I have been a highend finish carpenter/cabinet installer since 1978 and I have to say this guy is the first person I've seen online that knows what he's doing,
What I love is age and his apparent knowledge of all things with the detail work. I love how he walks you through everything with so many words. Some people may not like that but those beginning and getting started, it really helps.
I am probably older than your dad and was trained much the same way that you show people. I have always beveled the doors on both edges. It is nice to see someone teaching people well.
Just want to say thanks to your video I learned how to successfully hang 9 new slab doors. I ordered a few of the items from your shop and built door bucks and was ready to go. Best part no screw ups, mistakes and everything lined up exact. Thanks again Spencer for sharing your knowledge, you're a great teacher.
Thank you! I followed your video and did my own doors. The only thing different is that I bought a jig on Amazon for $24. It had the 5/8 radius built in, and I used the router bit 1/2" that came with the jig.
So many useful nuggets in this video! From the door bucks, the bevels, the 'one at a time' approach - and that really means something coming from you! You're all about how the footsteps equal money! A big like for this one to file away for later viewing when I have to tackle some doors.
I really enjoyed watching some old school door prep there. I'm an old retired finished Carpenter and watching that method that you used brought back good memories. No pre-machine doors back then. In more recent years I made my own plywood router templates, and then use a pattern bit to do the routing. Your caution to turn the router off and let it stop is excellent as well as the individual routing of the mortises to make sure that you were exactly like the original door. I appreciate your well thought through methodology to all your work . Thanks for the video.
I know the doors were off the casings . But if they were still hung I would look at all the margins and if doors under I usually put and arrow and mark +1/8 for example . And then do what you do and place door on top and mark everthing . You are by far the best carpenter ive seen . Young guy with the experience of an old timer !😉
That’s the type of work I’ve been doing the last year or so can’t get away from it I’m always kicking myself for how long it takes but I’m glad to see you approach it the same way taking careful measurements insuring a quality job... I’m finding it hard to bid I’ve just been doing it cost plus making a good living just gotta be patient especially because these jobs the homeowners are living there.... glad to see you taking the time looks great man keep it up!
Good onya Texas, you earn the title of craftsman when you put the finish of your work and the satisfaction of your client above the desire to smash a job out and get to the next one. I'm certain if you stick with your approach then word of mouth will see your quotes be accepted, and the margin you can add will grow. Shit tradies spend up to 40% of their time going back to jobs to fix f@#k ups. Getting it right first time and sleeping at night win out. Cheers!
I have hung hundreds of doors. Firstly, I have a methodical system so that I do not double handle. 1, before removing the old door from the existing door frame, mark it up because it will become your template for your new slab. T = top of door. Outside of Door. H= hinge side and hinge markings. Mark any gap tolerance revisions (+ or -) and lay old slab on top of new slab and transfer all marks, no tape measure necessary. Love your workmanship.
Great video for new guys trying to understand and for old guys who have forgotten. Every few years I am tasked with hanging a door or two in old openings. I have all of the tools that I need and have hung enough doors to do a nice job, but when a lot of time has passed, I always head to RUclips for a refresher. I'm glad that I found your video, not only did I use my tracksaw (new technique for me) to put a perfect bevel on both sides of my door, but you offered enough discussion to help keep me from wrecking a door. Found my old (like new) Templaco template to route for 5/8" radius hinges so I didn't need to get the new bit and guide and plate. I had my casings off, so I was able to adjust the opening enough so that I didn't have to make weird cuts on the door. Good work!
I am a little older than you however started late so I am not totally physically trashed yet! I use a buckaroo back pro belt and hung oxidential trim bags from it !!! Spence it’s a little piece of heaven! Save your back kick that pride aside and suspender up w/a back pro belt! Trust me it’s cost but worth it!
We should have watched this video BEFORE we replaced our first door. We had to MCGuiver a lot of unnecessary details that we could have avoided had we done a little advance research. Going forward, we’ll use your excellent video as a reference. Thanks!!!
Man you are really a pleasure to watch, wish you lived closer I'd have you over for some work. Just getting ready to attack a 60 year old house we bought that luckily only has 7 doors to do but every one is a mess and we have to replace the existing slabs with new oine and they are all but one irregular sizing. all much smaller than the normal 80" height..could really use your help and expertise on this one..
@steeltongue502 that's the benifit of the trend one. Very transportable. Yeah if someone could invent a colapsable one bit like those colapsable saw horses it would be a winner
I made a door stand 30 years ago with 2x4 and gate hinge with carpet, step on the end it opens up and drop the door in, self tensioning when the doors in. Best jig ever
Great job as always man. As a finishing Carpenter myself everytime I watch your videos it always amazes me how many things we do the same. Always great content keep up the great work.
Good tip on the routers. I hung dozens, maybe hundreds of doors in the old jambs as an apprentice and carpenter. We never used the old door as a template. Measure the opening .In this case I would have taken the 1/8" off the bevel side, if the jamb is even, leave the line for the planer, we didn't use track saws. If the jamb is not even, you'll have to scribe the door on the lock side. Measure the hinges on the hinge side, leaving an 1/8" at the top (some carpenters would place the door in the opening and mark the hinges and scribe the bevel side). Transfer the measurement to the door, route the hinges. Mark the center of the lock from the striker hole in the jamb. Install the lock with the door in place. Sand the edge of the bevel side. If we got good, square door jambs, we could hang up to six doors a day.
He's making huge assumptions the previous doors fit properly. My dad was replacing house doors but left them in the garage so long they warped. The installers had to tweak some of the strikes by almost half an inch to get the door to close.
I bought the plastic ryobi hinge jig years ago and have done hundreds of hinges with it. I never thought it would hold up but its still in NY door kit.
I learned so much from your video. Thank you. I helped replace a friend's door about a month ago. I see many things I didn't know, lol. Something so simple as the fact that a door has a bevel. I will be redoing that door, but correctly, thanks to your instruction.
I built a similar set of saw buck except mine fit the original door and the new door at the same time. I built a stop on one side that aligns the doors when I put them in, hinge side up. I then transfer over the lines and trace out the handle position through the hole. Take the old door out and clamp the new one to the bucks and mortise out the hinges. This way I save having to align the two slabs and my site line on the hinge mortises is straight down when marking..
Great job. Mostly the way I have been doing it. The only thing I have learned the hard way is that installing the door back the hinges do not always line up. To give extra wiggle room I only install the center screw on each hinge. This way I can bump the hinge and make it fit. Then once the pins are in I install the rest of the screws.
This is great and I wish I had seen this a week ago. Just replaced doors in a whole house but the existing doors had already been discarded so each new door was custom scribed to the jamb. On and off the hinges many times to get a good fit and nice reveal. I would love to hear how you would deal with a poor original jamb installation. I had issues with cross leg, tight gaps below the bottom hinge and jambs that bellied out an 1/8 inch in the middle. Needless to say the doors could not be cut straight but needed to be scribed to get an acceptable reveal around the door. Appreciate you taking the time to deliver this content and for all the tool recommendations.
It’s tough man. You can turn the install on one door into an all day job if you want to when the jamb is bad. It’s tough. My install wasn’t perfect but it was better than what was there before. It’s hard to find the line between acceptable and over doing it on a replacement job.
If the new door will fit in the jamb drive shims under & around it till you get the reveals right (if needed mark any scribes on hinge side) use a knife to mark the hinge locations. Slide each (marked, top, mid....) hinge into each pocket and mark depth, when making depth on door go 1/16" deeper to clear stop if door was held tight to stops. Pull down door, cut any scribes, sand/finish edge and dap hinges, hang door. If door is too large to close, cut a 1 1/4" long carpenter pencil and sand it at a long angle on one of the flat sides so the lead is flush with the flat side, pull the door up to the jamb and use this custom pencil (holding the flat lead side on the jamb) and scribe the door. When you cut this take the line plus a strong 16th more and cut at 5 degrees so you don't end up with a huge gap on the other side. If the new door won't fit in the jamb do the same jus start on the hinge side. If the door is way over sized take some from each side. As far as cross leg it's easiest to pull or move the stops and try to keep the strike aligned. It is possible to spread out a cross leg issue by altering the hinge depths but is a real mind bender so quadruple check everything if you go that route.
Is have to say using Templaco hinge templates all work for radius and squared off hinges . I agree singling out each hinge on retro doors. I’ve been using Teplaco gear for over 20 years and all dead nuts 🌰
Hi Spencer, I've enjoyed watching your videos for a few years now and wanted to share my appreciation. I think their great and have found them really useful. I work across 6 high schools repairing and building anything and everything. I found the tool storage and transportation helpful as this is my main struggle. Thanks again
Great video!!! I seem to always have a problem with my new doors hitting the door stop lol. What I do is screw some scrap plywood to the top of the old door to help Align the door easier
That's for sure! It doesn't get any better. Wide open garage and homeowners were on vacation. I didn't even meet them. I just showed up and hung the doors under a contractor.
I did a similar job. Instead of using saw horses I brought the keg work tablet. It can hold door on either edge and you have a work table for tools you should look into it
The ryobi hinge jig works really well for mortising and has inserts to adjust for different hinge radii. It clamps onto the door rather than nails and by putting a shim in between the clamp and door you can adjust the offset. Ryobi also makes a great jig for mortising the latch plate.
I've made a set of those door bucks a few years ago and they are the cats pajamas. Indeed for machining new doors to match old jambs using a whole three hinge template setup would be a pain in the ass. I have the same exact template although mine is old enough that it has the Milwaukee brand on it.
For those fine hinge location adjustments (front to back) I cut some strips of magnetic sign material that stick to the hinge jig. If you need just a bit more cut a strip of metal lumber banding and it will stick to the magnet strip or mag strips can be stacked. Mine is the P. C. jig so your experience may vary. Great content!
Thanks for the upload Spencer. I did this very thing a few weeks ago using a Ryobi jig which came with a Vix bit. It worked great and was my first time using a Vix bit. I knew I wanted one, but they're hard to find locally. I just got a set delivered on Thursday using your amazon link. Everybody wins. I wish I could justify spending the money for those nice knee pads you use, but I did upgrade to a pair that Velcro over the knee and under. Maybe they wont keep sliding down.
Awesome. I'm not sure what your age it but if you spend any amount of time on your knees they are essential $300 is nothing compared to the cost of knees going bad over the long haul. I wish I had purchased mine a long long time ago. I actually used that Ryobi jig on the last 4 doors. I was impressed with it. I will have a video coming using that jig also.
Great video Spencer. Just did a set of doors with the reverse situation (old doors, new jambs) and had similar problem of hinge depth not matching my jig. Took a while to figure how to adjust.
Looks just like my process. One tip, take some scrap 1x and rip 1½" strips, then cut to 5½" long. Get some spray 3M spray adhesive and quarter a sheet of hand sandpaper. Spray both, let set, wrap around the block and you'll have the best sanding blocks you can get. Painters have been stealing mine for years. Norton is the best paper I can get, but its it's hard to find. Great video!
Always love building and cutting in doors, learned way back in 80’ while working for a Remodeling Contractor and were site built. This is way prior to pre-hungs and the first P-H I came across much later I couldn’t stand the fact that the hinge radius was much larger and of course the hinge ga. Was thinner too, having the stops attached didn’t allow for off plane adjustments either as we always cross X’d our Legs with string line.The only jamb stock that had stop was Exterior doors that was milled in. I replicated a folding door jig table from another Finish Carpenter around 90’ and still use it. I can lay doors flat across the top or on edge for planing with 12” metal standards fastened to the legs and wood clad brackets that adjust up and down to the width of the door I’m working on. My set up and door cut-in’s on an existing jamb are identical, using an Adj. Porter-Cable butt ga. one template piece at a time. Spencer, I always appreciate your old soul advise on safety first especially out in vid land regarding the importance of allowing your tool to stop before removal and likewise on start up while in the template. Great video as usual, keep-’em coming!
@@InsiderCarpentry yeah it does and I goes to show how much care you take in your craft and also thinking about your audience that has subbed to your channel
Good info. I only really install pre-hung but its good to know about how they go together to fix issues or problems. I didnt know about that bevel either. Your spanish aint too bad amigo!
Wow the old doors are nice; solid core? Def those could be reused ! Obviously you left them but rigging out one for 2nd string door while redoing a home would be great before hanging the new one! Anyway I think I watched this video 10 times ! When I am not doing it I am learning !
Great video Spencer. Putting new doors in old jambs can be a real pain sometimes. I've had issues in the past with the doors not wanting to close properly or being a little off on the hinges ect. Good job brother you do great work man.
It’s important to assess the condition of each old door in its opening before you pull them. If the head is out of square, you’ll have no good way to adjust the head margin once you’ve mortised the door. Good idea to keep a list of head and strike margins of the existing doors before pulling them.
We'll said. I've only replaced doors in existing openings as part of a couple of renovations but on my travels have had the pleasure of working with true tradies in several trades. A tip I got from a chippie (carpenter) here in Oz was to go round and tighten all the existing screws which would either result in the door pulling up/in somewhat or the screw/s would spin.Then we'd wedge and pencil around the existing doors in situ, measure the "slack" and mark the hinge holes that needed dowels. He did the magic on the doors and I was left to dowel, glue and flush the buggered screw holes. This was before oscillating multi-tools. A hacksaw blade, cut to a point and sandwiched between two scraps of wood, bound by gaffer tape was the go. Hi tech shit back then! Bevels were planed by hand and carbon paper used to show sticking points either side. Not sure if you can still get it but it saved over dressing/time and improved the finish. Locks/latches were done once he was happy with the way the door hung. Marks were scribed for jamb to door then a wedge either side held it still while the new kit was dressed in. All sounds a bit rough but the doors all swung free and true and no power tools and this was in the early 90s when most tradies had a durry (roll-your-own-cigarette/rollie), usually half smoked and unlit, in the corner of their mouth, and knocked off between two and three to have a few stubbies with the crew. I've gone down memory lane, haven't I? Forgive 😂😵
I always do square cuts on the hinge side. Only ever put a very slight bevel on the lock side. Might have to give it ago next time, but I can’t see any benefits?
@@jimbow2310 I see, its a old school technique for making it easier with a hand plane. I don't even carry a hand plane now, the old boys can't believe people don't use them on site anymore.
@@AshHalls I use a power plane to put the bevel on then finish with a hand plane. I guess it depends what sort of finish you want to leave on the lipping. If the lipping has grain reversal on it, you cannot close the mouth on a power plane like you can a hand plane. I combine old school with modern so you get the best of both worlds.
@@jimbow2310 I see. I shall sharpen my hand plane, and start becoming a true craftsman. Sometimes the old hand tools that many people don't carry provide the best results, like a wood rasp.
Might help you on your splinter guard in a pinch. I have not felt the need to put a new one on yet even thought i have some in my van. Last few times ive just pulled it off used a rag with lacquer thinner wiped it down to clean it and just lightly dabbed the lacquer rag on the double stick tape to re activate the glue and set the strip out just a bit. Or i restuck with the fastcap laminate tape.
Your “door bucks” are great. But I set mine up on saw horses that are shorties. 15” off the floor! I call them my ponies. That way I’m mortising up at waist level or maybe just a little higher. (I’m almost 60) And I also use my porter cable mortise jigs independently when I’m copying old doors. The original “Vix” bit are the only good ones! Great video! Thanks for sharing!
I finally bought the pencils you use. Love them! They work so good for trimming no more pencil sharpener! Also just got the Occidental Tool belt last week. I’m happy with it so far.
thank you for sharing your knowledge and making hanging doors easy, I always learn something new , watching your videos you’re calm and you have lots of knowledge.👍🪚🪚
Out with the solid (core?) oak. A bit painful, but they must have been a bad fit for style. Great tips on preparing the new doors - especially the reminder to measure from the wide side. Thanks for the video.
More labor in refinishing and the heavy oak grain would have shown through after paint. Painted oak does not look good. Plus they were the typical outdated raised panel look.
I would be interested in seeing or your tips/suggestions about troubleshooting both interior and exterior doors. I work in new home construction and in Florida spit-jam doors are used for production reasons....issue is the young installer blow-go...many times leaving the doors mess. 1/4” + gaps on strike side...to the point the strike plate is exposed and visible because the door is barely hitting the stop. Would be interested on any tips.
I always have trouble with the hinge depth on old doors in old houses. Most of the time I’m only rehanging 1-2 doors so I freehand route the hinges vs using a template. Moving stops is a big pain in the ass lol, as is trying to move the hinges in a 16th towards the stops.
I bend hinge knuckles with a fast cap kunckle bender wrench. But you have to wait until the painter is done messing with the hinges otherwise they will mix them up and you're screwed.
@@InsiderCarpentry I tell my painter to leave the hinges on. I tell him this because sometimes you end up stripping out the screw holes. Yes he does tape them up.
Good vid. Man! I got the porter cable door hinge jig myself. Scored it off eBay. I've yet to use the thing. Honestly it seems really complicated. But I'm pretty good with doors so I should be able to figure it out. Love your content dude!✌👍
Great work Spencer, I'm attempting to change out some existing hollow core doors and replacing with hollow core masonite 1 panel doors. Is it necessary to bevel the edges on hollow core?
Spencer . I want to compliment you on your videos and your skills. I'm a door hanger and specialize in rehang's ...I have found the metal Porter Cable door templates work best for this type of work. They have a center mark for the hinge mortise ...I found laying out centerlines of the hinge mortise is the most accurate ! Dewalt flexvolt trac-saw a single template and a simple Lennox lock boring jig with holesaw works best . The spur cutters on the high end boring jigs are fragile and don't feed very well !
That’s a great idea regarding the center lines. My complaint on the template jig is definitely the feed rate. But I can’t say i have much better success with hole saws.
Congratulations on back beveling the doors, particularly the latching side, as this is one of the very basics indoor hanging that no other RUclipsr seems to have a clue about. They hang doors with square edges so once the back of the door is level with the front of the casing, the clearance gap is halved. I do however hang replacement doors as a new fit. I'd never copy an existing door as you could well be duplicating the bad as well as the good, so a badly fitting original door is replaced with a badly fitting new door.
@@dwightsornberger8916 You can only correctly hang a door by fitting to its door frame directly. I think your choice here is the “easy” incorrect way, or the correct way that takes that little bit more effort. I’m afraid the correctly fitting of a door is a dying art
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I have been a highend finish carpenter/cabinet installer since 1978 and I have to say this guy is the first person I've seen online that knows what he's doing,
What I love is age and his apparent knowledge of all things with the detail work. I love how he walks you through everything with so many words. Some people may not like that but those beginning and getting started, it really helps.
It's unreal how good the content is in your videos
Thanks!
VIX BITS RULE ! during my 35 years on the job I saw quite a few carpenters trying to install hinges with out pre drilling or using a Vix Bit ! YIKES
I am probably older than your dad and was trained much the same way that you show people. I have always beveled the doors on both edges. It is nice to see someone teaching people well.
Just want to say thanks to your video I learned how to successfully hang 9 new slab doors. I ordered a few of the items from your shop and built door bucks and was ready to go. Best part no screw ups, mistakes and everything lined up exact. Thanks again Spencer for sharing your knowledge, you're a great teacher.
Thank you!
I followed your video and did my own doors. The only thing different is that I bought a jig on Amazon for $24. It had the 5/8 radius built in, and I used the router bit 1/2" that came with the jig.
So many useful nuggets in this video! From the door bucks, the bevels, the 'one at a time' approach - and that really means something coming from you! You're all about how the footsteps equal money! A big like for this one to file away for later viewing when I have to tackle some doors.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@InsiderCarpentry I enjoy ALL your videos! Thanks for putting them out there.
Glad to hear it brother. I appreciate the encouragement and feedback. 👍👊
that jig accouting for template offset was well worth the time i spent looking for this!
I really enjoyed watching some old school door prep there. I'm an old retired finished Carpenter and watching that method that you used brought back good memories. No pre-machine doors back then. In more recent years I made my own plywood router templates, and then use a pattern bit to do the routing. Your caution to turn the router off and let it stop is excellent as well as the individual routing of the mortises to make sure that you were exactly like the original door. I appreciate your well thought through methodology to all your work . Thanks for the video.
I know the doors were off the casings . But if they were still hung I would look at all the margins and if doors under I usually put and arrow and mark +1/8 for example . And then do what you do and place door on top and mark everthing . You are by far the best carpenter ive seen . Young guy with the experience of an old timer !😉
That’s the type of work I’ve been doing the last year or so can’t get away from it I’m always kicking myself for how long it takes but I’m glad to see you approach it the same way taking careful measurements insuring a quality job... I’m finding it hard to bid I’ve just been doing it cost plus making a good living just gotta be patient especially because these jobs the homeowners are living there.... glad to see you taking the time looks great man keep it up!
Good onya Texas, you earn the title of craftsman when you put the finish of your work and the satisfaction of your client above the desire to smash a job out and get to the next one. I'm certain if you stick with your approach then word of mouth will see your quotes be accepted, and the margin you can add will grow. Shit tradies spend up to 40% of their time going back to jobs to fix f@#k ups. Getting it right first time and sleeping at night win out. Cheers!
I have hung hundreds of doors.
Firstly, I have a methodical system so that I do not double handle.
1, before removing the old door from the existing door frame, mark it up because it will become your template for your new slab. T = top of door. Outside of Door. H= hinge side and hinge markings. Mark any gap tolerance revisions (+ or -) and lay old slab on top of new slab and transfer all marks, no tape measure necessary. Love your workmanship.
Great video for new guys trying to understand and for old guys who have forgotten. Every few years I am tasked with hanging a door or two in old openings. I have all of the tools that I need and have hung enough doors to do a nice job, but when a lot of time has passed, I always head to RUclips for a refresher. I'm glad that I found your video, not only did I use my tracksaw (new technique for me) to put a perfect bevel on both sides of my door, but you offered enough discussion to help keep me from wrecking a door. Found my old (like new) Templaco template to route for 5/8" radius hinges so I didn't need to get the new bit and guide and plate. I had my casings off, so I was able to adjust the opening enough so that I didn't have to make weird cuts on the door. Good work!
I am a little older than you however started late so I am not totally physically trashed yet! I use a buckaroo back pro belt and hung oxidential trim bags from it !!!
Spence it’s a little piece of heaven! Save your back kick that pride aside and suspender up w/a back pro belt! Trust me it’s cost but worth it!
Watch this video a couple times. Thank you for your advice and links so much. Took me forever to find a 1 3/8 bushing.
Yeah, that one is hard to find.
I used to feel lucky when my jamb stock came pre-ripped....this video is great. A skill that has been almost lost in recent years.
Thank you dude! You cover it all man! Good to to see a pro at work sharing the crucial step required for precision! Keep the videos coming!
We should have watched this video BEFORE we replaced our first door. We had to MCGuiver a lot of unnecessary details that we could have avoided had we done a little advance research. Going forward, we’ll use your excellent video as a reference. Thanks!!!
Man you are really a pleasure to watch, wish you lived closer I'd have you over for some work. Just getting ready to attack a 60 year old house we bought that luckily only has 7 doors to do but every one is a mess and we have to replace the existing slabs with new oine and they are all but one irregular sizing. all much smaller than the normal 80" height..could really use your help and expertise on this one..
I learn so much from this guy. Amazingly simple and clear.
Love your door holder. What a great idea
@steeltongue502 I've got one of those small things by trend with the built in screw clamp idea but not as sturdy and easy to use as that idea
@steeltongue502 that's the benifit of the trend one. Very transportable. Yeah if someone could invent a colapsable one bit like those colapsable saw horses it would be a winner
@steeltongue502 no probs buddy. I use one but perhaps 2 would work better
I made a door stand 30 years ago with 2x4 and gate hinge with carpet, step on the end it opens up and drop the door in, self tensioning when the doors in. Best jig ever
Love watching Spencer work showing us the detail he goes through to get precise results.
Great job as always man. As a finishing Carpenter myself everytime I watch your videos it always amazes me how many things we do the same. Always great content keep up the great work.
Good tip on the routers.
I hung dozens, maybe hundreds of doors in the old jambs as an apprentice and carpenter.
We never used the old door as a template.
Measure the opening .In this case I would have taken the 1/8" off the bevel side, if the jamb is even, leave the line for the planer, we didn't use track saws.
If the jamb is not even, you'll have to scribe the door on the lock side. Measure the hinges on the hinge side, leaving an 1/8" at the top (some carpenters would place the door in the opening and mark the hinges and scribe the bevel side). Transfer the measurement to the door, route the hinges.
Mark the center of the lock from the striker hole in the jamb. Install the lock with the door in place.
Sand the edge of the bevel side.
If we got good, square door jambs, we could hang up to six doors a day.
He's making huge assumptions the previous doors fit properly. My dad was replacing house doors but left them in the garage so long they warped. The installers had to tweak some of the strikes by almost half an inch to get the door to close.
I bought the plastic ryobi hinge jig years ago and have done hundreds of hinges with it. I never thought it would hold up but its still in NY door kit.
I learned so much from your video. Thank you. I helped replace a friend's door about a month ago. I see many things I didn't know, lol. Something so simple as the fact that a door has a bevel. I will be redoing that door, but correctly, thanks to your instruction.
Love how you teach in these videos, super practical yet thorough. Your channel is my main go-to for finish carpentry learning
Glad to hear it!
I learned so much watching this. Thanks!
I built a similar set of saw buck except mine fit the original door and the new door at the same time. I built a stop on one side that aligns the doors when I put them in, hinge side up. I then transfer over the lines and trace out the handle position through the hole. Take the old door out and clamp the new one to the bucks and mortise out the hinges. This way I save having to align the two slabs and my site line on the hinge mortises is straight down when marking..
That's a great system. I considered doing the same. Next time...
Great job. Mostly the way I have been doing it. The only thing I have learned the hard way is that installing the door back the hinges do not always line up. To give extra wiggle room I only install the center screw on each hinge. This way I can bump the hinge and make it fit. Then once the pins are in I install the rest of the screws.
This is great and I wish I had seen this a week ago. Just replaced doors in a whole house but the existing doors had already been discarded so each new door was custom scribed to the jamb. On and off the hinges many times to get a good fit and nice reveal.
I would love to hear how you would deal with a poor original jamb installation. I had issues with cross leg, tight gaps below the bottom hinge and jambs that bellied out an 1/8 inch in the middle. Needless to say the doors could not be cut straight but needed to be scribed to get an acceptable reveal around the door.
Appreciate you taking the time to deliver this content and for all the tool recommendations.
It’s tough man. You can turn the install on one door into an all day job if you want to when the jamb is bad. It’s tough.
My install wasn’t perfect but it was better than what was there before. It’s hard to find the line between acceptable and over doing it on a replacement job.
If the new door will fit in the jamb drive shims under & around it till you get the reveals right (if needed mark any scribes on hinge side) use a knife to mark the hinge locations. Slide each (marked, top, mid....) hinge into each pocket and mark depth, when making depth on door go 1/16" deeper to clear stop if door was held tight to stops. Pull down door, cut any scribes, sand/finish edge and dap hinges, hang door.
If door is too large to close, cut a 1 1/4" long carpenter pencil and sand it at a long angle on one of the flat sides so the lead is flush with the flat side, pull the door up to the jamb and use this custom pencil (holding the flat lead side on the jamb) and scribe the door. When you cut this take the line plus a strong 16th more and cut at 5 degrees so you don't end up with a huge gap on the other side.
If the new door won't fit in the jamb do the same jus start on the hinge side. If the door is way over sized take some from each side. As far as cross leg it's easiest to pull or move the stops and try to keep the strike aligned. It is possible to spread out a cross leg issue by altering the hinge depths but is a real mind bender so quadruple check everything if you go that route.
@@awls7393 Exactly right! You'll never measure your way to a good fit in an old opening.
Is have to say using Templaco hinge templates all work for radius and squared off hinges . I agree singling out each hinge on retro doors. I’ve been using Teplaco gear for over 20 years and all dead nuts 🌰
Thanks very informative video. Just what I was looking for
Hi Spencer, I've enjoyed watching your videos for a few years now and wanted to share my appreciation. I think their great and have found them really useful. I work across 6 high schools repairing and building anything and everything. I found the tool storage and transportation helpful as this is my main struggle. Thanks again
You bet, glad its helpful.
@@InsiderCarpentry Hi Spencer, I'm wondering if you have a video with the plans for the door stands you are using?
Man! a thumbs up is not enough for this video... great content, very imformative
Glad you liked it!
Morning Lewis have you got a video on making your door holder’s regards Jeff from over the pond
I don’t. Sorry!
Great video!!!
I seem to always have a problem with my new doors hitting the door stop lol.
What I do is screw some scrap plywood to the top of the old door to help Align the door easier
You lucked out with that great work space in an occupied home!
That's for sure! It doesn't get any better. Wide open garage and homeowners were on vacation. I didn't even meet them. I just showed up and hung the doors under a contractor.
I did a similar job. Instead of using saw horses I brought the keg work tablet. It can hold door on either edge and you have a work table for tools you should look into it
I like the way you Explain in detail
A door block is wat we use here in Ireland, can be made from a 3x2 an a wedge👌.
Great content as always 👍
Same as in England 🏴
It’s a better set up in all honesty, light, extremely effective, and so simple.
Really enjoy your comprehensive explanations and insights....well done
The ryobi hinge jig works really well for mortising and has inserts to adjust for different hinge radii. It clamps onto the door rather than nails and by putting a shim in between the clamp and door you can adjust the offset.
Ryobi also makes a great jig for mortising the latch plate.
I actually used that jig for the last four doors. It's not bad at all. I'll have a video coming of that jig in use.
What would you do if the original doors are just missing? I need to replace nine doors and they're all missing, but the casing and molding is perfect
I've made a set of those door bucks a few years ago and they are the cats pajamas. Indeed for machining new doors to match old jambs using a whole three hinge template setup would be a pain in the ass. I have the same exact template although mine is old enough that it has the Milwaukee brand on it.
I like to put a small kerf on the edge of the door where the router bit exits the mortise so as not to splinter out the door
For those fine hinge location adjustments (front to back) I cut some strips of magnetic sign material that stick to the hinge jig. If you need just a bit more cut a strip of metal lumber banding and it will stick to the magnet strip or mag strips can be stacked. Mine is the P. C. jig so your experience may vary. Great content!
Thanks for the upload Spencer. I did this very thing a few weeks ago using a Ryobi jig which came with a Vix bit. It worked great and was my first time using a Vix bit. I knew I wanted one, but they're hard to find locally. I just got a set delivered on Thursday using your amazon link. Everybody wins. I wish I could justify spending the money for those nice knee pads you use, but I did upgrade to a pair that Velcro over the knee and under. Maybe they wont keep sliding down.
Awesome. I'm not sure what your age it but if you spend any amount of time on your knees they are essential $300 is nothing compared to the cost of knees going bad over the long haul. I wish I had purchased mine a long long time ago.
I actually used that Ryobi jig on the last 4 doors. I was impressed with it. I will have a video coming using that jig also.
Great video Spencer. Just did a set of doors with the reverse situation (old doors, new jambs) and had similar problem of hinge depth not matching my jig. Took a while to figure how to adjust.
Looks just like my process. One tip, take some scrap 1x and rip 1½" strips, then cut to 5½" long. Get some spray 3M spray adhesive and quarter a sheet of hand sandpaper. Spray both, let set, wrap around the block and you'll have the best sanding blocks you can get. Painters have been stealing mine for years. Norton is the best paper I can get, but its it's hard to find. Great video!
16:30 Excellent foresight!
Nice work as always 👏 I love the gage block in the Hinge template to center the jig 🥇
Thanks again Spencer for posting this. I look forward to your videos. They help me out a lot at times.
Great video Spencer. Would love some more door content. Thanks!
Always love building and cutting in doors, learned way back in 80’ while working for a Remodeling Contractor and were site built. This is way prior to pre-hungs and the first P-H I came across much later I couldn’t stand the fact that the hinge radius was much larger and of course the hinge ga. Was thinner too, having the stops attached didn’t allow for off plane adjustments either as we always cross X’d our Legs with string line.The only jamb stock that had stop was Exterior doors that was milled in. I replicated a folding door jig table from another Finish Carpenter around 90’ and still use it. I can lay doors flat across the top or on edge for planing with 12” metal standards fastened to the legs and wood clad brackets that adjust up and down to the width of the door I’m working on. My set up and door cut-in’s on an existing jamb are identical, using an Adj. Porter-Cable butt ga. one template piece at a time. Spencer, I always appreciate your old soul advise on safety first especially out in vid land regarding the importance of allowing your tool to stop before removal and likewise on start up while in the template. Great video as usual, keep-’em coming!
Finally!!! One video of yours that I DON’T have to watch! 😅😅😅
hey hey man ... great editing and new information graphics ... it's a lot of work on top of everything else you do.... great job
Thanks, I hope it all enhances the learning experience.
@@InsiderCarpentry yeah it does and I goes to show how much care you take in your craft and also thinking about your audience that has subbed to your channel
Getting ready to do this at my house. Very useful info as always.
Good info. I only really install pre-hung but its good to know about how they go together to fix issues or problems. I didnt know about that bevel either. Your spanish aint too bad amigo!
Solid oak to paint grade makes me die a little on the inside, but that’s what many people want right now.
I am upgrading from 30 year hollow core to solid wood. It's a tragedy! This video will really help! Thanks.
Wow the old doors are nice; solid core? Def those could be reused ! Obviously you left them but rigging out one for 2nd string door while redoing a home would be great before hanging the new one!
Anyway I think I watched this video 10 times ! When I am not doing it I am learning !
Man, those old doors are really nice quality. Somebody could paint those if they wanted to modernize them and didn't want the dark wood look.
This guy is doing a great job, but I actually like the old doors better. I would have just taken them outside and sprayed them.
Great video Spencer. Putting new doors in old jambs can be a real pain sometimes. I've had issues in the past with the doors not wanting to close properly or being a little off on the hinges ect. Good job brother you do great work man.
Was that a 2-year mission in Mexico? Thanks for the amazing videos.
It’s important to assess the condition of each old door in its opening before you pull them. If the head is out of square, you’ll have no good way to adjust the head margin once you’ve mortised the door. Good idea to keep a list of head and strike margins of the existing doors before pulling them.
I do this ! Spot on . Saves a lot of time
We'll said. I've only replaced doors in existing openings as part of a couple of renovations but on my travels have had the pleasure of working with true tradies in several trades. A tip I got from a chippie (carpenter) here in Oz was to go round and tighten all the existing screws which would either result in the door pulling up/in somewhat or the screw/s would spin.Then we'd wedge and pencil around the existing doors in situ, measure the "slack" and mark the hinge holes that needed dowels. He did the magic on the doors and I was left to dowel, glue and flush the buggered screw holes. This was before oscillating multi-tools. A hacksaw blade, cut to a point and sandwiched between two scraps of wood, bound by gaffer tape was the go. Hi tech shit back then! Bevels were planed by hand and carbon paper used to show sticking points either side. Not sure if you can still get it but it saved over dressing/time and improved the finish. Locks/latches were done once he was happy with the way the door hung. Marks were scribed for jamb to door then a wedge either side held it still while the new kit was dressed in. All sounds a bit rough but the doors all swung free and true and no power tools and this was in the early 90s when most tradies had a durry (roll-your-own-cigarette/rollie), usually half smoked and unlit, in the corner of their mouth, and knocked off between two and three to have a few stubbies with the crew. I've gone down memory lane, haven't I? Forgive 😂😵
Looked in your doors playlist but no lockset tutorial. So, I assume that's still coming hopefully. And Thanks
Still coming!
Putting a bevel on the closing and leading edge also makes it easier to plane with a hand plane when your matching the door to the jamb.
I always do square cuts on the hinge side. Only ever put a very slight bevel on the lock side. Might have to give it ago next time, but I can’t see any benefits?
@@AshHalls The benefit is if the jamb is not straight, it is easier to plane the door to match the jamb. In the UK we call it shooting the door in
@@jimbow2310 I see, its a old school technique for making it easier with a hand plane. I don't even carry a hand plane now, the old boys can't believe people don't use them on site anymore.
@@AshHalls I use a power plane to put the bevel on then finish with a hand plane. I guess it depends what sort of finish you want to leave on the lipping. If the lipping has grain reversal on it, you cannot close the mouth on a power plane like you can a hand plane. I combine old school with modern so you get the best of both worlds.
@@jimbow2310 I see. I shall sharpen my hand plane, and start becoming a true craftsman. Sometimes the old hand tools that many people don't carry provide the best results, like a wood rasp.
Nice job man, well done.
Got that Scott Brown intro vibe goin' on. Nice.
Oh yeah
I never though of precutting bevels into the doors. I always hang, mark, and plane the bevel in. Gonna have to try this and invest in a track saw.
Good job learned some stuff like the door holders gona have to make some work by my self there hand is always helpful
Thank you for your AWESOME content young man!
Might help you on your splinter guard in a pinch. I have not felt the need to put a new one on yet even thought i have some in my van. Last few times ive just pulled it off used a rag with lacquer thinner wiped it down to clean it and just lightly dabbed the lacquer rag on the double stick tape to re activate the glue and set the strip out just a bit. Or i restuck with the fastcap laminate tape.
That's a great idea, I'll have to try it. I often warm mine up with a torch help it peel off easier.
these are fantastic videos ty for showing a real care for quality
Glad you like them!
Your “door bucks” are great. But I set mine up on saw horses that are shorties. 15” off the floor! I call them my ponies. That way I’m mortising up at waist level or maybe just a little higher. (I’m almost 60) And I also use my porter cable mortise jigs independently when I’m copying old doors. The original “Vix” bit are the only good ones! Great video! Thanks for sharing!
I finally bought the pencils you use.
Love them! They work so good for trimming no more pencil sharpener!
Also just got the Occidental Tool belt last week. I’m happy with it so far.
Pentel graph gear 1000 is a far superior pencil for any finish work
thank you for sharing your knowledge and making hanging doors easy, I always learn something new , watching your videos you’re calm and you have lots of knowledge.👍🪚🪚
Out with the solid (core?) oak. A bit painful, but they must have been a bad fit for style. Great tips on preparing the new doors - especially the reminder to measure from the wide side. Thanks for the video.
Yep. They were solid raised panel oak. But it was time for them to go.
@@InsiderCarpentry curious, why couldn't they have been refinished to white? Really, are there any upsides to switching to the new doors?
More labor in refinishing and the heavy oak grain would have shown through after paint. Painted oak does not look good. Plus they were the typical outdated raised panel look.
@@InsiderCarpentry I hope they donated the doors at least. Would be beautiful for a homeowner who wanted to refinish themselves.
@@InsiderCarpentry gotcha. Did they go in the trash? Or did you keep them
great sound balance too
Loving the Scott brown intro and music 🔥🔫
I would be interested in seeing or your tips/suggestions about troubleshooting both interior and exterior doors. I work in new home construction and in Florida spit-jam doors are used for production reasons....issue is the young installer blow-go...many times leaving the doors mess. 1/4” + gaps on strike side...to the point the strike plate is exposed and visible because the door is barely hitting the stop. Would be interested on any tips.
I hope to cover that eventually. Most of the doors I install are split jamb doors. Its a local market thing.
There should be some way to clamp that hinge template to the doors.
Good work Mr Carpenter!
The ryobi template clamps with a knob, it’s made from plastic so you won’t damage your router bit when you accidentally hit it
Do you have a link for the throwaway blade you use for the track saw? Thanks. I learn a lot from your channel
amzn.to/3dwHiMb
Glad to help. 👍👊
I always have trouble with the hinge depth on old doors in old houses. Most of the time I’m only rehanging 1-2 doors so I freehand route the hinges vs using a template. Moving stops is a big pain in the ass lol, as is trying to move the hinges in a 16th towards the stops.
Do you ever shim behind the hinges to make the gaps equal between the frame and door if there’s a discrepancy?
I bend hinge knuckles with a fast cap kunckle bender wrench. But you have to wait until the painter is done messing with the hinges otherwise they will mix them up and you're screwed.
@@InsiderCarpentry I tell my painter to leave the hinges on. I tell him this because sometimes you end up stripping out the screw holes. Yes he does tape them up.
Where can I get that hinge template?
Hopefully the old doors will go to one of Habitst For Humanity's Restore operations
Spencer did you make those door holders and so could you drop the measurements down. I've always wanted to make those
That’s almost exactly how I do this as well. Good practices.
Good vid. Man! I got the porter cable door hinge jig myself. Scored it off eBay. I've yet to use the thing. Honestly it seems really complicated. But I'm pretty good with doors so I should be able to figure it out. Love your content dude!✌👍
When you had a large gap, how did you add to the door?
Doors and stairs, I leave to the pros. I can caulk up anything else I build! Thanks for confirming.
Great work Spencer, I'm attempting to change out some existing hollow core doors and replacing with hollow core masonite 1 panel doors. Is it necessary to bevel the edges on hollow core?
how much do you typically charge for this project per door if you don't mind me asking. Really like your videos and your attention to detail.
Spencer . I want to compliment you on your videos and your skills. I'm a door hanger and specialize in rehang's ...I have found the metal Porter Cable door templates work best for this type of work. They have a center mark for the hinge mortise ...I found laying out centerlines of the hinge mortise is the most accurate ! Dewalt flexvolt trac-saw a single template and a simple Lennox lock boring jig with holesaw works best . The spur cutters on the high end boring jigs are fragile and don't feed very well !
That’s a great idea regarding the center lines.
My complaint on the template jig is definitely the feed rate. But I can’t say i have much better success with hole saws.
Congratulations on back beveling the doors, particularly the latching side, as this is one of the very basics indoor hanging that no other RUclipsr seems to have a clue about. They hang doors with square edges so once the back of the door is level with the front of the casing, the clearance gap is halved. I do however hang replacement doors as a new fit. I'd never copy an existing door as you could well be duplicating the bad as well as the good, so a badly fitting original door is replaced with a badly fitting new door.
Check the old door and make any adjustments on the new one. Much easier than starting from scratch.
@@dwightsornberger8916 You can only correctly hang a door by fitting to its door frame directly. I think your choice here is the “easy” incorrect way, or the correct way that takes that little bit more effort. I’m afraid the correctly fitting of a door is a dying art
Which direction do you bevel the hinge side of door?
Nice intro! Thanks for the info as always,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m always trying to up the video production game. 👍👊
Thanks again Spencer! Awesome information!