February, 2008

A Perfect Fit at a Perfect Time

A door hanging system that complements any pre-hung plant.

By Gary Katz

With housing starts down more than half of what they were at the peak, builders and LBM dealers are both looking for opportunities—and some of those opportunities may very well start with technology innovations.

Here’s an idea: This time around, instead of following the crowd, think about specialization. While you’re at it, consider simplification, organization, and innovation, too. That’s where profits are always the sweetest.

In the last two articles, I’ve previewed a couple of tools that are going to change the way carpenters work on the job. This time, I’m going to describe a new door-hanging system that may open opportunities for a whole new industry: Called The One-Cut system from High Mark Digital, this type of product is going to change the market for door hanging and replacement work.

Up to now, changing out interior doors was a good profit center if you had your act together. While there’s not much money in hollow slab doors, upgrading customers isn’t difficult if you have a decent showroom. (And along with the doors, there’s hardware and specialty glass and paint.) When it comes to door replacements, if the whole process is handled right—if you get in and get out quickly; if your crew is skilled, neat, and clean; if you have a good painter and delivery system, and if the job isn’t too cluttered with furniture, lamps, and wall art, you can make a good business out of doors and hardware.

I can’t count how many rehangs I’ve installed and slabs that I’ve scribed and planed to fit existing jambs because the clients didn’t want their homes torn up, or they wanted to save their jambs and casing, or both.

Hanging just a door is much cleaner and faster than pulling out the whole frame, though in some parts of the country, pre-hungs are the only choice—there just aren’t that many carpenters skilled enough to hang doors from scratch, at least not efficiently.

For 10 years, Mike Mcleroy has been running the Interior Door Replacement Co. in Mountain View, Calif. Until recently, the best approach he had found was to remove a customer’s doors, trace them at his shop, cut and process the new doors, and finally take them back to the job and hang them. The profits weren’t bad, but the fit of the doors was rarely perfect. If the old door didn’t fit perfectly, neither did the new one. And one bad door, one callback, took too deep a bite out of his profits.

Mike knew there had to be a better way. After exploring digital measuring technology around the world, and enlisting the help of software specialists, he developed the High Mark Digital One-Cut system, which might just open one of the hottest niche markets in the remodeling industry.  Now, without skilled carpenters, without a truck full of tools, without removing any jambs or casing, an estimator can measure a door in less than a minute or complete a whole-house estimate in less than 30 minutes. When the doors arrive on the job, each fits perfectly—no matter how bowed the strike side leg, no matter how out of level the head jamb. In fact, the new doors fit better than the old ones—every single time.

High Mark Digital developed the One-Cut Jamb-Scan technology, which is more than just a scanner. At their office, High Mark houses a software program that crunches the numbers and creates bar code files, which can be printed on labels by any shop with the One-Cut Door CNC machine (which can cost $100,000 and up.) The machine scans the bar codes and then machines each door to fit perfectly, including the hinge mortises, lock bore, and latch mortise, and any undercut for throw rugs or thresholds. 

This system is a sign of how fast technology is changing our industry. Don’t be left behind. Be sure you investigate promising new technology or you might find yourself with a truck full of tools, and miss out on a whole new opportunity.

GARY KATZ, with nearly 40 years experience in the industry, is a contributing editor to Fine Homebuilding magazine, a frequent contributor to the Journal of Light Construction, and produces the Katz Roadshow—Carpentry Clinics at lumberyards all over America. To learn more, visit his web site: www.GaryMKatz.com. 

Photo Caption:HighMark Digital developed a Door-Machining Unit that machines One-Cut doors and makes standard pre-hungs. The machining process takes only minutes.