Building a Door Jamb The wooden lining around the opening that the door fits into is made from several parts. The sides of the opening consist of a flat board called a Jamb, a piece to keep the door from swinging through the opening called a "Stop". The piece connecting the jambs at the top of the door is called the "Head Jamb". Mill dados in the side jambs , about 1/2" down from the top of the side jambs. (See Fig. 1) Fasten the head jamb to the side jambs with two wood screws driven from the back side
Fig. 1
Routing The Hinge Mortises Mark the location of the hinge mortises on the door and jamb. The top hinge is usually set 7" from the top of the door, while the lower hinge is set 11" from the bottom of the door. A third hinge if required is centered between the top and bottom hinges. I use a shop built jig and router as shown on the right to mill the hinge mortises. (See Fig. 2)
Mounting The Lockset The position and sizes of the holes for the lock will depend on the lock you purchase. Follow the manufacturers direc
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
tions carefully. After spending this much time we don't want to make a mistake in location! I usually pre hang my doors. That makes it easy to locate the positions for the strike plate (mounted on the jamb) and the lock. If you take the time to build jigs for your router, making these cuts will go quickly and the mortises will be precisely located.
