Hi. I'm new here and have a question about hanging doors.

[Lisa Starr]

Hi folks. Though this is my first post, I've referenced your information for years. Thank you for so freely sharing your knowledge. Finally, it is time for me to stop lurking and introduce myself. My husband and I live in NW PA and have been renovating an old home (circa 1838) for the past several years. I'm the woodworker in the family and recently completed the kitchen cabinets with inset drawers/doors. I still need to make the peninsula countertop from some reclaimed douglas fir we saved, but am waiting for better weather as my workshop space is limited.

Now, I'm gearing up to hang 5 reclaimed doors. I've hung lots of prehung doors, so I'm clear on the general process. I've chosen and purchased what I believe are quality butts for the project and also have a Porter Cable hinge jig setup for my router. So, here are the questions:

1) should I cut the butt insets on the jamb prior to installing the jamb or after?

2) how tightly should the stops fit against the door? I'll be producing stock approx. 3/8" x 3-1/8" for these, as the casings sit on the stop edge on that side of the door. Probably odd this day and age, but that is how they were in this house.

3) anything I should be aware of that could bite me? We have the exact # of doors needed, so no room for me to make an irretrievable error.

Thanks for any help you may offer.

[Adam Herman]

I would pre-hang them with a full jamb, and then install like a conventional door. set the stop after the door is hung, esp. in an old house where nothing is level, straight, etc...

[Jerry Miner]

Hi Lisa--and welcome to SMC.

I'm with Adam-- pre-hang the door to the jamb, install as you've done with pre-hungs, add the stop after.

Typically, the stop is set 1/16" away from the door at the hinge side, and up against the door on the latch side-- to make the door rest flush to the jamb in the closed position. This means that the stop at the head will taper from hinge side to latch side. I would suggest using a more "normal" 3/8 x 1 5/8 (or so) stop, rather than bringing the stop all the way to the jamb edge (and casing to the stop, rather than casing to the jamb). You'll simplify the process-- no tapering cuts or fiddling with exact stop dimensions-- with no down-side that I can see.

Something to watch for with "reclaimed" doors: Are the joints tight? Is the head square to the edges? Are the edges straight and parallel?

[Lisa Starr]

Thank you both. I hadn't considered pre-hanging the door into the jambs. Excellent thought! Jerry, I understand your thoughts concerning the stops, but will definitely deal with the tapered cuts and fiddling, as I want these to match the other portions of the home. As far as we've come through this labor of love, now is not the time to stop going the extra mile. Any other concerns I should be aware of?

PS. I've already cut/squared each door to the appropriate size. I've also cut and fitted dutchman etc for all the places old hardware was previously installed, thus I basically have a square/straight slab waiting to be hung.

[Jerry Miner]

Sounds like you're ready to go! If you want to go a little farther into a "custom" installation, consider tapering the stop at the latch so there is a slight space (+/- 1/32") in the middle when the door contacts the top and bottom-- this gives the door a slight "spring" effect when latched and prevents rattling.

[Tom M King]

If you want to do the best job, prehung is not the way to do it. Someone just asked almost the same question a day or so ago. I built waterfront spec houses for 33 years, and never used a prehung door. I have hanging doors down to a science, including orienting the grain in the jambs a specific way, how to simply install the stops so the door never rattles without any special milling, and will shut with a single sound for decades. I can type it all out, if you're interested. The other poster never asked.

[Lisa Starr]

Tom. I'd love for you to share your information. If you have the inclination to type it out, I'll be a very happy student.

[Tom M King]

I'll try to get to it tomorrow. I'll do it in Word, and copy, and paste. I've been working on old houses for the past eleven years, since selling the last spec house I built in 2007. Since you're working on old stuff, find my website, and take a look at what I do. I'm not allowed to post the link here, since it's considered commercial. I think if you click on my user name, you can probably find it. The website needs a lot of work-been too busy, but it will give you an idea.

[Ted Derryberry]

FWIW I wouldn't pre-hang them either. I would mortise the jambs prior to setting them just because it's easier to do horizontally rather than vertically. Definitely mortise the jamb and hang the door prior to installing the stops. However, I would "try" to install the stops a consistent distance from the edge of the jamb equal to the thickness of the door. The only reason not to is if the jamb is not in one plane and can't be corrected due to the wall being twisted. If the door is properly beveled and the hinges properly installed it's going to close and latch fine without any special angles or curves. I'm curious to see Tom's write up myself. I'm mostly self-taught and I'm sure have plenty more to learn.

[Jim Becker]

I'm also of the mind to mortise prior for easier handling, place the frame and then hang the door. And yea, stops, etc., after the "hangin'" :)

[Tom M King]

Checking back. Don't mortise the jambs first. If the wall is not perfectly plumb, you might not be able to leave the door partially open, in any position. The jamb is plumbed side to side first, and the hinges laid out perfectly plumb after the jamb is set-especially if it's an old house. Stops are easily applied after the door is hung, and the lock set. No special angles or curves needed anywhere. I'll go into more detail later, but we have a house full of company tonight.

[Jim Becker]

Good point, Tom.

[Lloyd McKinlay]

Tom, I would also like to read about your method. I have half a dozen ready to hang plus I'm going to attempt making a couple doors next winter. I remember admiring your website and your skill a few years ago. Offering to share your knowledge is very generous.

[Mel Fulks]

for us "frames" were only to exterior ,and had no stops ....always rabbeted out. "Jambs" were interior only and got nailed "stops". Might be a regional thing with the reverse rule elsewhere.

[Tom Bain]

I don’t have experience with antique or reclaimed doors, but I did build a few custom sized doors in my old house, and utilized the PC hinge jig to place/space/route the for hinge mortises (that jig is great btw). I also built the door jambs from scratch so nothing was pre-hung. I’m sure there are many ways to do this that work, but the way I did it which might not be the best but worked for me is as follows:

Set the jamb in the door opening and plumb/shim the hinge side (you may also need to at least temporarily secure the top of the jamb if the door openings are really wonky)
Route the mortises for the hinges in the door and install those hinge leafs/leaves
Route the mortises for the hinges in the jamb and install the other half of the hinges in the jamb
(I would usually only use two screws per hinge initially in case I had to make some kind of adjustment, then put in all the screws after the door was fully hung and operating properly)
Hang the door
Shim the top of the jamb and the opposite/knob side of the jamb to get a consistent gap between the door and the jamb. Obviously you want the jamb to be as level/square/plumb as possible, but getting a consistent gap and smooth operation is more important than getting perfect right angles.
Install door knob.
Mortise for the door latch, and install latch.
Set the door stops in the jamb with the door closed so you can make certain it will close tightly in the latch.

[Lisa Starr]

Tom King - Any more time to type up your instructions? I, and others, are awaiting your knowledge. Again, thank you in advance for offering to do this.

[Mike Cutler]

Lisa


We also have an old house, not nearly as old as yours though. Ours was built in 1919.
I've made interior doors for our house, and the first one was a "trial". I built the door, jambs, and door frame.I had is all assembled just as if it had been bought pre-hung. brought it into the house and it didn't work.
The house framing was distorted enough that each side of the door frame and jamb had to be custom fitted. I ended up have to make the door jamb, install it in place. Fit and finish it. Then make a hinge jig to locate the hinges in place and hang the door. Thank god it was going to be painted, because it got a "little ugly" towards the end.

In the next two links are the second door built and installed. Same wall, but one story up. You can see in the first link, how far out of plumb the actual walls are. The second is the staircase side of the door.
Old houses are fun, but they can present some interesting challenges, and there is no going to Home Depot for "pre made" house items like doors, windows, and cabinets.
I'd give Tom a few days to post back. It might save you a lot of time. ;)

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?37255-Arts-amp-Craft-Style-Door-Project&highlight=

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?23212-How-would-you-hide-this&highlight=

[Tom M King]

I'm working on it, but had meetings last night, and today. Hopefully, I'll get time tomorrow afternoon to finish. Sorry for the wait.

In the meantime, select each board for the jamb. Chances are slim that you get to select quarter-sawn, but don't get riftsawn. You want flatsawn, or mixed, so that the grain will direct any nail (if you nail casing) that wants to follow grain to exit harmlessly behind the jamb. Riftsawn might direct a nail behind the jamb on one side, but the other side might make a nail exit the face. That only gives one possible face as the show side. Select accordingly.

edited to add: I use 5/4 boards for jambs.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I don't know Tom's method, but we shim out for jamb on hinge side, at hinge locations prior to installing jamb. This gives us plumb framing to work off of. We also put a spreader across jamb at upper and lower hinge location. It is on side away from hinges, and extends a couple inches out on each side. This allows us to attach jamb on hinge side, using screws where hinge screws go, and then attach spreader, (again with screws) to wall. A HF multitool works great for cutting off excess shims.

[Michael Pyron]

one thing I've modified in hanging doors is the locations for blocking on the hinge side...yes, tradition says right behind the hinges...I shim just above the top hinges and just below the lower hinges. this allows for using a screw to pull things over just a tad if necessary in the future. arguably this only needs to be done at the top as doors tend to fall away because of gravity and fall in on the bottom, but there have been times when a screw to the framing behind the hinge has been needed down low.

I also make my hinge side a tad out of plumb to counteract the effect of gravity and result in the door itself being plumb.

[lowell holmes]

Check this site.

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=pty&hsimp=yhs-pty_email&param2=23a20141-fcf6-4299-89f4-cd972799a611&param3=email_2.2~US~appfocus1&param4=d-lp0-bb8~Chrome~how+to+hang+a+door+jamb&param1=20180115&p=how+to+hang+a+door+jamb&type=em_appfocus1_cr

[lowell holmes]

You might make a plywood pattern to locate the hinges. I find that helps. That way the hinge spacing is consistant.

[Paul Girouard]

I’m not sure why one would NOT install the stops , they need to be set 1 7/16” in from the door side edge for a 1 3/8” door and a 1 13/16” for a 1 3/4” thick door.
If a house wall is out of pump , 99.9 % are , you still have to hang the door jamb plumb or your doors going to swing open or closed depending which way the wall is out of plumb.

The only way to correct for a wall out of plumb is to jamb extend with a tapered jamb extension cut to fit the wall , the jamb extension needs to be offset bay a reveal line that allows the hinge barrel to not bind and allows you to remove the hinge pin , this reveal line will vary depending on the hinge you use.

IF you are working on a old house you’d be wise to either make your jambs intentionally narrower than your walls , by a couple of inches. You could set your jambs plumb such that the jamb extensions you need to make can be created in a “more equal” size , the split the difference sort of thing.

You can’t , or well you shouldn’t, be varying the depth you set the hinge leafs in relationship to the hinge pin , but that’s what it sounds like people are recommending they do.

I’ll be very interested to read the recommendations about “hanging doors”.

I do like the idea os using 5/4” stock for jambs , that’s a old school way to make a jamb. These’s days jamb stock is getting thinner and thinner.








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[Larry Edgerton]

I'm working on it, but had meetings last night, and today. Hopefully, I'll get time tomorrow afternoon to finish. Sorry for the wait.

In the meantime, select each board for the jamb. Chances are slim that you get to select quarter-sawn, but don't get riftsawn. You want flatsawn, or mixed, so that the grain will direct any nail (if you nail casing) that wants to follow grain to exit harmlessly behind the jamb. Riftsawn might direct a nail behind the jamb on one side, but the other side might make a nail exit the face. That only gives one possible face as the show side. Select accordingly.

edited to add: I use 5/4 boards for jambs.

I'll be interested to hear your technique Tom.

On the nailing thing, its not always possible to have the grain going the way you want, so I predrill and hand nail trim to the jamb on better installations. Stuck nails in my fingers a couple of times when doing douglas fir door/jambs using a nailer, find it faster and better in the end to do it by hand. The doors I make are expensive, so it seems silly to try and save a few minutes on install time.

I also prehinge the jamb in the shop but leave it long on the bottom and cut on site. I use a lot of cast iron hinges and they are not all that accurate generally so for me it is easier to fiddle in the shop, number the door/hinge/jamb.

[Joe Adams]

I haven't read the whole thread so apologies if this has already been mentioned.

Gary Katz has written numerous articles and filmed videos on door hanging. He's tops in my book and I've used his techniques for years.

One of the best I remember was Hangng a New Door in an Old Jamb published in Journal of Light Construction about 20 years ago.

Gary has his own website www.garymkatz.com as well as hosting the This is Carpentry website www.thisiscarpentry.com.

He travels the country doing free all day seminars on trim carpentry. He's also a contributing editor at Fine Homebuilding and a heck of a nice guy.

[Tom M King]

I started a new thread, instead of burying it here. I wrote it in Word, and the formatting was changed enough to make it a little more difficult to read. Sorry for the formatting change, but hope it's readable.

[Lisa Starr]

Tom - I saw your new thread. Again, thank you.