94, страница 8

ROUTER

1/ch

Routing'© hinge mortise is a breeze with a simple jig and the right technique.

Recently faced with the challenge of cutting a lot of hinge mortises, I was looking for a quick way to get the job done. So I turned to my router to cut flat-bottomed mortises without a lot of trouble.

The problem is free-handing a large router to cut out the mortise can be tricky. For one thing, it's tough to balance the router on the narrow edge of a door. And second, even the slightest slip can ruin the mortise.

NOTE: size sack stop

TO BE SAME AS OR SLIGHTLY LESS THAN LENGTH OF HINGE LEAF

WIDE TOP PROVIDES AMPLE SUPPORT FOR ROUTER

PACK STOP

That doesn't mean you need a complicated jig or setup to rout hinge mortises. In fact, for the technique you see here, all it takes is a simple, two-part jig and an inexpensive router bit.

The Jig. I didn't want the jig to be locked in to a specific size hinge. So I designed the jig as a pair of overlapping guides, as in the drawing below. This allows the guides to straddle the door and slide together (or apart) to match the length of the hinge exactly.

ADJUSTABLE BACK STOP ALLOWS YOU

TO SET WIDTH #B FLAT

OF MORTISE WASHER

▲ Top-Notch Results. Clean up the corners with a chisel so the hinge slides perfectly in place.

Each guide consists of two parts: a fence and a top. The fence registers the guide on the face of the door. And it provides a place to clamp the guides in place.

Together, the tops form a large, stable platform to support the router as you cut the mortise. The inside edge of each top also serves as the guide edge for the bit.

END VIEW

(CROSS SECTION)

#S> x 1" Rh WOODSCREW

%"-DIA. COUNTERBORE

USE FENCES TO ^ CLAMP GUIDES TO WORKPIECE

EDGE OF TOP GUIDES BIT

8 ShopNotes No. 94

NOTE:

PINCH HINGE BETWEEN GUIDES TO SET MORTISE LENGTH

FENCE

(WxW-VPly.)