Fill and Drill question
Greetings to All!
Yesterday I did a partial repair on a 6′ double entry door. Shimmed some hinges to realign the strike and replaced the aluminum threshold. While deciding how to arrive at the precise location for the new bolt hole in the threshold, I removed the bolt. I discovered that someone had mortised the door too deeply for the bolt, taking the material needed for one of the two screws (the bottom screw) which hold the bolt mechanism in place. The result is that the bolt moves slightly whenever any pressure is applied to that stationary door. I’d like to know what material, expoxy or other, I can use to partially fill the mortise, then drill it to receive the second screw. BTW, the door is mahogany, I believe. It’s been stained but the grain looks like mahogany to me.
Thanks, Peter
Replies
Peter
I'm a believer in using wood to make such a repair in wood. I don't like to use epoxy where fasteners are going to be located-too brittle for my liking. Is the mortise even enough, or can you make it even enough to be able to slip the right sized rip in there-then wedge in place till the glue dries (with either the mechanism or some "shims" to apply constant pressure)?
It'll mean a couple trips I suppose, unless you can use the bolt mechanism that sits in there to hold it in place snug-predrill the right size hole, then run the screw in.
Best of luck.
Definitely
wood.
I'm a believer too but...
Doing a proper fix with wood requires more work/time than the client would stand for, two more trips like you said. He was OK with the way it turned out so I didn't push him, even though I wanted to make the stationary door really solid, as it was meant to be. That's why I began wondering if anyone had found a good way to fill it and drill it, like a quick setting two part epoxy. I 'd just like to know for future reference.
a further thought.
Assuming that the door is resting upright on it's hinge side, using an epoxy or other quick setting filler that bonds well with wood, the filler could be placed, then the bolt installed with the bottom screw set in the filler. That method would set the screw in the material without having to drill it, eliminating any possible problems with installing the screw.
True but...
Like I said, I'm looking for advice about a filler that will work well for future situations. There are lots of products on the market these days, some of which should make a better, quicker job of this than milling, fitting and glueing a small piece of wood. Using wood in this situation also means drilling and screwing into an end grain, something that I'd prefer to avoid when looking for permanent strength.