I have got a 24 inch door blank to retrofit into an existing prehung jamb. I can’t remember which side gets the bevel. Is it the strike side or the hinge side. As you can guess, I don’t do a whole lot of doors. My guess is its the hinge side with the bevel towards the hinge knuckle to prevent binding.
Someone please set me straight. Thanks.
Webby
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Replies
Best is both sides.
Hinge side so it dosen't bind, latch side so the leading edge of the door doesn't hit the jamb, you can get a closer fit this way too.
Edited 7/10/2007 5:00 pm ET by karp
what karp said.
I like a 3-4 degree bevel, or about a heavy 1/16" out of square.
Most important is the latch side. Draw yourself a diagram of a door and jamb, either exaggerating the thickness of the door or understating its width, in order to best see the problem. (Use a ruler and measure the door width and opening width with it, to get an accurate diagram.) When the door is swung out where the corner closest to the latch-side stop is about even with the outer face of the jamb, you can see that the door will be too wide and will stick.
(Would be nice if someone made a quick drawing of this and posted it.)
On the hinge side, some slight bevel helps since the hinges may not quite close flat, the mortises may not be dug to an even depth, or the jamb may not quite be square to the opening. The bevel there makes these issues a hair less critical.
What Shep & Karp said. But if you only do one side, make it the latch, about 3 degrees.
I learned long ago the art of shimming hinges to tweak the door to a perfect fit and so the hinge doesn't bind. Doesn't take much.
doesn't it suck when you get hinges in those plastic packages?
What do they expect us to use for shims?
At least my regular yard still sells them in cardboard boxes.
Oh God...you do that too? The hinge package is what I always depended on for my shims. Works perfect. Too funny
Yeah, I actually hate throwing out a box if I didn't need it for shimming.
I haven't purchased any hinges, yet, in the plastic; however, when I get something in a plastic package that requires using my Swiss Army knife to open, I often save a flat section to use as shim for various things. I have a collection of various thicknesses. Comes in handy and holds up better to moisture than cardboard. Of course, I use that too.
"What do they expect us to use for shims?"
Wire, 14 or 12 gauge solid, with or without insulation...buic
What do they expect us to use for shims?
Business cards work great...
plus when someone takes the door off years later and can't get it back in, instant free marketing!
Seriously though I've fixed a lot of doors with business cards
Bevel the latch side and be done with it.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Am I the only one that has the urge to whistle music for Clint Eastwood movies when I see this thread?