Mortise Door Jamb
Hold the hinge jamb along the edge of the door and lay out the hinge locations on the jamb.
Mortise door jamb. Take a felt tip marker and mark the bit using the edge of the hinge as a guide. This will show how deep to drill. Hinge mortises on a door are often cut by machine with a router and straight bit but you can cut. If you re happy with the mortise fasten the door hinge to it by drilling small screws into each of the hinge wing s bolt holes.
Fortunately cutting out this mortise isn t nearly as difficult as it sounds. Mark the mortise locations with a sharp pencil. You ll need to cut a mortise a small shallow recess in the wood of the door and doorjamb for the latchbolt and strike plate to rest. The top of the door should be just slightly more than 1 16 inch below the edge of the rabbet or dado.
Rout matching mortises for hinges strike plates and latch plates into your door and jamb with the milescraft complete door mortising kit for routers. Repeat on the bit s opposite spur. A hinge mortise is the shallow cut made in the edge of a door and the door jamb that mirrors the size and thickness of the door hinge. Mark the mortise depth.
Hold the edge of the hinge against the bit s lower edge. Knowing how to cut a mortise is essential for installing a deadbolt lock. The hinge mortise allows the hinge to be mounted flush with the jamb and door so the door will close properly. 6 pack non mortise door hinges easy to install 4 3 stainless steel door hinges smooth movement and heavy duty silver 4 4 out of 5 stars 70 21 99 21.
It enables you to accurately hang a new or replacement door with minimal extra work. The screws should be tight enough that if you pull on the door hinge they do not budge. Mortising for a door hinge allows the hinge to install flush with the surface of the door edge or face. In other cases a mortise is merely cosmetic.
A mortise is a recess or hollow space cut to fit a specific item such as a door hinge or a lock mechanism.