indicates the gap from the frame head, and place a second mark at an equal distance down on the opposite side of the door. Regardless of the method used, remove the door from the opening and place it (outside face down) onto the trestles and by using a suitable straightedge, draw a definite line over the scribed line, or if using the second option, use the straightedge to draw a line between the two pencil marks, and using a saw, cut along the pencil line. When the door is replaced into the opening, the top rail of the door and both stiles should now run parallel at all points to the frame. |
You can now confidently remove the required amount from each side of the door so as to achieve the correct 3 mm gap to each side. (Do not remove anything from the top of the door to achieve a gap.)
Now that the door has been tailored to fit the opening, you can now proceed to fit the hinges, a task that's equally important if you are to maintain the correct clearances.
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