Installing hinges on your new exterior door for the first time isn't just a matter of screwing the hinge plates to the door and the door jamb (the inside vertical span in the doorway). The problem is, the hinge plates are thick metal. They will hold the door away from the jamb and create a gap unless they are inset into the wood. This project requires some precision to get the door positioned right, so don't take it on unless you're confident of your carpentry abilities.
Instructions
1. Stand the door on its front edge, so that the back edge is facing up at you. Lay the first hinge on the edge, with one of the two plates sitting on the door, and the other hanging off what will be the interior side of the door, about eight inches from the end. The hinge pin should sit right along the inside edge of the door.
2. Use a pencil to trace around the hinge plate, on the wood of the door. Remove the plate. Cut around the perimeter of the line with your razor knife, then chisel out the area with your hammer and chisel, down to a depth of about 1/8 inch.
3. Set the hinge plate back on the door edge. The surface of the plate should be level with the wood. Use your drill and a pilot bit to sink pilot holes in each of the plate's screw holes.
4. Load the drill with a screwdriver bit, and drive hinge screws into each of the pilot holes. Repeat for each new hinge you want to put on the door (usually one near the bottom, and one in the middle).
5. Stand the door up in the doorway, positioned as it will hang. Set the loose halves of the hinges up to the door jamb, making sure there is enough space under the bottom of the door to allow it to swing clear of the floor (about 1/4 inch). Use a pencil to trace around the plates. Set the door down, and chisel out the spaces as before.
6. Pull the hinge pins out of the hinges with the claw end of your hammer. Set the loose plates of the hinges into the insets that you chiseled out on the jamb. Stand the door back in the doorway, threading the hinges on the door and jamb together, and tapping the hinge screws in with the hammer to connect them.
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