# Hinge jigs?



## Lord Nibbo (1 Mar 2009)

Hinge jigs?

Anyone know if THESE jigs are worth the money?

Or would I be better off with a Trend two piece? Or maybe another make?


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## Steve Maskery (1 Mar 2009)

LN
How many do you have to do? Most of us use an MDF board with a cutout, then use router and bush. It's quick, dead accurate and zero cost!

Several years ago we had a jig competition here and a number of us collaborated to create a completely adjustable one.











If you just want one for a particular size of hinge, this is better as it refences of the front rather than the back





Cheers
Steve


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## mailee (1 Mar 2009)

I don't suppose you are any relative to Niki are you Steve? :lol: That is a great idea, I have often thought about making one before but never got my brain cells around it all. Now you have got me thinking again.


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## Lord Nibbo (1 Mar 2009)

Steve Maskery":2jis584p said:


> LN
> How many do you have to do? Most of us use an MDF board with a cutout, then use router and bush. It's quick, dead accurate and zero cost!
> 
> Cheers
> Steve



I've got at least eleven to do possibly thirteen. I have made a jig in the past for new doors in a new frame similar to your basic jig design but this time all the doors are new in old frames so your jig would need calibrated over the old frame where the hinges were cut in for the old doors, then transfer the jig to the new door to cut the new hinge recess, so I would need to do that twice on every door.

So I thought a jig to do both hinges together would make it easier to set up on the frame to calibrate to the old hinge recesses then transfer the jig to the door. I hope you understand what I'm getting at, after reading it through I'm not sure it's clear enough. :lol:


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## rileytoolworks (1 Mar 2009)

Your Lordship. Couldn't you just make up several of the 'basic' hinge jigs, then screw these into position on a kind of story stick (a piece of batten would do), relative to the old hinge positions on the frame? If all the frames are different (and presumably the y are), then you could easily reconfigure your jig to suit each frame.

Wow - I made that about as clear as mud!


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## Lord Nibbo (2 Mar 2009)

RILEY":27mnmele said:


> Your Lordship. Couldn't you just make up several of the 'basic' hinge jigs, then screw these into position on a kind of story stick (a piece of batten would do), relative to the old hinge positions on the frame? If all the frames are different (and presumably the y are), then you could easily reconfigure your jig to suit each frame.
> 
> Wow - I made that about as clear as mud!



Yes, I've been giving that idea some serious thought. it does need two jigs fitted together which allow for adjustments in distance between them.


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## FatFreddysCat (6 Apr 2009)

If you are doing enough doors AND they are standard doors of 6ft or more AND they are painted finish then the Trend jigs are an excellent investment. They can be used to cut both the door and the door lining recesses, but they won't do non-standard (short) doors and inings without a lot of messing about. They also leave holes in both the door and the lining, however planted stops will hide the latter. The Trend jigs are best used on new builds IMHO. They are much more robust than the cheaper laminate copies.


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## dennis (6 Apr 2009)

As you will be fitting the doors to the frames before hinging, once fit, wedge in place and transfer the recess positions from the frame to the door, then set up your jig on the door,not forgetting to allow clearance on the stops.

Dennis


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## Digit (7 Apr 2009)

That's the way I do it Dennis, a couple of thin wedges to kick into place and you're home and dry.
On my jig I've scribed a couple of lines, it[s clear plastic, all I have to do is align those marks with the marks transferred from the frame and I know then that the router will cut the hinge rebate in the correct location.
Takes longer to explain than execute!

Roy.


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## Lord Nibbo (7 Apr 2009)

Digit":3va3ocqp said:


> That's the way I do it Dennis, a couple of thin wedges to kick into place and you're home and dry.
> On my jig I've scribed a couple of lines, it[s clear plastic, all I have to do is align those marks with the marks transferred from the frame and I know then that the router will cut the hinge rebate in the correct location.
> Takes longer to explain than execute!
> 
> Roy.



Hmmm! I think I might try it this way, swmbo starting to get sarcastic as to how long she's been waiting and is now asking when I'm going to get started. :lol:


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## joiner_sim (17 Apr 2009)

Apart from making a jig with ply to run the router around using a brush guide. Most of the time if there's not many hinges to do I find myself marking out the hinge, Marking gaging the straight line and just chiseling the two end lines, then just router away into that freehand. :roll: :wink:


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## Derek Willis. (2 May 2009)

I know I have been down this road before, but, for door haning, make a jig for the butts out of 12mm M.D.F. , one for the lock and one for the latch. 
All of these jigs will be made exact size, which makes it easier, then buy yourself a short bit with with a top bearing, usually sold as mortiseing or levelling bits, must be short, about 12mm. and use that with your jig, so simple. Buy a corner chisel at the same time.
Derek.


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## Carlow52 (2 Nov 2011)

I have a Makita 3700B trimmer router for which I want to make a simple jig for fitting some hinges.

Its a one off, replacing an existing door and frame and I have to fly with all my tools so weight is a issue, hence the small router and the need for a small jig.

The base of the router is 90 mm by 80 mm so was hoping to use it rather than using a bush as I don't have one

Using it on the door seems straight forward enough, just wondering about on rebated frames.
Thanks


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## Jacob (2 Nov 2011)

Much easier (and lighter probably) to leave the router and just take a tape measure, combi square, marking gauge, sharp chisel, mallet. You'd need these items anyway, even if you took the router as well, for taking out the corners, making corrections etc.


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## Doug B (2 Nov 2011)

I tend to make my own jigs, but i only make them for hinges i use regularly such as this one for 3" butts






If your`s is a one off, i would do as Jacob suggests & mark out conventionally, but then rout free hand close to the marked out lines & then finish off with a chisel.

Cheers


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## Carlow52 (2 Nov 2011)

Thanks for replies. 
My hammer and chisel skills are poor to bad...

The door is an external door so it needs to be done as quickly as possible, am trying to keep existing door as its loaded with locks and has been cut at an angle to cater for a sloping tiled floor, the frame has been chewed by termites.


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## Jacob (2 Nov 2011)

Carlow52":1n3hfdbd said:


> Thanks for replies.
> My hammer and chisel skills are poor to bad...


Try a mallet. Hammer and chisel not a good combination. Hammer is strictly for screws (more or less). :roll: 
This is all you need. Not expensive.


> The door is an external door so it needs to be done as quickly as possible, am trying to keep existing door as its loaded with locks and has been cut at an angle to cater for a sloping tiled floor, the frame has been chewed by termites.


Sounds more and more like a hand tool job - and you need the practice! Seriously though, a router could be more trouble than it's worth.


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## xy mosian (2 Nov 2011)

Jacob":92b2lgjv said:


> Hammer is strictly for screws (more or less). :roll:




Ah the old Manchester Screwdriver  

xy


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## Carlow52 (16 Nov 2011)

While I am well aware that this jig may be over kill, I post it here in case it would be of use to some-other less skilled mallet and chisel person 




The main section is 75 m by 75 mm by 6 mm angle, its 400 long and the jig is for 100 mm hinges.

The left and right stops for the router are the same section with the perfect right angles marked after filing to an exact 90 degrees

The back stop is cut from a 60 by 60 by 4 angle, with some of the bottom leg left for strength

The router was used to trim inside faces of the actual slot and rather than use a chisel to square the corners of the cut-out, I rounded the corners on the hinges.

4 self tappers used to hold it all together.

Thanks to all for earlier ideas


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## Jacob (16 Nov 2011)

Dear oh dear! The level of skill required to hit a chisel with a mallet is just slightly higher than that required to hit a table with your head. Come on get real! (as they say :roll: ).
Rounding the corners of the hinges! Smart move. :lol: :lol:


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## promhandicam (17 Nov 2011)

In case you ever need to fit another hinge, assuming you still haven't mastered how to use a chisel, :roll: to save you some filing, you can get hinges with rounded corners







However my advise would be to get a few offcuts and practice using a chisel and mallet to cut some hinge rebates - it will be a useful skill to master and can be applied to other tasks as well, plus it will be a lot quicker than messing around with a router and jig just to do one door.


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## Jacob (17 Nov 2011)

promhandicam":2v7n3f62 said:


> .....plus it will be a lot quicker than messing around with a router and jig just to do one door.


Absolutely! It's handy to have two marking gauges - one for the width and one for the depth. The reason being that you fit them to the door first but then transfer measurements and the same gauge marks to the frame.You don't want to set and upset them half way.
I do use a router sometimes, just on the door, but no jig - to the marks just the same as per doing it with a chisel, helped by the router fence, cleaning the corners with chisel. Frame too difficult with a router.
Then there's the door prop as the other essential gadget to make things easier i.e. length of 2x4" with wedged cut out and wedge, to hold door vertical.


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## Carlow52 (17 Nov 2011)

many thanks Jacob et al for these insights

on the 


> Then there's the door prop as the other essential gadget to make things easier i.e. length of 2x4" with wedged cut out and wedge, to hold door vertical.



Any chance of some dimensions here: my suit-case is 24" long: is the wedged cut in the middle or off centre.

Is one door prop enough?
Thanks.

I agree with the need to acquire the skill but with 3 grandchildren under 6 around the place as well as all the other stuff........


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## Jacob (17 Nov 2011)

Carlow52":l38n6dgx said:


> .......
> Any chance of some dimensions here: my suit-case is 24" long: is the wedged cut in the middle or off centre.
> 
> Is one door prop enough?
> .......


One will do. Two is better. Size not critical. Often knocked up on site from offcuts. Also really useful if you want to plane up a board-edge on site. You could nail it to a saw horse for extra height etc.
Found a couple of dusty snaps here.











Gavin showed me this , many years ago. Cheers Gavin.


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## Carlow52 (18 Nov 2011)

Many thanks indeed.

Looking fwd to 'chiselling out' that chunky piece without a jig  

Re the pic of rounded hinges, thanks, I have a stock of 4" brass ones that I retrieved from a Celtic Tiger era renovation: 15 solid pine panel doors c/w hinges and handles in a skip: happy days.


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## Jacob (21 Nov 2011)

Jacob":21f1d2rg said:


>


Just spotted this variation on the door prop used for an entirely different purpose

I'll call it a "door shangie" from now on!
It's a bit more refined, dovetailed as well as tapered.


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## xy mosian (21 Nov 2011)

I made a shangie lots of years ago. It ain't half embarrassing when the bloke pulling the handle end taps the wedge out on the pull stroke when it clouts the lumber.

xy


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