Wet Door Frames Delivered to a Finished House
Twelve door frames and shutters for a house in Colombo are delivered from a sawmill. The frames are labelled 'mahogany', but a moisture meter reads 22% on three frames and 14% on the rest. They have been stored under a tarpaulin in the open yard for two weeks during intermittent rain. Two frames have twisted about 6 mm across the head, and one shutter binds along the lock stile. The hinges are 100 mm butt hinges, and the specification requires a 3 mm gap at the head and jambs. The frame openings are already plastered and the floor is tiled. The sawmill says the timber will 'settle down' after hanging. The client wants the doors hung this week. You are the carpenter asked to accept the delivery and proceed.
1. Diagnose the moisture and distortion problem and decide what to accept, reject, or rectify.
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Do not hang the doors yet. Interior joinery in Colombo will stabilise at around 12-15% moisture content, depending on the environment. Frames at 22% are too wet: they will shrink as they dry, opening joints and pulling the hinges; shutters cut to fit wet timber will bind or leave wide gaps after drying. The 14% frames are closer but still need acclimatisation in the building. The tarpaulin in the open yard during rain is inadequate storage; timber should be stacked flat, stickered, under cover and off the ground.
Decisions: reject the three 22% frames or return them to the supplier for kiln drying and re-machining; do not accept a promise that they will settle down. Check the twisted frames with a straightedge and winding sticks. A 6 mm twist across a head is too much to plane out without losing the rebate; reject or replace. For minor twist, plane and re-hang only after drying. The binding shutter should be checked after the frame is fixed and the timber has acclimatised; do not force it. Record moisture readings and photographs.
2. Set out the hanging procedure for one door, including hinge positions and clearance, and explain how you will prevent binding.
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Preparation: check the frame for plumb, level and square; check the diagonal dimensions and that the frame is not twisted in the opening. Acclimatise the door in the room, then seal the top and bottom edges.
Setting out: for a 100 mm butt hinge, set the top hinge about 150 mm from the top of the door and the bottom hinge about 250 mm from the bottom; use a third hinge for a heavy door. Mark the hinge positions on the door and frame with the door wedged in place, so the knuckles align. Cut the mortises to the hinge leaf thickness, not deeper, and fix with screws that bite into the frame, not just the plaster.
Clearance: allow about 3 mm at the head and jambs and a 2-3 mm gap under the door, or more where the floor falls.
Preventing binding: check the door in the opening before final tightening; plane the edge in small passes, never force it; ensure the frame is not bowed; fit the lock and check the gap before painting. If the door binds only in humid weather, the clearance is too tight, not the hinge.
3. How do you communicate the rejection to the supplier and client without stopping the programme?
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Use evidence, not opinion. Prepare a short defect report with the delivery date, the frames affected, moisture readings (22% and 14%), photographs of the twist and the storage, and the specification requirement. Send it to the supplier the same day and ask for replacement or kiln drying and re-machining within an agreed date. Keep the rejected frames segregated and labelled so they are not hung by mistake.
Tell the client plainly: the doors cannot be hung wet without risking binding and joint failure; the delay is a quality issue, not a programme excuse. Offer a revised sequence: fix the dry frames, set out and hang the doors that pass, and continue skirting, architraves and other work that does not depend on the rejected frames. Agree a joint inspection with the supplier. Record the costs and time impact. This protects the client from a poor job and protects you from blame later, while keeping the site productive.