I needed to hold a number of doors on edge while I cut hinge mortises with a jig-guided router. To hold the doors steady, I made a pair of these simple bucks out of scrap. Each consists of a 2×4 base with 3⁄4-in.-plywood triangular gussets screwed to the sides, as shown in the drawing above. The edges of the gussets are what hold the door vertical, so I added some stick-on felt ribbon to the edges to keep them from marring the finish on the doors. For the 3⁄8-in.-thick doors that I was working on, I placed the gussets 17⁄16-in. apart to allow for the felt.
To use the bucks, I set them on the floor at an angle to open up the spaces between the gussets. This allows the door easy entry to each buck. Then I push each buck with my foot into its clamping position, cinching the door.
David Epstein, West Hartford, CT