N00B needs to shim a hinge
 

Help me shim my old (1880s) and HEAVY kitchen door. The lowest hinge (of 3) stripped the screws out of the door side of the hinge.* I backed the pitifully short screws (3/4 inch) out of the door side to replace them.

http://www.diychatroom.com/members/l...11-hinge-1.jpg

When I removed the hinge from the door side the shimming behind the hinge crumbled into chunks and dust. There is a significant void morticed out and I will have to re-shim to make the hinge flush.

http://www.diychatroom.com/members/l...11-hinge-2.jpg

What is the best way to do this? I haven't the foggiest idea about the basics.

Should I pull the pin and shim the half on the door then connect them?

Thanks!:thumbup:



* I think this happened because the latch was no engaging well and the door has been getting slammed a bunch recently. I replaced a spring in the morticed-in mechanism and oiled things up. It seems to be latching better.

I would suggest that a whole section would be removed. Perhaps 3" above 3" below the hinge and about 3/4" deep. A new piece would be glued in and then mortised to fit the hinge.

Wildie - I'm willing to consider this as a long term solution, but I'm likely to put it off 'til I am ready to re-paint the door later this summer.

Replacement sounds like the way to go. If you don't want to have a new peice showing through the skins, make a router template that will run your bit just at the inside faces of the skins and route a deep hole (1-1/2" to 2" x 8 or 10") into which you can glue a snug-fitting block of good hardwood. Then, when it sets up, re mortice for a regular hinge just like you would for a new door.

Don't really care because it's going to end up painted again. But thanks for the hint.

If all you are looking for is an easy, fairly quick "fix", fill up all the junked up area with a good hard wood filler... right to the edge of the door... then simply put your hinge template on and mortise the filler back down to regular hinge depth.

That will give you a good, flat bottom for the hinge, and you can just use longer screws to reach solid wood somewhere down in there.

Hmmmm. Bondo, right? :P the wood underneath the shims isn't in bad shape. It's hard and dry. I filled the screw holes with some epoxy and dowels, so with the 1.5 inch screws I picked up should bite and hold well.

I've used two part wood epoxy and hardwood pieces before to fill in rotted parts of another door. It may be how I go. :thumbsup:

I've repaired areas like that with nothing more than some wood glue and a piece of lattice molding. Dry fit the piece and predrill the screw holes. Set the screws and try the door function. Once you know the door works properly, without rubbing or binding, glue the piece in and screw the hinge back.

If you need to, adjust the thickness of the molding with a sander.

I repaired an old door like that using the methods described in the posts but I also added a third hinge in the middle to spread the load.

Thanks, it already has one, on a door this heavy it NEEDS it!