What is the best tool to cut about 1/2 inch from the bottom of interior wooden doors? Anyone has instructions on how to make such a narrow cut? pics would be helpful. Thank you
Pull the hinge pins and remove the door. Lay the door on saw horses. Use a circular saw for the cut. A straight piece of 1x lumber clamped to the door can act as a fence and guarantee a straight cut. (Or get one of these http://www.woodworkersshop.com/Tru-Grip_Clamp_N_Tool_Guide.htm) The base of the circular saw can marr the finish on the door, so I put strips of blue masking tape on the door where the saw base will be in contact with the door. The masking tape also helps control tear out on the top side of the cut.
1/2 inch is a lot. Might wanna start with 1/4 and see how that is. If its a hollow core door you’re cutting off some of the framing inside the door. The less gone the better.
If its a hollow core, they dont take to cutting too well, or if they do, they start to come apart if they brush on anything. As dumb as it sounds, Make sure to mark which way is the top of the door, i have seen many a door get down on the saw horses only to have the cut taken off the top instead of bottom. :o
spend $15 to get a 40+ tooth blade for your circular saw. It makes MUCH cleaner cut.
…and spend the money for a carbide tipped blade-- you won’t regret it!
Keith
Think outside the box. I had this happen with a steel door. I cut out a semi circular section of the padding under the carpet under the path of the door. Slightly noticable but effective. If that’s not enough then you can shave the balance necessary off your wood doors.
Jeff, that’s definitely outside the box. He’s dealing with an interior wood door. It’s a 5-10 minute job without pulling up any carpet. My vote is to stay inside the box on this one.
Howdy jmarmole:
One little addition. You may want to score the door with a utility knife at the line you want to cut especially if the door has a thin wood skin. This will keep the saw blade from splintering the wood. Keeping the blade just below the mark and score will help.
I had carpets installed Saturday and one of the doors was too long. There was a 3/8" gap at the top of the door, so I just moved the hinges down a 1/4" and all is well…
Keith
Thanks to all for your help. Went to local HD and the hardware guy recommend an electric plane. He said a handsaw would not be good for cutting anything less than 1". I bought the tool for under $100 and each door took less than 1 minute to trim. so much for the guy who wanted to charge me $30 per door (by the way I had ~20 doors to cut). Did the whole job in less than 1 hr and have a very handy tool at home.
Total Cost: ~$175.00 vs. $600
$69.99 for tool plus tax
2 hrs of my time (@ 50/hr) $100
Now I can buy myself something nice 
I’ve got an idea: Buy yourself another TOOL!!!
Keith
2 hrs of my time (@ 50/hr) $100
Bless You!!! Someone else understands the value of their own labor!
Raj