How To Cut Mortises For Door Hinges With A Chisel

This is the perfect tutorial showing you how to cut in the perfect door hinge.

How to cut mortises for door hinges with a chisel.

If not drill or chisel until it is. Place the edge of the chisel into the depth score on the door about a half inch in from one end of the mortise and tap lightly to. Screw the hinge to the door using a cordless screwgun and 1 inch brass screws. How to cut the perfect hinge in minutes.

Place the hinge in its mortise to see if it s flush with door surface. Cut horizontal slices to remove the waste from the mortise. Test and cut again using the chisel until the hinge fits flat and snug into 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.

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. To cut hinge. The first step in the process of making the hinge mortise is to mark the location of one end of the hinge mortise. A mortise is a recess or hollow space cut to fit a specific item such as a door hinge or a lock mechanism.

In other cases a mortise is merely cosmetic. Work from the knuckle side in until the mortise floor is flat. Mortising for a door hinge allows the hinge to install flush with the surface of the door edge or face. To save some time and effort i cut the mortises in just the door rather than the door and case.

The hinge mortise allows the hinge to be mounted flush with the jamb and door so the door will close properly. To do a good job cutting mortises the chisel needs to be razor sharp. Before cutting your door hinge mortise place your hinge on top of the door and outline it with a pencil. 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.