Best Door Hinge Mortise Jigs 2023

October 4, 2023

If you’re a beginner in woodworking—who wants to cut out rectangles on your door for installing hinges—you might find the cutting-out process challenging. Yet, there are tools nowadays that could simplify the process for you. Thus, you don’t need to sweat yourself out using a chisel and hammer. Instead, you can use door hinge mortise jigs to make everything cool and easy for you. 

These jigs can be magical! They can provide you with a precision cutting of doors. Moreover, the result is seamless fitting. Besides, you will find most door hinge jigs with guides. These guides can enable you to make accurate cuts with ease. Yet, you must possess the best door hinge mortise jigs if you want to raise your woodworking activities a notch higher.

Understanding a Door Hinge Mortise

The mortise hinge appears as a flat plate hinge, and it comes with two leaves. You must mortise these plates into your door, door jamb, or cabinet face. Besides, you can mortise these plates onto the door using a jig template. If you do the mortising correctly, you can end up with the door aligned with the hinge. 

This precise alignment allows for the smooth opening or closing of your door. Moreover, you must aim for a tighter alignment to provide the hinge enough room for smooth movement when you close or open the door.

The Best Door Hinge Mortise Jigs

As you search for the best door hinge mortise, you will soon get face-to-face with myriads of door hinge mortise options at hand. Yet, if you’re familiar with the following recommended hinge mortises, you can quickly narrow down your options to the best options:

Last update on 2025-01-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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1) Trend LOCKJIG Lock Jig

One excellent option if you’re looking for a door hinge mortise jig is the Trend LOCKJIG. Compared to other jigs, this jig distinguishes itself by working well with most standard deadlocks and mortises. Thus, you can do most hinge tasks with this unit.

Using this jig, you can tackle doors with a thickness range of 34 millimeters to 58 millimeters. This door hinge mortise is pretty solid and versatile. It has a solid, high-quality steel make. Thus, it is undoubtedly sturdy.

The Trend LOCKJIG offers ease of setup. It has an indicator that simplifies the selection process. So, with its use, you can do away with errors when cutting and installing hinges. However, you will need a router and guide bush, and diameter cutter. 

But with its built-in guide, the cutting process becomes quick and easy. Moreover, its thumbscrews allow for easy attaching to your workpiece.

Pros:

• Versatile and flexible
• Shows excellent compatibility
• Durable
• Easy to setup

Cons:

• Alignment challenge with thin doors
• With no standard template

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2) RYOBI A99HT2

Suppose you want something that could simplify the cutting-out process for you. You can check out the RYOBI A99HT2. The RYOBI A99HT2 allows for quick hinge width adjustment after placing the jig onto the door. Its adjustment range is from three to five inches. Moreover, on its side, you will find two markers for adjusting the bit’s depth. 

The RYOBI A99HT2 is durable. Though made of plastic, it exhibits a solid and sturdy construction. Additionally, its clamp can keep the jig secured onto the door’s jamb. Thus, with its use, you can safely make the necessary cuts. 

The A99HT2 comes with extra accessories like plastic bumpers for cutting curved edges. You can also reverse these plastic bumpers for rectangular edges. It also comes with a smaller guide bar. This guide bar can prevent the falling through of smaller routers. Such features and accessories make this door hinge jig perfect for different router sizes.

Pros:

• Comes with a router bit
• Offers adjustment options
• Rugged and versatile
• Secure and easy to use 
• With a removable guide for precision cutting

Cons:

• Questionable durability, being made of plastic

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3) Ryobi A99HT3

You can use the Ryobi A99HT3 like a router template for easy cutting out. With it, you can reduce the installation time by an hour. Like the RYOBI A99HT2, the Ryobi A99HT3 is made of plastic. Yet, despite being made of plastic, it looks durable. 

Moreover, it features a robust clamp. This clamp secures the door in place while you work on it. Besides, its plastic inserts—that you can remove—do an excellent job of accommodating various hinge sizes. 

The Ryobi A99HT3 can support chisels and routers. Hence, if you are desirous of achieving flawless mortises, you should try the Ryobi A99HT3. Check out its reversible edges for 5/8″ to 1/4″ round and square hinges. 

Pros:

• Looks durable
• Saves you enough time. 
• Very much affordable
• Useful for routing on doors. 

Cons:

• The clamp might damage the door’s paint
• Durability is questionable, being made of plastic.

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4) PORTER-CABLE 59370 

The PORTER-CABLE Hinge Template is an easy tool to handle and use. You will readily get the hang of its use, even if you’re a beginner. With it, you can make sure that you achieve your work with high precision. 

As a template, it lets you make accurate cuts in most instances. It comes with lock-in pins for ensuring safety. It is also excellent for enabling you to install the hinges with ease. 

This hinge template is easy to use and set up. It comes with double-headed nails for quick removal. It also comes with a router bit that you can use for high-speed mortising. 

The PORTER-CABLE offers various hinge sizes ranging from 2-1/2″ to 6″, suitable for five-door sizes ranging from 1-3/8″ to 2-1/2″. It also comes with a manual detailing valuable instructions on how to use this hinge template. Besides, it is lightweight at around 6.4 ounces. 

Pros:

• Comes with durable needles
• Easy to use and set up
• Secure and safe to use
• Offers precise cutting

Cons:

• Its location pins move a bit

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5) Milescraft 1222 HingeMate150

If you want something with a built-in router, you should check out the Milescraft 1222. It features a ball bearing for guiding the bit. You can easily adjust the bearing, given its 1/2″ size. Its built-in router bit is made of tungsten. As such, it is durable and can last longer. Moreover, it will not break with ease or wear off. 

This kit also comes with the needed templates for mortising of hinges. These templates come in two sizes of three inches and three-and-a-half inches. Besides, you can rotate these templates if you want to achieve the desired radius. With the unique design of these templates, you can quickly mount them. 

The templates likewise sport a robust make, being made of durable steel. Thus, you need not worry about the templates not lasting long to handle demanding tasks. Moreover, they have high compatibility with the majority of sizes of doors. 

Pros:

• Templates rotate and come in two sizes
• Comes with a durable carbide router bit
• Highly compatible with most door sizes
• The bit is highly adjustable

Cons:

• 5/8″ template is challenging to fit tightly
• Doesn’t come with a guiding mechanism

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Frequently Asked Questions

Aside from knowing the most recommended door hinge mortise jigs, it will also help if you are familiar with the FAQs about door hinge mortise jigs. These FAQs might also be the questions you have in your mind:

Which Router Bit Should You Use for the Door Hinge Template?

When choosing the router bit for the door hinge template, you need to choose something with a shallow cut. The specific name for bits used for door hinge templates is hinge-mortising bits. This bit keeps the recess marginal. You can also use a guide bush to adjust the depth of the cut separately.

Can I Use Dremel to Cut Door Hinges?

Yes, you can use the Dremel for installing door hinges. You can install a plunge router attachment to the Dremel to convert it into a surface router. You can also insert the router bit onto the Dremel by opening its spindle to insert the bit. 

Use the Dremel wrench to tighten the spindle. Afterward, attach to the device the plunge router body. Ensure that the height of the router bit is correct for the mortise. You can adjust the height using the specific knob for controlling router bit height.

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Conclusion

Door hinge jigs come in a wide variety of brands and models. As such, if you are new to woodworking, you might find it hard to choose the right one for your use. Nevertheless, if you are cognizant of what the experts recommend, you can quickly reduce your options to the best options. 

As a newbie, the thought of installing hinges onto your door is a bit daunting. But you need to start somewhere else to learn a new skill, like using a door hinge template. Besides, as long as you know how to zero in on the right tools, you make the seemingly difficult task of installing hinges a breeze for you.