Replies

1. 
   joinerswork | Jul 11, 2004 08:34am | #1

   Cool,

   Ahhh, the old warping door trick.  Here are a couple suggestions:

   1) Try removing the door, and springing it in the opposite direction. Clamp it to something flat and rigid, like your table saw's top.  Put a couple blocks or wedges under the corners you want to move, to introduce an opposing twist.  Leave overnite and check.  May have to leave longer, or use thicker blocks (don't break anything!).  No guarantees this will be a permanent fix...

   2) Possibly you can reset the lower hinge to split the difference, so it won't be as noticeable.

   3) Maybe you can attach a turnbutton to the inside of the offending door, halfway up or a little higher, so it will catch a shelf and hold the door flat.

   Seems like it's always the TOP of the door that wants to pull away from the case, way up there where you couldn't reach a latch that would hold things flat...

   Regards,

   Ray

1. 
   coolbreeze | Jul 11, 2004 09:56pm | #4

   Ray,

   I believe the hinges are installed properly. I used blank hinges. They were cut to size for the 7/8" case and the door which was outset by the thumbnail edge. I drulled and  countersunk the screwholes.

   Last night, I clamped the upper right side of the door to the case and added a 1/8" spacer between the case and the thumbnail edge at the bottom. The torque created concerned me but the door did not seem troubled by it. This morning, the door would snap shut and stay there. Looks like you have made a good suggestion. I will leave the spacer and clamp in place for about a week and see how things go.

   Thanks for your reply.

2. 
   Steinmetz | Jul 11, 2004 09:19am | #2

   Cool, If you can obtain and install an 'Elbow' catch to hold the errant door, at the wide gap,it will counteract the warp in time .  Ray has the right remedy.

   You may have to remove the bullet catch's strike for the while. I hate bullet catches; (Even the adjustable type).

    Magnetic catches, (If out of view) can be substituted for elbow catches

   I always attach hinges with only a few screws at first in the event I may have to realign the doors via the hinges to close the gap.  

    Another  point to consider is to shim up the cabinet at one corner to offset the the result of a sloping floor

   Had to do this with many many horizontal filing cabinets(just to align the locks)

   When 're twisting" a cabinet  such as yours by wedging, place a few sand bags inside the carcase to hold the three 'Good' corners down while jacking (Racking?) the offending corner in front.

   Steinmetz.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 7/11/2004 2:38 am ET by steinmetz

1. 
   coolbreeze | Jul 11, 2004 10:05pm | #5

   Steinmetz,

   I am with you on disliking bullet catches. Problem is that I gave my wife the options and she liked the way the brass catches would look at the bottom of the case.

   I may have done it wrong, but last night I did torque the door by clamping the spaced corner to the case and inserting a 1/8"spacer under and along about 1 1/2 inches of the thumbnail at the bottom. This morning, the door would snao closed and stay. I can still see some space where the door does not seat flat and will continue with the clamp-spacer for another week or so.

   Thanks for your response.

3. 
   jonsherryl | Jul 11, 2004 07:09pm | #3

   Cool, in my experience...which, for the first decade or two, was mostly bad when it came to mortising hinges...the problem you describe usually relates to the hinges being out of alignment.

   If the doors fit the opening perfectly before the hinges were installed, one of the hinges must be out of alignment...and it's probably the one at the bottom, if the upper inside corner is lifting. It takes only a very slight error in mounting the hinge that is diagonal to the offending corner to produce a very noticeable gap.

   From either the top or the bottom, sight down the hinges to determine if the axis of the pins in both the top and bottom hinges are in perfect alignment. In other words, could a straight line be drawn longitudinally through the pins in both hinges. Next, measure the height of the exposure of each hinge above the face of the cabinet. Unless the door has warped since you dry fitted it, you will very likely discover a misalignment of the hinges in either one or the other of these two planes (hopefully not both).

   What must then be done to correct this misalignment should be obvious...but not necessarily easy to execute. It may require just leveling out the bottom of a mortise to allow the hinge to slip into alignment. I then use a "super glue" technique to make sure the offending hinge is correctly seated...but it would take several paragraphs to describe the method, which varies a little, depending on the problem.

   If it's any comfort, perhaps the two simplest concepts in all of woodworking are cutting miters and mortising hinges. Any idiot can quickly grasp the process, but probably less than one in ten experienced cabinetmakers can consistantly get it right on the first fit. That's why pre-hung doors are so popular in the construction business.

1. 
   coolbreeze | Jul 11, 2004 10:26pm | #6

   Jon,

   As I stated in my original  post, I am a relative enexperienced woodworker. When I made the styles and rails, I made some excess for practice. I took a lot of time and made and motrised a couple hinge sets for practice. When I started to make the mortise on the case, I was fairly confident I could get it right.

   When I mortised the hinges, I made a jig so I could rout out the waste up to the pre-scribed line. I  finished with a chisel. I matched the scribed line to the door and the case at the same time. I then used the same jig to mortise for the hinges on the door. When I set the hinges, the case was on its back face up. When finished, the doors fit absolutely flat on all three edges and in the middle. The inside style on the left door had the thumbnail cut, but extended 5/16 so the right door would overlap and leave a little space for appearance. It was flat there also. I tested the doors by opening and closing  several times and was satisfied with the results.

   I have had some success already by torquing the door to remove the "warp" and it seems to be working already. I will give it another week or so and see what happens.

   I have printed your suggestions for easy reference in case I have to take more drastic measures. Thanks for your help.