I have a diamond light exterior wood door (approx. 1 5/8 inches thick) that is sticking and would like to trim about 1/8 inch off on the hinge side. My previous attempts at making very thin cuts with my circular saw have been disasters. Is there another option? I thought about using my router but don't know if there is a bit designed for this application.

 

Welcome to the forums!

Usually a sticking door has excess wood removed with a hand plane. Have you verified that all the hinge screws are tight?

 

Have you made sure that the hinges and the latch plate are all flush and that they are all tight?
One sign that the door may be sticking due to being loose is scuff marks on the top edge of the door and jamb.

Then again my second approach may be to pry off the trim at both sides and see if I can rework the shims to get the jambs to work better. It's possible that the jambs are loosening up as well.

To make a straight cut I just clamp a straight edge onto the door and use a circular saw or router with a long flush cut bit. The straight edge could be a 4" wide board that has been checked for trueness or a store bought edge.
Although the aluminum edges usually require me to drill a couple holes and tack them down in the middle while lumber will usually clamp tighter with just two clamps at the ends.

Edit: hand planing the latch side might lead to an easy fix if you plane where you see interferance.


If it didn't take me 15 minutes to type a post I might not have run over Marks post.

 

If you don't have one or two 3" screws running through the top hinge plate and into the studs, your door could be sagging a bit, making the gap on the top of the door- closing side- a little bigger than it is on the top- hinge side. It would also make the door rub on the latch side, near the top, while it would be fine on bottom.

First thing I'd try before cutting anything off the door is putting in those long screws.

 

Thanks for the various suggestions - I will try them all out in the order of easiest to more complicated. The door sticks on the latch side at the bottom. Right now it's raining cats and dogs but sunshine is promised for Tuesday.

 

Latch side near the bottom? that's a little weird. That would mean the bottom hinge would need the screws! If the door was once fine, and is getting tighter, it could indicate a roof or siding leak, that's swelling the shims or the jamb on the lower portion of the jamb.

Or... if water is getting in around the glass, (no storm door?) the slab of the door itself could be expanding. Doing some checking with a tape measure would help you there. (measure the slab of the door at the top, compare it with the bottom) and open the door and measure between the jambs near the top, then compare it with the bottom. Since the sides should be parallel and equidistant, you should be able to figure out if it's the door or the jamb... then you'd know better how to attack the problem.

i just hate cutting into a door and trimming it if it isn't absolutely necessary.