From: "Harry K" 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: doors in 100+ year old house don't shut
Date: 31 May 2005 18:21:43 -0700
   posting-account=3X3iVQwAAAA5qeF0JLSgIGYnZgL6amWt



Joseph O'Brien wrote:
> Harry,
>
> Thanks for your advice.  Forgive my ignorance, but is the stop part of
> the frame just behind the strike plate?  I would assume so, since it's
> what "stops" the door from swinging through the frame to the other
> side.
>
> You're right about the hinge pins... some of them are too big, so they
> don't go all the way through.  Others are too narrow.  What a mess.
>
> Thanks,
> Joseph.

Yes, the stops are the narrow strips of wood, usually about 1/2" thick
by about 2" wide that the door butts up to when closed.

The fun in an old house is in fixing things like this.  First thing is
to realize that you can't make things fit plumb and square, they have
to mated to the house as it stands.  If a wall is badly out of plumb,
so be it, you just shim or scribe things to fit as needed.  

Harry K