Pro Handyman Blog

Occasionally you will notice that your door will bind at a particular area. You could make adjustments to hinges or knuckles and try to figure out why this is happening, or you could grab a block plane.

Sometimes a door will bind due to weather. If it is humid for a certain period of time, you may find that the door sticks. This condition will often disappear once the humidity goes away, but if it bothers you, you can plane the door.

Block planes come in many sizes, but more importantly is how well the plane is tuned. A well tuned block plane can shave wood thin enough so that you can read your morning newspaper through it. So wherever your door is binding, you can take thin successive passes and get the door to open and close without removing very much material. Of course, you will have to touch up the paint when you are done.

It’s easier if you remove the door from the hinges and plane the edge as it is held on the floor. However, if I can plane a door while it remains on the hinges, that is just one less step I have to do. Always use two hands when you plane, even if the plane fits in the palm of your hand. You will have more control over the cuts this way. I generally don’t plane past the edge of the door as this will tear out the end grain on the door. If you need to plane at the corner, start at the corner and plane inward. Also, turn the plane so that the blade is at an angle. It will take smaller shavings of wood this way and make it easier to push through the wood. It is better to take many small shavings than one big one that you may regret later.