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mcarterphoto t1_it7539g wrote

How I'd approach this, if the screw holes are really torn up - I really can't think of a "faster than 24 hrs. repair" though. I think trying to fill those stripped out screw holes wouldn't work well, unless you drilled them out with like a 1/2" bit, then glue dowels in and drill new screw holes into them - that might be an easier option, but you'd need to be very accurate with keeping the drill plumb, and you'd want to make a screw template from paper. But I'd try it simple at least, drill them out fairly wider and stuff them full of glue and matchstick-like pieces of wood and dry overnight. That makes a pretty solid screwing surface.

Then get longer hinge screws so they may have more structural wood to bite into. Hinge screws are often like 1/2" or 3/4" long, go longer and hopefully there's more structural "edge" wood under there.

If that didn't hold, I'd get serious - would require a circular saw, table saw, and a drill and clamps:

The "core" is hollow, but there's lumber or engineered-lumber-like-product around the edges. I'd make a heavy paper template of how the hinge mortise works and the screw holes and put it aside. Clamp the door upright to a bench or support, so the hinged edge is facing up. More clamps and scrap lumber to make a guide for a circular saw. The idea being to get the blade just under the main surfaces of the door, and cut down into the door-side about 2-3". Cut from the top of the door to a bit past the hinge mortise. So viewed from the front or back, the door looks the same, but you're chopping a chunk out from the hinge side.

Keep making cuts along the hinge-edge, going closer and closer to the center, but leaving the exterior surfaces intact - the inside cuts don't need to be super precise. Chisel it all out, including the curves where the blade edge stopped.

Using a table saw, I'd mill a block of lumber to fit into that hole you just made, and mill the proper hinge mortise into it - pretty easy on a table saw. Install the block into the slot with lots of glue and clamp it overnight. Wood filler, sanding and paint. It should all only be visible from the hinge-edge, so doesn't need to be perfect visually.

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