How To Cut Mortises For Door Hinges With A Chisel

To do a good job cutting mortises the chisel needs to be razor sharp.

How to cut mortises for door hinges with a chisel.

Before cutting your door hinge mortise place your hinge on top of the door and outline it with a pencil. We show you the tools to use and the. The hinge mortise allows the hinge to be mounted flush with the jamb and door so the door will close properly. Mortising for a door hinge allows the hinge to install flush with the surface of the door edge or face.

A mortise is a recess or hollow space cut to fit a specific item such as a door hinge or a lock mechanism. Holding a chisel bevel side up with one hand on the blade and one on the handle slice away any wood that the bit couldn t reach. The first step in the process of making the hinge mortise is to mark the location of one end of the hinge mortise. When routing the mortises this way you ll cut them to match half the thickness of the hinge barrel.

If not drill or chisel until it is. Using a utility knife trace along the outline to create small groves then make a cut on the front or back side of the door indicating the mortise s depth. In some situations a mortise is required for the door to close properly. In other cases a mortise is merely cosmetic.

Screw the hinge to the door using a cordless screwgun and 1 inch brass screws. This is the perfect tutorial showing you how to cut in the perfect door hinge. Test and cut again using the chisel until the hinge fits flat and snug into the mortise. How to cut the perfect hinge in minutes.

Cut horizontal slices to remove the waste from the mortise. Hinge mortises on a door are often cut by machine with a router and straight bit but you can cut mortises by hand using a hammer and chisel as well. To cut hinge. Work from the knuckle side in until the mortise floor is flat.