Cutting hollow core doors

I need to cut down some hollow core bi-fold closet doors to make them fit the openings. Don't ask.
I've never cut hollow core doors and am wondering whether or not they will fly to pieces when cut into. They must be cut for length and width a few inches (not too much) each way.
I have a hand saw, a circular saw, and a friend with a table saw.

Anybody ever cut these flimsy things before? Any ideas, suggestions? What kind of blade would you use on power saw?

Thanks.

 

Ive cut down a # of bi-folds..usually with a circular saw and a straight edge.. But.. you mention...'a couple of inches'. If you mean a couple of inches of the width.. I think you'll run out of material The hollow core doors do not have much leaway for cutting off very much, without cutting into the rail or the style and weakening the pivot hole (top and bottom). If you have to cut off a couple of inches in width, maybe you might look for a narrower door to fit your opening.
Height is a little more forgiving but still, not but much..as the backing (the material sandwiched in between the outside panels) is maybe.. 1.5-2" thick only... So you need to be careful with how much you take off.....

 

Thanks for the help Jatco. I'll definitely keep the cut under 2 inches.
I would have thought that closet door openings would be a standard size and a standard door could be found to fit in there. Guess not.
I'm planning to use the circ. saw with a finish type blade. The kind with a lot of small teeth.
Any way to move those pivot holes if need be?

Thanks again.

 

You might have good luck if you disassemble the bifolds and run them through a table saw. For instance, if you needed to take off 2" total from two pair of 24" bifolds (a total of 4 doors), you could cut 1/4" off each side of each door. If each bifold door was 12" wide, set the table saw at 11 3/4", and run all 4 doors through. Then set the table saw at 11 1/2", turn the doors around, and run all 4 doors through again.

The same thing could obviously be done with a circular saw but you'd want to use a good straightedge and some clamps as a guide. And you'll need to belt sand the cut edges. The veneer may want to fly apart unless you score the line you want to cut with a sharp utility knife, and then keep the blade on the waste side of that cut line.

If you end up cutting off the solid edging, you'll need to glue a plug back into the door, which is easily done by cleaning up the old plug and gluing it back in, sandwiching it with some wood and a lot of clamps.

 

...Excellent follow-up with more detail.
If you have a table saw, go for it. Much easier. The times Ive had to do this, I didnt have a table saw at my disposal...hense the circ.saw route.

 

Thanks Jatco. One other tip that might be helpful, is to cover the bottom of the saw guide with duct tape so that the metal doesn't scratch or mar the wood. If it looks anything like the bottom of my saw, you wouldn't want to run it across a nice door without some protection!

 

Another good point, XSleeper. I do that all the time...'coz the bottom of my plate is starting to show its age....- along with a run of 'green' tape/masking or painters tape along the line that Im going to cut...(ie-on the door or long plywood etal...). Helps make the cut of material a little 'cleaner'.

 

Planter,

You mentioned moving the pivot holes. Yes, if the door width is altered, the hole will have to move in order to place it in proper position with the pivot bracket.

Measure th eposition of the hole in the door now. Centered, of course, but how far from the nearest edge. Then fill the old hole with a dowel or bondo and drill a new hole at the same exact size and minimum depth.

 

Thanks for all the detailed info. Should be able to get those doors cut now. When experience talks, I listen.

Much obliged.

 

I just cut a hollow 6-panel bifold door in half (height) for an under the stairs storage closet. I ripped a 2x2 down to fit the void, glued it and put some screws in from the back side. I drilled a new hole for the bottom pivot screw.