How do you a shorten a door without splintering the edges?

I need to shorten a door by 5/8 of an inch. In the past, I have seen people splinter their wood when doing this with a power saw. What is the trick to getting a straight, smoothe cut without splintering up the wood?

Thanks in advance!

 

Helps if you have like a scrap Of say 1/4" plywood and clamp it on top of the door. Run the saw on it and cut the door and it at the same time. This way the saw will chip it

 

Another method is to score the line you wish to cut with a razor knife and cut below the line. That way, if it chips it will chip on your waste and not on the door, since you scored the surface. Make sure the widest part of your saw foot is resting on the door, rather than the scrap.

 

I've seen masking tape used. Put a wide piece of tape where the line will be cut, draw your line on the tape, and cut (using the proper sawblade of course) with the tape in place.

 

It also helps to have a good sharp plywood blade.

 

I use masking tape with great success.... quick n easy....

 

I've done both scoring and masking tape and had a fairly clean cut although one side always shows a few knicks. I think a table saw would probably do the cleanest cut but not everyone has one readily available compared to a circ. saw. Make sure you use a solid straight edge and that it is securely clamped down before cutting if you stick with a circ. saw. I've had my straight edges slip before as well as using a piece that was too flimsy and bowed in the middle with tension from the saw pushing against it. Not cool. Practice with some scrap first if you're not familiar with a circ. saw. I've also used an orbital sander for the bottom of doors. Just drew my line and sanded until I hit it. Didnt have to worry about any splinters. A plane would do the trick too. Lots of options