Popular Woodworking_-_November 2019

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5 The face of the door is protruding slightly from the face frame, so I’m going

to increase the width of the mortise on the side of the cabinet.

6 Use a marking gauge to scribe the position where the back of the mortise

needs to be. (The distance between this new line and the original back of the

mortise will equal the distance by which the door is protruding from the face

frame.)

7 First chop the top and bottom, then chop the back line.

8 The perimeter has been cut. Time to fi nish up by paring with the chisel held fl at.

9 Pare the bottom of the mortise with a chisel.

10 The faces are level now.

Filling Screw Holes

A-B I keep safety matches

in my tool box for handy filling

of screw holes. Apply a dab

of glue and tap the stick in

with a mallet. Break or cut

the match close to the base,

then pare flush. Once the glue

has dried, you can redrill the

hole in the new position.

C Quick-curing wood fillers

offer structural integrity.

place; once the screws are in, they
will clamp it. Often, though, I don’t
use any adhesive; I just rely on the
screws. (This is why you’ll often fi nd
little bits of folded paper or card
stock behind the doors in old hous-
es. It’s an age-old carpenter’s trick.)
The cleanest solution, if you have
time for it, is to make a shim just the
right thickness out of the same stock
as the cabinet and door, glue and
clamp it in place (using tape and a
piece of scrap the length of the hinge

A

B

C