Okay, guys, need some help here. I hung two doors, 6-panel pine, finished with polyurethane. I did the morticing of the hinges and jambs using my homemade jig and router. I hung the first one just fine, installed the jamb in the rough opening, plumbed and squared, hung the door and it was beautiful, great fit. The second I installed the jamb the same way, hung the door and the edge of the jamb isn’t flush with the door. At the knob side, the top of the door is flush with the jamb and the bottom of the door sits in 1/2″! If I line up the jamb and door, the jamb is out of plumb by the 1/2″. Looks like sin. The door isn’t bowed and everything is pretty plumb (nothings perfect). I messed around with it re-shimming, etc for a while, then walked away to keep from blowing my top. What gives? What do I do to correct it?
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I would venture that the hinge side and the lock sides of the wall are not in the same plane. There is no good way to fix it other than moving the bottom of one wall out or in so that it is inline with the other side. Other than that, you can do is split the difference between the top and bottom or leave it the way it is, the gap being at the bottom may be the least noticable place anyway. BTW, I see this pretty regularly in old houses. It's nice if you can identify it early and correct it.
Agree that it's the plane of the hinge-side jam, adding that the cause could also be that the jam changes plane between the top and bottom hinges (e.g. longitudinally twisted). .
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I think that you'll find that the existing walls are probably out of square and plumb. Set the door square, plumb and level splitting any differences the best you can visually and play with the moldings to make it look right. I've had to do that often and it IS a drag but you have what you have to deal with. Kind of similar to doing crown moldings on lopsided walls to ceilings. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Don't get all frazzled. I've gone as far as cutting the sheetrock or plaster walls just behind the trim and setting it "into" the wall a bit then shimming the trim on the opposite side with thin layers of wood cut on my table saw. I know......it makes ya wanna jump out a window......lol.
BE well
namaste'
Andy
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM