Toolbox: Templates for Hinge Mortising

Hinge mortising jigs can improve a carpenter’s door-hanging speed almost as much as switching from a chisel to a router. But not all hinge-mortising jigs are right for all situations. Once set up, they will all cut the time it takes to rout an accurate mortise. But differences in the amount of set-up time needed make some jigs more effective for doing one door at a time and others better for doing a run of 500 doors. I tested three types of hinge-mortising jigs: a singlehinge template, full-door templates, and a production-style template. One Hinge at a Time The Hinge Mate-1100 is a one-piece, single-hinge template that adjusts for 2- to 5-inch hinges (D.C. Precision Tools, Inc., 11 Mathews