Replies

1. 
   cowtown | Apr 12, 2005 09:56am | #1

   nope, don't know of any site to tell you how to make such a beast.

   If yer talking man-door hinges, here's my thoughts.

   I dunno what any other folks might offer up in this regard, , but unless yer hanging multiple doors, hinge mortice jigs ain't always the panacea that one hopes them to be.

   Three or four years ago, I had a contract to replace 30+ exterior doors, all of which where morticed with a jig, (way too consisitent for anything else), but every now and again, one of the hinges would be out by 1/8". after one experience, I reverted to a story stick and butt markers (way cheaper a tool investment)

   Last spring, I did a whole house of french door over door (floor to ceiling, 10'...ie two full doors, two half doors overtop) and made my own jig.- one left, one right, 1x3 fir, and cut out my templates from MDF on the bandsaw, attached them to the fir uprights, so I had 5 hinge templates. ) Worked like a charm.

   Too bad the framing was wonky- European metricated architect and neophtytic framers, working with a bad level, and a poor comprehension of how much checking you have to do on door framing, and no conception of allowances for shimming, let alone equating door size with RO size led to other complications- like having to cut down width and/or height and reblock every door ,one heck of a lot of back beveling on the trim and scribing every piece of trim to the ceiling etc. , but the cobbled up hinge jig did work quite well nonetheless.

   As for a URL, I dunno if you can find one. Conventional jigs for 6'8" doors are commonplace but pricey, and once you have even a single hinge morticing jig, like the PC one, it ain't rocket science to understand how they work with router templates . To make yer own jig all you gotta do is duplicate and ramp up that understanding to incorporate 2,3, or in the case I described, 5 hinges.

   you can if you want, use a hinge morticing jig for a single door, but by the time you got it set up, you could be finished with a simple story stick , butt markers and a wide chisel. And with a heck of a lot less risk of butchering the door in the meantime.

   One door to maybe three identical doors, I don't even consider using a hinge morticing jig. Not worth the trouble or risk of error or time to clean up the dust a router inevitably creates. Reno work almost always rules em out as well. You never know what you will find once you get on site. I have the proprietary jigs and use em, I make my own jigs when required, but do I automatically jump for em on every "door job" far from it.

   But maybe yer talking cabinet door hinges, and I'll bow to any other body that wants to offer their advice, cause I ain't installed or fixed enuf of em to even dare comment.

   Eric
   in Cowtown.

   .

   ,

1. 
   hamjob | Apr 13, 2005 04:01am | #2

   thanks for the input.I have made many of these jigs for both new homes and renovations but it seems that I am always rushing to make them and then I just toss them when I am done.I was hoping for the one and only,kickarse,killer design that would be too pretty to throw out. Anyone got any ideas?

2. 
   WillGeorge | Apr 22, 2005 10:09pm | #4

   I reverted to a story stick and butt markers ..

   What the heck is a Butt Marker or should I ask with women in the room?

   Too bad the framing was wonky- European metricated architect and neophtytic framers, working with a bad level, and a poor comprehension of how much checking you have to do on door framing, and no conception of allowances for shimming, let alone equating door size with RO size led to other complications- like having to cut down width and/or height and reblock every door ,one heck of a lot of back beveling on the trim and scribing every piece of trim to the ceiling etc. , but the cobbled up ???

   DAMN..  That WAS FUNNY!

1. 
   cowtown | Apr 23, 2005 10:30am | #5

   george said...DAMN.. That WAS FUNNY!
   George, it wsn't funny for the folks involved who had to pay my bills. As soon as I realized there was non-standard stuff in play, I opted for time and materials. They got some really significant bills.Curiously, I am doing some kitchens for some co-op housing units *(townhouse style) built in the 70's and using the whole project as a training pfoject. Every kitchen is just ever so slightly different. A new house is going up around the corner from em, and I do chat with the builder from time to time. I do my kitchens, he builds his house. Turns out it's the same architect, time passes, I install more kitchens, I get called in to quote on window trim- total Black MCP, floor to ceiling, I go to look at it, Builder says 2 days, I say been there done that (I don't know at that point it's the same architect) I say no way, 2-3 weeks of site work to put that finish in place. He says well we got another guy who is cutting and edge banding the stuff right now. That was in December. As of last week (now April) , I am installing another kitchen and notice that they are still set up for working on the trim. (floor to ceiling windows means the whole world can see. and that, Mr. george, is really funny. Eric in cowtown....

1. 
   WillGeorge | May 01, 2005 06:15pm | #6

   and that, Mr. george, is really funny..

   BUT you just worked with what you had to work with.. I'd say NOT your problem! But sure ya did the best to 'Correct' it!

   Ya folks SO serious in here!

1. 
   cowtown | May 04, 2005 11:48am | #7

   hey WG....As of Sunday, the fella was still fitting melamine. that's a goood three months now. Po buggah. hope he's time and materials too!!!(got that info from the site welder...)Eric
   in Cowtown

2. 
   mike4244 | Apr 20, 2005 03:58am | #3

   Yeah' right here. I don't have a website, I am barely computer literate, but I know how to build what your'e looking for. Home made door mortising jigs are actually better than Porter cable or Bosch , more accurate  but not as versatile. I say more accurate because if it gets bumped or dropped it still works.

   I use 2"x 1 1/2" aluminum angle. You can make one long jig or a small one that has to be moved for each hinge. I use both, for multiple doors in a commercial building I use the long jig.

   Decide what size hinge you are using, and the layout from the top of the door. Next you need to measure the wall thickness of the router bushing, usually 1/8".Most of these bushings are at least 1/2" deep, this mens you need to have 3/4" or so thick piece under the aluminum to allow for the bushing depth.

   Assuming the hinge is 1 1/2"x3 1/2"  , the cutout in the aluminum will be 1- 5/8"

   x 3-3/4". You add 1/8" for the depth, 1/8" each direction for the length. Hacksaw the aluminum and then file it smooth. Screw a piece of 1 - 7/8" mdf on underside of both sides of each cutout.Remember when mortising hinges to existing jamb, clamp the jig 1/8" less than the hinge mortise on the jamb for head clearance.

   Most of the time hinges are symetrical so the jig can be used for left hand or right hand doors. If you have to rout the jambs too, flat metal works better than an angle, many times the trim is on and doesn't allow clamping an angle.

   I used to have one jig that had 3", 3 1/2",4" and 4 1/2" cutouts that were adjusted by screwing a stop piece on each side of the cutouts. This jig worked well' too well ,someone stole it. I never built another fancy one like that as I am supposed to be retired.

   I hope this helps you ,   Mike

3. 
   JasonPharez | May 16, 2005 04:33am | #8

   HD sells a plastic Porter Cable hinge mortising jig for a router (with bit) for 20 or 25 bucks. Works great and sets up quick!

   Jason Pharez Construction

      Framing & Exterior Remodeling