Any advice on how I can change the side a bedroom door opens? Currently it opens into the room but away from the wall which blocks off the "happy" path into the room--I would like to change the door to open into the room , but towards the main wall that is immediately next to the door frame. Question is, how do I accurately mortice the opposite side of the door jam? Easiest way... Any tips??

Purchase 6' of 3/16 threaded rod. Since this will probably be in 2 or 3" sections get a couple of connector nuts and some regular nuts. Remove door by removing hinge pins. Remove frame hinge leaf. Put on threaded rod with a nut on either side of hinge leaf. Leave nuts loose giving plenty of room to slide up and down rod. Reinstall hinges on frame. Tighten nuts to hold each hinge in place. You have now bolted the hinges together. Remove hinge leafs from frame. Measure the distance from the top of the frame to the first hinge. Also measure from the edge of the frame to the back side of the hinge mortice. Mark the other side of the door frame with these measurements. Attach all of the hinges to that side of the frame with one screw each. Make sure that you have the top hinge on the top, and have not reversed the top and bottom. Mark outline of all hinges with a utility knife. Remove hinges and cut mortices with chisel.

Note . The inside of the door will now be the outside. Reverse doorknob bolt and transfer striker plate.

Thanks for your quick reply! So what you're saying is that the threaded rod will be sandwiched between the two hinge leaves (one new bolted to one old, top... and the same for the bottom) then place the threaded rod up against the opposite side of the door jam, mark the outline of the hinge leaves (top and bottom) and cut mortices once all measurements are accurate?

That is correct. The measurement that is critical is the distance between the hinges. What you have done is to bolt the hinges together while they are in place on one side then move them to the other side. Therefore, they must be the same distance apart as the as they origanally were.

Hint: Use a self centering drill bit (Vix bit) to drill a pilot hole for screws. If you,don't get the screws in the center they can pull the hinge off a little. To measure the back set use you try square. Loosen the adjustment screw, lay it flat in the mortice and adjust to the edge of the jam edge. Much more accurate than just reading a measurement.

(one new bolted to one old, top...and the same for the bottom)


Just note this. I think we have some confusion here. What I want you to do is take the door off by removing the hinge pins. Put together your 6" of rod. Then put the rod in the hinges. You can do this by either putting a section in each hinge with a nut above and below each hinge, then connect the sections of rod together. Or you can put the rod together, run a nut up from each end about 6 or 8". Take the hinges off the frame, put them on the rod, then put another nut on the rod, leaving them loose so the hinge will move up and down the rod enough to be put back on the frame. Then tighten up the nuts to hold them in place.

This is how I want you to bolt you hinges togeather. I have three hinges, appearently you have only two.