I’ve made some doors before, but have never hung them (made them in the shop I work in). Now, I’m hanging doors (2′ by 1′) and have a few simple questions. I am using inset euro hinges. I figured out how put the hinges on, but what about the adjustment? Right now the doors “just fit” inside the openings. How much space should I have around the doors? And do I “shave” the excess off before I put the hinge on (seems to make sense)? Also, are there any guidelines as to where to place the hinges, on the door itself? I heard, as long as it’s not in the tenon it’s fine. Any help would be appreciated. I tried to go through the archives, but couldn’t find this basic set of questions. Thanks.
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1) Fit your doors square to the opening with the gap you want/need all around them. A 3/32" gap is plenty for frame and panel doors (you can go 1/16" at the height of summer). If the doors meet, do not increase the gap between the doors.
2) Attach the cups near the rails, perhaps slightly above and below them. Just missing the tenon is fine. I assume your doors are actually 1'x2' (you list the width first); if so, 2 hinges per side is sufficient.
3) Adjust the hinges to have the doors plumb to the opening and with an even gap all around. Check for binding. If any side binds, use a plane (or jointer) to remove 1/64" from the offending side, until the doors work without binding. Leave some extra room since in the summer the doors will swell a little.
Euro inset hinges do not require a larger gap between the doors for them to swing open. Some of the swing is taken up between the door and the jamb (face frame, or cabinet wall if no FF). You should be able to keep the same 3/32" gap all around and still have doors operate fine. Just watch for binding on the inside when you open the door. It's OK to trim the doors after you've attached the hinges (if you have the kind of hinge that pops on and off, this makes it easy to do so.
Just be careful when attaching those cups. The distance between the cup and door edge can be as little as 3mm...
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