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Plane or rip doors to fit

PKelton | Posted in Construction Techniques on January 24, 2008 11:42am

Got a client who wants bifold doors on five closets (which already have bypass doors) in her house. Problem is that the opening widths are not standard. For example, three doorways have widths of 47 1/8 inches, so the doors will need to be trimmed. I’ve already installed one set of doors in the same size opening, and I trimmed those down with a power plane, about 1/32″-1/16″ each pass (results were pretty good). But, could I rip the doors, say, 3/16″ on a table saw successfully? The panels are light and easy to handle. By the way, 3/16″ is the maximum allowed amount for trimming the edges according to the manufacturer.

Since each section of door is just under a foot wide, they would not be unwieldy. Any opinions/suggestions? Thanks in advance.

PK

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Replies

  1. LIVEONSAWDUST | Jan 25, 2008 12:34am | #1

    Sure, just stay under your  maximum amount of removal, leave enough to clean up your cut with a plane. Note: I would try to take an equal amount off each side, be sure and reprime the edges right away,might not want to do it if its extremely humid. It sounds like these are hollow core doors ,they can warp RIGHT AWAY if left unprimed



    Edited 1/24/2008 4:36 pm ET by LIVEONSAWDUST

    1. PKelton | Jan 25, 2008 01:14am | #2

      Only one of the five doors is a luan hollow-core flush door. The others are all colonial three-panel unfinished stain-quality pine.The idea of ripping first THEN finishing up with a plane sounds like the way to go.Thanks for the tip!PK

      1. User avater
        Gene_Davis | Jan 25, 2008 01:24am | #3

        This is the perfect opportunity to get a very important tool for the remodeler or handyman.

        Either the Festool saw with guides or the EZ Smart saw guide kit. 

        Either makes door resizing an absolute dream.

        1. BradG | Jan 25, 2008 04:04pm | #13

          another vote for either festool or EZ ... and take the same ammt off of both sides of each panel. This is trivial if you have it. I have the bosch power planer but the saw/guide solution is a one pass=done proposition.

  2. TomT226 | Jan 25, 2008 03:37am | #4

    Rip it with a good lam or glue line blade.  Then no need to plane or even sand except to break the edges so paint or stain won't wear easily.

     

  3. gordsco | Jan 25, 2008 05:03am | #5

    If the door fits in the hole I have a trick.

    The problem with bi-fold pivots is they are set too far from the edge of the door. A gap is needed on the pivot side of the door to allow the door to swing open without digging into the wall.

    For tight fitting bi-folds a trick I discovered was to round over the face corner of the pivot side of the door with a 1/4" round over router bit.

    Graphics are a little rough, but you can see my attempt to describe a roundover on the right hand corner.

    View Image

     

     

    Gord

                            

     

     

    1. Waters | Jan 25, 2008 05:13am | #6

      oooh, you very smart man.

      I've encountered this problem before.

      Hate bifolds.

      1. gordsco | Jan 25, 2008 06:20am | #10

        One housing company i finished for consistently framed the bifold openings tight. The table saw was my tool of choice untill I figured out a 3 sec pass with a roundover bit allowed the door to close 90% of the time. 

        Gord

                                

         

         

        1. dovetail97128 | Jan 25, 2008 09:29am | #11

          Been doing the same with a block plane for years. Just knocking the sharp corner off works wonders.
          They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.

        2. Waters | Jan 25, 2008 06:41pm | #14

          Yeah, bifolds always look gappy to me anyway...

          What really sucks is when you have to cut them down @ height, plug them and glue again.

          1. gordsco | Jan 26, 2008 06:01am | #15

            I normally center bi-folds 2 3/4" inside a drywall opening.

            (The drywall corner bead is only needed on the inside of the closet.)

            Then install a 2" frame in front of the bi-fold and cover that with casing.

            The upper frame hides the track from view and sides cover the gaps.

            When all is said and done it's gap free and looks like any other door in the house. 

            Gord

                                    

             

             

          2. DonCanDo | Jan 26, 2008 04:16pm | #16

            I like that.  I've only retro-fitted bi-folds so I haven't had an opportunity to do it like you do, but I will if I get a chance.  What do you use for the "2" frame"?  It seems like a strip of 1X2 would work.

          3. gordsco | Jan 26, 2008 09:47pm | #18

            I usually rip down a door jamb, but any material you could nail casing into would work. 

            Gord

                                    

             

             

          4. Waters | Jan 26, 2008 07:05pm | #17

            I see.

            On the topic, do you (or any) have a better solution, door wise, than cut-down bifolds for 'short' closets, like in a knee wall?

             

          5. gordsco | Jan 26, 2008 09:57pm | #19

            I can't remember using bi-folds for short walls.

            For bedroom storage on 2nd floors with sloped ceilings I've used cut down regular doors to gain a better draft seal. 

            Gord

                                    

             

             

  4. Waters | Jan 25, 2008 05:28am | #7

    rip for sure.

    This will be much more consistent than planing and yield a crisper/straighter edge on the door too.

    Use a good blade and keep it only 1/2" or so above the door.  Run masking tape around each side to be cut and you'll minimize tear out.

    Or buy that festool saw!

  5. Jer | Jan 25, 2008 05:48am | #8

    Absolutely. I just did it on my own house. Making one of the kid's room into my DW's office and she wanted bifolds for the closet that was about an inch shy of the proper opening. Do what was suggested above, rip them heavy and leave room for cleanup. I ripped 1/4" off each side (they were a double pair of bifolds) and I did it on the table saw no problem. Works great.

    1. rasconc | Jan 25, 2008 06:00am | #9

      In the late 50's side of our house I ripped the bypass doors down and hinged them.  One room I used my ez, the other I used table saw.  It boiled down to whether I wanted to tote them downstairs to the ts.  First room had two closets and 4 panels, the second one only had one.

  6. DonCanDo | Jan 25, 2008 02:31pm | #12

    Do you have an outfeed table or a roller stand?  If not, or maybe even regardless, plan on using a helper.  Despite the light weight, a door is cumbersome to handle alone.

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