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Originally Posted by shane_c
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3) If I go with the ball/plate latch should I have one at the top of each door and another where the doors meet?
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The idea behind the ball catch is to have it at the top of the two doors near the middle of the jamb. I usually set it around 2-2.5" from the edge of the door. You will not need a ball catch where the two doors meet as in where a striker plate would go as the two ball catches at the top will hold the doors well. Unless you are making one door fixed closed - using a flush bolt, then there is no reason to use a ball catch as a striker. If you did have one door bolted close you would then use a handle as normal and router the striker plate into the fixed door.
If you are spending a couple of hundred dollars on doors or even more per which is more likely, then I would find someone to help you out on a Saturday or whatnot who does them for a living. Everything you mentioned as ideas with the jamb openings can be done, but you want to do it well and not look like it was a piece-meal thing in the end.
If your heart is set on leaving the jambs installed, then you need to make up 3/4" on the width of your opening to get to 48 1/4" as speede5 mentioned. You really have two options... add to the door width itself or the jamb.
Probably easier with the jamb. Pop the door stop off and toss it, you'll need new anyway. You'll need to buy a sheet of 3/8" mdf. Measure the width of the jamb. Typical mdf jamb is 4 5/8" wide. What ever yours is, subtract 1/4' and this is what you will rip the 3/8" mdf into.
I.E. mdf jamb is 4 5/8" minus 1/4" = 4 3/8"
Rip 4 strips at this measurement as you have one single door and one double door frame. Sand the edges up clean and break or round over the inside edge with an 1/8" round over so it isn't sharp to the touch. Cut your 4 long jamb legs to length, glue and install centered on your existing jamb. This will leave an 1/8" 'ledge' on either side of you existing jamb. You don't need to do the headers unless you want too. If you do then you need to cut the doors down in height to make up for the 3/8" added to the header.
Once you have this in, you need to use your hinge mortising jig, router with a collet as to mortise in your hinges. You can always chisel but you will be there for hours and will not have as clean or crisp of a fit as you would with using the hinge jig and router. Plus your mortises most likely won't line up perfectly which spells headaches! If you do this properly, and it only takes maybe 10 minutes to machine the door and the jamb you will be able to swing your doors right away. If you're no confident in maching the jamb and doors, pay someone to help you out. A bit cheaper than wrecking your doors, buuying new ones and paying someone the second time around to do it for you. I'm not trying to say you can't do it yourself. Kinda comes down to your level of confidence in yourself and having a decent understanding of how to make it work.
If you have anymore question, we'll do what we can to answer them!
