Cutting veneered chipboard doors

[TomUK]

Bought a couple of oak veneer interior doors from B&Q. Chipboard inners. Instructions say only maximum of 5mm can be triimed off top or bottom. I presume any more would reveal chipboard inner. However, I need to take 12.5mm off to allow for door to clear carpet. Will there be any problems if I take all this 12.5mm off the base of the door and seal the exposed chipboard? This will not be visible of course after the door is fitted.

If it's ok to do this - what's the best way to cut? Power saw or hand saw? Any special tricks of the trade to avoid chipping the veneer?

[ayjay]

Shouldn't be a problem, it gets done regularly.

Run a Stanley knife all round, about 2mm shorter than your cutting line.(Use a straight edge placed on the section of door you want left, any slips with the knife then will be on the waste).

Then cut with either handsaw or circ saw (doesn't really matter), if you use electric saw clamp a straight edge at the correct distance from the line and run the base plate along the batten. (you can also use a clamped straight edge for the knife cut).

When it's cut off chamfer back to the knife cut with a sharp block plane.

[TomUK]

Thanks for that ajay.

When you say run a Stanley knife all round, do you mean across the front and back of the door and round each edge? By 2mm shorter than the cutting line, do you mean 2mm nearer to the bottom edge of the door or do you mean stop 2mm short of the full 30" width?

Sorry if I appear bit thick - it's an age thing!

Tom

[joinerjohn]

Mark the knife line 12.5mm from the bottom of the door, But cut a few mm shorter than this line. Then use a block plane to finish off to the line. Reduces the risk of chipping or splintering the oak veneer. (mark the line all the way round the door).

[ayjay]

I would knife it at 14.5mm from the bottom, cut at 12.5mm, and then chamfer at the bottom back to the knife cut. This does mean that the lowest 2mm of the face at the bottom of the door will not have the face finish but you wont see it once it's rehung and like JJ says it reduces the risk of chipping and splintering, and not just when you are cutting but also when rehanging and when the door is in use.

[TomUK]

Thanks for the great advice guys. They have forecast thundery rain in my neck of the woods tomorrow, so it sounds like a good day to do some door trimming in the garage.

Cheers - Tom