# Cutting panel doors



## Outbacker (Jul 20, 2006)

I will be replacing all my interior doors, and of course they are not all the same size, let alone the size that I would buy them from Home Depot. I will be trimming them both length and width. My question is the amount of available material that I can cut into for the width. Is there a lot of interior door frame so if I cut 2 inches off the side, I will still be on solid wood?

Any tips of this would be appreciated. Thanks.


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## Square Eye (Jul 20, 2006)

Solid wood doors or veneered hollow core doors?

Solid wood doors are best for that kind of trimming.


Hollow cores are built with the bare minimum frame that will hold together. 
Trim more than 1/2 inch off of a hollow core door and the hinges will not stay attached. You may also have trouble keeping the latch hardware on.

These doors aren't pre-bored are they?
If they are, you won't be able to trim the bore side. If you do, you will never be able to make the latch work properly.

Solid wood doors have nearly a 1/2" dado cut in the frame for the panels. You need to consider where the bore will be and keep it out of the joint in the frame as this will weaken the frame considerably.

Hope this helps!
Tom


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## dndremodeling (Sep 5, 2006)

Square Eye is right...

Its alot of work to jeopardize the construction of the doors, whether hollow, or solid core, Home Depot stocks a slab in 18",24",28",30",32",36" with a height of 78" or more commonly 80" depending on the area you live. I have installed interior doors on countless occasions, and I dont mind cutting heights, but you can special order common widths in 2" increments from 12" thru 36"+ slabs. S/O slabs are not much more than stock prices(at least in my area), and make life much easier for the carpenter, and the door's longevity to keep the stiles and rails as much intact as possible.

Also, HC doors have a 7/8" frame, thats it... not much to work with, and glueing a side is very compromising of a door's integrity.

Also, dont buy pre-bored doors...


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## allaboutdoors (Mar 14, 2007)

I have done a job like this to both hollow and solid core doors. Two inches will definitely take off the rail. You need to find wood the same width as the inside dimensions of the door. With 1-3/4 doors, Home Depot has poplar already the correct width and other woods as well. You then use a router to remove the filler material between the veneer of the door to the depth of the wood stock you are using. Then glue and clamp the new rail in the door. Long process but sometimes necessary with custom sized doors. 
I did this many times a week in a commercial door shop I worked at in Phoenix and to solid core 8ft doors as well as hollow core doors.


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