How To Shave Down A Door That Sticks
First run a piece of paper at the bottom of door to identify where is sticky.
How to shave down a door that sticks. Use a sharp pencil or carpenter s compass to scribe the panel where it rubs against the side or top of the jamb. Use a dry moisturizer free soap that leaves a powdery residue on the sides of the door. You ll need to remove the door which you can do by removing the pin in the hinge if your door has a removable one or by unscrewing the hinge from the door. Having drawn a line on the door proceed to take it off the hinges and carry it.
Lower the tilt of the planer easing the knife into the wood until the base is flat on the door. Plane the edges of the door by working your way from the outside edge toward the center. Tap the pin with a hammer from the bottom to raise it up high enough to grasp it at the top with. Place a clamp on both ends of the door clamping it securely to the sawhorses.
One way is to plane the door which means you shave off part of the door so it doesn t rub or stick. Rub the problem area with bar soap. If it is along the bottom or hinge side or around the lock set you will have to remove the door from the hinges before you can shave it. Shave the door tilt the back of the planer at a 15 degree angle so that the flat cutter edge of the planer is not touching the door.
Mark the area that is binding with a pencil indicating roughly how much you need to remove and where. Pull the trigger to turn it on. Place the door across two sawhorses with the pencil line facing up. Identify the area of the door that is sticking.
Close shave photo by craig raine tom s rule of thumb for keeping a door from sticking in the jamb is that the reveal the space between the door and jamb should be 1 8 to 3 16 inch wide or about the thickness of a nickel. Remove the doorknob with the screwdriver. This should reduce the friction and allow the door to close more smoothly. Of course this is a gentle and temporary solution and will need to be repeated sporadically during times of humidity.