Tried to shave down a door with a hand plane and ended up with a crooked mess

I was fitting a solid oak door into a 30-inch frame in my 1920s house and figured I could just plane down the edge by eye. After three passes the gap at the top was almost half an inch wider than at the bottom. Has anyone else had to fix a door where the frame is that out of square and found a tool that actually helps?

4 comments

4 Comments

hollyl451mo ago

Respectfully, I gotta disagree a bit here. Solid oak is tough stuff and even with a sharp plane it's real easy to take off too much if you aren't checking with a straightedge and winding sticks every few passes. The frame being out of square is a pain but the real trick is marking the door with a compass or scribe against the frame so you know exactly where to cut. A power plane with a depth stop would have saved you a lot of heartache on a door that thick.

david5621mo ago

Changed my mind on this one. I used to think you could eyeball the fit on oak doors, just take a light pass and see how it sits. But after working with a 2 inch thick solid white oak door last summer, I learned the hard way that even a sharp plane pulls off more than you expect if you are not dead square. I ended up having to patch a spot with dutchmen because I got aggressive on one edge. Your point about the scribe and compass is dead on, that method gives you a line you can trust even on a wonky frame.

emmag221mo ago

See @hollyl45 I still lean the other way on this. A compass is a crutch for people who haven't developed a good eye yet. I've hung plenty of thick oak doors and never needed more than a sharp block plane and a steady hand. You just take whisper thin shavings and check your fit with a feeler gauge after each pass. If you are careful you won't blow through your reveal.

joelt701mo ago

Started off thinking I could just work slow and careful with a handplane on solid oak and get it right. But after ruining one door myself I completely shifted on this. @hollyl45 you are spot on about the compass and scribe method, that is the ONLY way to handle a frame that bad. Trying to eyeball it is just asking for a crooked mess and a lot of swearing. Even with a sharp plane you end up taking more off the top or bottom without realizing it until its too late. Now I always mark the door against the frame first and then work to that line, it saves time and wood. I still use a hand plane for the final fit but only after Ive got that scribe line to follow.