# Door Hinges



## iceman (Jan 29, 2013)

My first woodworking project in the new house is to hang some new interior doors. I really don't want to go through the hassle of tearing out the jambs.

So, now I'm planning on getting set up with a router and table. Based on the reviews, I'm looking at a Bosch set up (1617 EVSTB).

My question is really what door mortise kit to get to cut the pockets for the hinges into the door. Home Depot carries several my Milescraft, but are there better ones out there?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I don't think there are that many people who bother cutting their own mortices anymore. It's easier to replace the jamb. If you're sure you want to do your own then mark along the edges of each hinge or mortice on the jamb side and leave a mark on the outside edge of the jamb. Put the new door into the opening and block under it until it is the right height and then transfer the marks on the jamb to the door. Or you could buy one of these The Original Carey Template Hinge Mortising System - Lee Valley Tools


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## Marcel M (Jun 14, 2012)

BettyMills: Hinge Butt Templet Kits - Porter Cable 593-59381


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## RickPr (Jan 16, 2012)

I recently completed replacing my interior mahogany doors. I left the existing jambs in place but used new hinges and knobs. I used this milescraft template to route the hinge mortise on the new doors. It worked well for me although I used small wood screws to secure the template to the edge of the door rather than the nails provided in the kit. 

Rick

1214 - HingeMortise Kit - Milescraft


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

You can make a template out of Masonite or mdf. Then all you do is measure where your existing are and transfer that to the new door. That really how the store bought ones work.


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Lowes sells a plastic version with bit for a router that works very well to route both the door and the jamb if necessary. it's made by porta-cable and sells for around $50.00. Just remove the pins from the door hinge, and remove the door knob. Then clamp the old door to the new door ( I used a workmate workbench ) and mark the hinge placement to the new door using the old door as a template. then attach the hinge template to the new door and route the mortices and install the hinge half from the old door to the new door and re-hang the door. It will line up perfectly with the other half of the hinge still attached to the jamb.


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## alaskagypsy (Jan 31, 2009)

Door hinge mortising can be a pain. I usually replace the jam. If I don't replace the jam, I take the door to the local 'real' lumber yard. They can do an exact (or nearly) match to the old door and it doesn't cost that much. Well worth the cost, compared to the time purchasing product, setting up, marking the door and mortising it.


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## Bradleytavares (Feb 25, 2012)

I hang doors for a living. Use a template that has adjustable spreaders for the hinge layout for consistant precision and is transferrable from jamb to door with out changing the layout. It should be able to be tacked to both jamb and door. The professional ones, like I have, Rockwell, are to expensive for home owner use but beware of 'cheapies'.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Milescraft 1213 Complete Door Mortising Kit - Amazon.com

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## mikelley (Aug 2, 2012)

Are your jambs square?


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## iceman (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks for all the advice!

Mike, I haven't checked to see that the jamb is plumb and square, but I assume that it is. The door operated fine, it is just that at the door knob it is starting to crack. Additionally, this was a child's room for the previous owners and it is quite beat up.Since I'm spending all this time spackling, sanding, painting and replacing trim, I didn't want to just reinstall the beat-up door.


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## david k (Oct 22, 2012)

stan if your only doing it once you might consider building your own mortise jig. its one of the easier jigs to build and works as well as anything you can buy. theres also the satisfaction of doing it for free.


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## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

For routing hinges in I usually get the door to fit the opening with the required gap all the way around *before* I rout the hinge recesses in.

I don't actually have the kit to do it but have used enough kit supplied by the companies I've worked for, its been a Trend hinge jig everytime I've done it.
The one time I've routed locks in was with a fancy Porter Cable thing with a handle I cranked to set the cutter deeper into the lock mortise, wasn't mine and I can't remember what model it was but it was a beast of a machine.
The bloke I spoke to said it cost a grand and that they had to buy it from America, well worth it for a bit job like a hotel with loads of doors to do though.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

demographic said:


> I don't actually have the kit to do it but have used enough kit supplied by the companies I've worked for, its been a Trend hinge jig everytime I've done it.


Hi Scott

That's the piece of kit I use, but ar £200 or so (circa £400 in the USA) it's a tad expensive for a DIYer. There are a couple of minor niggles with them but overall they're not a bad design

It is possible to make-up an MDF or plywood jig to emulate this jig and for a limited number of doors that might be a good solution for the OP

Regards

Phil


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## billg71 (Mar 25, 2011)

gmercer_48083 said:


> Lowes sells a plastic version with bit for a router that works very well to route both the door and the jamb if necessary. it's made by porta-cable and sells for around $50.00. Just remove the pins from the door hinge, and remove the door knob. Then clamp the old door to the new door ( I used a workmate workbench ) and mark the hinge placement to the new door using the old door as a template. then attach the hinge template to the new door and route the mortices and install the hinge half from the old door to the new door and re-hang the door. It will line up perfectly with the other half of the hinge still attached to the jamb.


Gary, you hit the nail on the head! It's highly unlikely the fancy kits like the P-C or the Trend mentioned will match the spacing on the existing doors and there's no need to replace jambs, the little P-C template and your layout method will work perfectly.

Stan, I'd suggest you buy it from Amazon and save 20 bucks or so. If you want to get fancy spend that 20 and a little more for a carbide bit but for cutting a few new doors the HSS bit that comes with the template should do you just fine.

I still have my old one from my days as a trim carpenter, also have the fancy P-C kit setup for 4-hinge doors. If you're cutting both doors and jambs the big gun is the way to go but for retrofitting I always used the little P-C template and Stan's method if the old doors were available.

Easy-peasy.

HTH,
Bill


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## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

Phil P said:


> Hi Scott
> 
> That's the piece of kit I use, but ar £200 or so (circa £400 in the USA) it's a tad expensive for a DIYer. There are a couple of minor niggles with them but overall they're not a bad design
> 
> ...


Just recently done the whole thing another way.
On an existing double door casing with existing hinge recesses (at slightly odd spacings) I've got the door to fit (took a bit off the door head cos the casing head wasn't perfectly level) then just marked where the recesses were like I would if I was chiselling them in.
Then marked the hinge on the door, cut the perimeter with the chisel and routed the recess in freehand.
No jigs and honestly its a doddle. I was slightly worried about freehanding a posh ash door but was surprised at how easy it is.

I'd tried it out on a bit of scrap first and know a few other subbies who freehanded hinges in, dead easy.

I'll be doing more that more.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

demographic said:


> Then marked the hinge on the door, cut the perimeter with the chisel and routed the recess in freehand.
> No jigs and honestly its a doddle. I was slightly worried about freehanding a posh ash door but was surprised at how easy it is.


I know, Scott. I was doing it that way for years before I got a hinge jig and I still do one-offs that way basically because it's quicker, although on "posh" doors I tend to hog away most of the hinge recess with a laminate trimer and straight bit (consistent depth of recess) - however, if I'm hanging a good run of new doors in new casings I much prefer to use the jig because it's faster and less error prone IMHO. I've done enough to have proven that point on a number of occasions

Regards

Phil


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## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

Phil P said:


> I know, Scott. I was doing it that way for years before I got a hinge jig and I still do one-offs that way basically because it's quicker, although on "posh" doors I tend to hog away most of the hinge recess with a laminate trimera d straight bit (consistent depth of recess) - however, if I'm hanging a good run of new doors in new casings I much prefer to use the jig because it's faster and less error prone IMHO. I've done enough to have proven that point on a number of occasions
> 
> Regards
> 
> Phil


I've only recently got a router, used other peoples at times if the company I worked for had one.

My little router is one of those De-Walt D 26200 fixed base things (I think its got a different model number in the US so other members might know it as something else) so its basically a fairly chunky laminate trimmer and I also use a straight bit.

I've held back on router buying for years and now I have a couple I'm finding more and more uses for them all the time.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

demographic said:


> My little router is one of those De-Walt D 26200 fixed base things (I think its got a different model number in the US)


DW611, I think



demographic said:


> I've held back on router buying for years and now I have a couple I'm finding more and more uses for them all the time.


That's it, though, Scott. "They" tell you'll never need a router on a site job - then you do 60 window boards which all need bull nosing round three sides, or swing 20 oak veneered doors and put the locks in or the like. I've carried a laminate trimmer and a couple of routers for years but that's because I come from a shop/interior fit background where a laminate trimmer is an absolute "must-have" and on stuff like Corian or worktops so is a plunge router

Regards

Phil


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

It comes down to just how many doors you will do in a life time not many I think if you do it day after day then you want to buy a high end jig but if you are like most the Milescraft will do the trick at a low cost (26.oo us dollars) ,but wait if you hang cabinet doors also the milescraft kit comes with many other templates as well,get the most for your buck and it's made in the USA plus it comes with a great router bit that I use it all the time for pattern cutting as well..I would buy the kit just for the router bit..

Milescraft Hinge Mortise Kit Presented by Woodcraft - YouTube

1293 InteriorDoorKit from Milescraft - YouTube

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## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

Phil P said:


> DW611, I think
> 
> 
> That's it, though, Scott. "They" tell you'll never need a router on a site job - then you do 60 window boards which all need bull nosing round three sides, or swing 20 oak veneered doors and put the locks in or the like. I've carried a laminate trimmer and a couple of routers for years but that's because I come from a shop/interior fit background where a laminate trimmer is an absolute "must-have" and on stuff like Corian or worktops so is a plunge router
> ...


Mines slightly different from that 611, I think its the same basic machine but mines got the cable exiting the top rather than from the side like the US version.

Also mines the "Metric" version which does indeed have metric measurements on its spinny plastic adjuster...

Thing is it shows half a turn of the adjuster at _just over_ 6mm... Metric adjuster on a half inch metal thread. I mean, come on, who thought of that?

How easy would it be to have put a 10mm thread on the router body and then one turn of the adjuster would have been 10mm instead of 12.7 Simple eh? 

Its still a great little machine and I'm pleased I bought it but perhaps a little more thought would have been good from De-Walts R&D department would have made it even better.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

demographic said:


> Thing is it shows half a turn of the adjuster at _just over_ 6mm... Metric adjuster on a half inch metal thread. I mean, come on, who thought of that?


Someone in America? Some of them still don't do metric. If you don't believe me track down the thread "The utter stupidity of Imperial measurements" and strap yourself in for a long read - on second thoughts don't coz' at 82 pages you'll possibly die of boredom before you get to the end!

Regards

Phil


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