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.