Plumbing a door - Overkill?

Rennie Heuer

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I've never seen Tom Silva do it this way :dunno::D

You might have read in my floor replacement thread that some of the new doors I'm installing are giving me a lot of grief. The rough openings are, well, very rough.

I never dropped the bucks for a 6' level so I try to get by with my 4' - which is fine for 90% of the stuff I get involved in. However, a tough door install really calls out for a 6'. Not wanting to run to the Borg and drop $40+ (cheap) I came up with this idea.

I ran a plumb line through the hinges knowing that if I could get it centered in all three hinges the door frame should be plumb both sideways and front to back. Made sense and it seems to have worked.

I wouldn't think for a minute that I was the first to think of this. So, anyone else ever use this method?:dunno:
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Great idea. :thumb:

Back when I was doing construction inspection, it always amused and amazed me that nearly everything that gets built, from a shed to a highrise building, to a highway, relies on two very simple tools...a string and a bubble level.
 
Hey Rennie, just carefully rip yourself a very straight 6' board (78" would be even better) and tape your 4' level to it. Voila'....6' foot level. Double sided tape works good too.

Using a longer level allows you to not only get the hinges plumb so that the door hangs properly, it also allows you to get the jamb straight using your shims, giving you an even reveal between the door and jamb.
 
You know, that's danged smart! Never would have thought of that myself!

But it wouldn't work in my house. That would leave the door plumb to the world... but nothing in my house is plumb to the world... ;) So the door would look crooked! :rofl:

Thanks,

Bill
 
You know, that's danged smart! Never would have thought of that myself!

But it wouldn't work in my house. That would leave the door plumb to the world... but nothing in my house is plumb to the world... ;) So the door would look crooked! :rofl:

Thanks,

Bill
Too bad you live 2400 miles away - we could tour each others home to see who could find the most crooked room.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Hey nice work :thumb: Doesn't sound too crazy... actually I have heard of some general contractors wanting the carpenters to do this instead of using levels. But this is on some of the premium commercial commercial jobs...probably like law offices n such. Never seen anyone actually do it, but if you think about it, you can't get more accurate than that... especially compared to someone eye-balling a bubble inbetween lines. Just takes a little more time, but hey if it's your house and your work, why not make it perfect!
 
I've never seen Tom Silva do it this way :dunno::D
I ran a plumb line through the hinges knowing that if I could get it centered in all three hinges the door frame should be plumb both sideways and front to back. Made sense and it seems to have worked.

I wouldn't think for a minute that I was the first to think of this. So, anyone else ever use this method?:dunno:


Yep, sure have........many times, (til I FINALLY got tired of waiting for the thing to stop spinning or swinging in the most gentle Breeze) so a couple of months ago bought a 6 foot level.

What you might be surprised at though, is where I bought it. I shopped 5 or 6 builders supply stores, and three Borgs, checking ever 6 ft level they had for straightness, and level accuracy in both horizontal and vertical planes and NONE had an accuracy that gave me any satisfaction, (especially for the price they were asking). On a rare stop to pick up a couple of sale items at Harbor Freight, as kind of a quirk, I decided to see just how far OFF their levels were, and MUCH to my surprise, the third one I picked up met ALL my test criteria with flying colors, and it Looked just like the High Dollar ones I had been looking at elsewhere, but was dirt cheap in comparison. I have been very pleased with it, and it sure sped up framing three walls and a door on my current project.
 
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I shopped 5 or 6 builders supply stores, and three Borgs, checking ever 6 ft level they had for straightness, and level accuracy in both horizontal and vertical planes and NONE had an accuracy that gave me any satisfaction, (especially for the price they were asking). On a rare stop to pick up a couple of sale items at Harbor Freight, as kind of a quirk, I decided to see just how far OFF their levels were, and MUCH to my surprise, the third one I picked up met ALL my test criteria with flying colors, and it Looked just like the High Dollar ones I had been looking at elsewhere, but was dirt cheap in comparison. I have been very pleased with it, and it sure sped up framing three walls and a door on my current project.
Norman,

Would you list your test method here? I have a HF within lunch time striking distance and it might be worth my while to check them out.
Thanks!!
 
I've never seen Tom Silva do it this way :dunno::D

You might have read in my floor replacement thread that some of the new doors I'm installing are giving me a lot of grief. The rough openings are, well, very rough.

I never dropped the bucks for a 6' level so I try to get by with my 4' - which is fine for 90% of the stuff I get involved in. However, a tough door install really calls out for a 6'. Not wanting to run to the Borg and drop $40+ (cheap) I came up with this idea.

I ran a plumb line through the hinges knowing that if I could get it centered in all three hinges the door frame should be plumb both sideways and front to back. Made sense and it seems to have worked.

I wouldn't think for a minute that I was the first to think of this. So, anyone else ever use this method?:dunno:
View attachment 23561 View attachment 23562 View attachment 23563


I'm still trying to figger out how you got thet big plum throgh thet tiny hole. And aren't doors spossed to be a little katy wumpus so they open or close automatically? :rofl:
 
I'm still trying to figger out how you got thet big plum throgh thet tiny hole. And aren't doors spossed to be a little katy wumpus so they open or close automatically? :rofl:
Problem is that I can never decide if it should be an automaic opener or closer. Seems it never works out the way I need it to.:rofl::rofl:
 
Norman,

Would you list your test method here? I have a HF within lunch time striking distance and it might be worth my while to check them out.
Thanks!!
Hi Rennie :wave:,
Levels aren't level or plumb by law nor are framing squares square.:huh: To check for a level level:eek::rofl: good luck!!!!!!!!
Set the level on a flat surface and move it around if necessary till you get the center bubble perfectly centered between the lines. Shim if you have to get it to level, then mark the exact position of the level (the footprint) on that spot. Now turn the level like a propeller 180 degrees. Put the level in that foot print marked earlier. If the bubble is in the exact same place as you saw 180 degrees earlier, that bubble is level.
Shaz :)
 
Norman,

Would you list your test method here? I have a HF within lunch time striking distance and it might be worth my while to check them out.
Thanks!!

Rennie, Shaz got it right for the horizontal bubble, (I did get some curious looks while I was down on the floor playing with the levels).:D (I'm sure some of them just thought I wast just another "Old Codger" Playing with the TOYS in my Second Childhood.:rofl:

I do find that it is easiest if I place one level on the floor and set the one to be tested on top of it and shim the bottom one until the top one's bubble is centered and then rotate the TOP level 180* because the shims don't move that way.

Note: "IF" you have a REALLY GOOD "EYE" and can remember EXACTLY where the bubble is, you can forget all the shimming (for the Horizontal test) and just flip it around 180* and see if the bubble is in the EXACT same place as before, and if so, the level is accurate.

To check for the vertical bubble, stand it up against a wall, doorway or tall display rack and shim out from the bottom or top as necessary to center the level's bubble, then rotate it 180 (still standing on the same end), and place it against the original object and the shims and check to see that the bubble is still centered.

To check for frame straightness, I usually start by placing two levels together and check to see if there is any light between them anywhere, and if so flip one over to see if the light pattern changes, then flip the other one a couple of times to check against both sides of the second level. It sometimes takes trying several levels against each other before you finally find a satisfactorily straight one.

Give it a try, and let us know if you get LUCKY Too and find a GOOD One.
 
Hi Rennie :wave:,
Levels aren't level or plumb by law nor are framing squares square.:huh: To check for a level level:eek::rofl: good luck!!!!!!!!
Set the level on a flat surface and move it around if necessary till you get the center bubble perfectly centered between the lines. Shim if you have to get it to level, then mark the exact position of the level (the footprint) on that spot. Now turn the level like a propeller 180 degrees. Put the level in that foot print marked earlier. If the bubble is in the exact same place as you saw 180 degrees earlier, that bubble is level.
Shaz :)
Thanks Shaz,

I suspected that this was the only way to do it, but thought I'd ask in case someone had come up with an innovative way that was new. There's a bunch of smart folks hanging around here and you never know who has developed a new way of doing things.:D
 
Most plumb the jam "Assuming" the hinges are set correctly to the jam. This would plumb the hinges, no matter how they are set. My mom's NEW house (everybody raved over the Finisher and how great an old fellow he was) but not one door will stay put when you open or close it. Bathrooms swing open on their own so you have to be sure and latch or expose yourself. Same with the bedroom doors, they swing open as well. would not be so bad if they closed themselves but the thought of seeing my 88 year old mother trapsing across the room Naked still gives me shivers.... You didn't want to be there. All because she hadn't made sure the door had latched befor she took her shower.

I have thought of putting a level on the jams and see, but I'm not going to do any changes so.... Just a bother. :(

The more I see of the finish quality with nail blowouts and such I consider their praise was based on the comparison to the wetbacks that other contractors use.
 
Hi Rennie :wave:,
Levels aren't level or plumb by law nor are framing squares square.:huh: To check for a level level:eek::rofl: good luck!!!!!!!!
Set the level on a flat surface and move it around if necessary till you get the center bubble perfectly centered between the lines. Shim if you have to get it to level, then mark the exact position of the level (the footprint) on that spot. Now turn the level like a propeller 180 degrees. Put the level in that foot print marked earlier. If the bubble is in the exact same place as you saw 180 degrees earlier, that bubble is level.
Shaz :)

Actually that system is the same system to build one. Just imagine that you have a level with a vial without the lines.

Follow the same procedure, marking one line on one side at the very edge of the bubble. Turn the level 180º degrees and mark the second line.

As the deviation will be the same on both sides when the buble is centered between the lines the surface where you are applying the level is level. At least this is how I was taught to build a level, when you need one and haven't it.
 
If you are considering buying a 6 foot level I would highly recommend a Stabila. Definitely pricey but well worth it. Plus it is a lifetime warranty as long as the frame is not bent, can't go wrong there.
 
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