FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe
Log In
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
Log In
How-To

Mortising a hinge with a chisel

A step-by-step guide to laying out and cutting a mortise for a door hinge

By Tom O'Brien Issue 158

If you’ve got a houseful of doors to outfit with hinges, a router and a hinge template are what you need to get the job done quickly. But these tools are expensive, and they require setup time. If you’re installing only one or two doors, you can mortise the hinges just as fast using a sharp chisel.

Unlike most cutting tools, a wood chisel is not fully sharpened at the factory. For fine carpentry work, the back of the chisel must be perfectly flat, and the beveled side must be razor sharp. Plenty of jigs are available to ease the sharpening process (for more on sharpening, see Fine Homebuilding #141, pp. 84-87), or you can send your chisels to a local sharpening service.

Becoming proficient with a chisel is useful for more than just hinges. Among other things, the mortising and carving techniques shown here can be used to install strike plates for doorknobs and dead bolts, remove broken floorboards, or make simple repairs in damaged trim.

Lay out the mortise

Step 1: Locate the back of the hinge on the door. Using a combination square—with 1⁄4 in. of blade exposed—as a gauge, lay out the back edge of the hinge with a pencil.

Step 2: Score along the ends of a hinge leaf. It’s easy to control a sharp knife cutting across the grain. Scoring offers a definite starting spot for the chisel.

Step 3: Change tools to score along the back of the hinge. Because it’s less likely to follow the grain than is a knife, use an awl to score with the grain.

Step 4: Before putting away the awl, use it to score the mortise’s depth. A couple of scrap hinge leaves—stuck together by a dab of hot glue—serve as a depth gauge.

A $10 cutting tool takes out the guesswork

With three sharp edges that match the dimensions of a typical (3-in., 3 1⁄2-in., or 4-in.) butt hinge, a Butt Marker (The Stanley Works; www.stanleyworks.com; 860-225-5111) establishes and cuts the outlines of the hinge mortise with a few good whacks from a hammer.

Step 5: Start with a sharp chisel. An out-of-the-box chisel such as the one on the left is acceptable only for framing and other rough jobs. The chisel on the right had been hollow-ground on a bench grinder before it was honed on a series of oilstones; flat surfaces on the outermost edges only make resharpening quick.

Step 6: A series of shallow cuts is the key to a precise mortise. Holding a 1 1⁄4-in. (or wider) chisel at about a 45-degree angle, cut across the grain in increments of about 1⁄4 in. Gently tap the chisel until the point of the blade reaches the depth score. With practice, you’ll develop a rhythm that enables you to reach the desired depth without needing to glance at the line.

A special bit makes hinge mounting a snap

After creating a flawless mortise, you don’t want a bunch of crooked screws sticking out at all angles. A #8 self-centering hinge bit, also called a Vix bit (Eagle America; 800-872-2511; www.eagle-america.com), ensures that all screws are centered and plumb. Using the hinge as a template, place the bit in the screw holes and drill.

Step 7: Horizontal slices remove the waste. Starting about 1⁄2 in. from one end of the mortise, place the blade (bevel side up) into the awl score and gently pare off the waste (photo left). You may need to start the cut with a soft hammer tap, but finish with hand pressure only. Make sure the first cut is flat and smooth, then use the finished surface as a guide for subsequent cuts (photo right).

Step 8: Shim it if it’s too low. Don’t worry if the mortise ends up too deep. One or two cardboard shims (cut from the same box that the hinges came in) easily make up the difference.

Photos by Brian Pontolilo

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Hiding Porch Beams in the Roof Structure

Make sure your porch beams are doing their job, without disrupting the desired look and feel of your design.

Featured Video

SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than Before

The 10-in. Jobsite Saw PRO has a wider table, a new dust-control port, and a more versatile fence, along with the same reliable safety mechanism included in all SawStop tablesaws.

Related Stories

  • A Pair of Precision Protractors
  • Precise Panel Fasteners
  • A Guide to Mitered Joints That Won't Open
  • Double-Duty Large-Jaw Pliers

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All Videos
  • Podcast 380: 40th FHB-Anniversary-Edition Interview With Gary Katz
  • Podcast Short: Hurricane-Resistant Housing
  • Cutting Out Drywall for Doorways
  • Podcast 193: Understanding Permeability, Insulating Behind Fiberboard Sheathing, and Building a Patio Door
View All

Doors

View All Doors Articles
  • A Guide to Mitered Joints That Won't Open
  • Dowels for Painting and Stacking
  • Get Stunning Views With Folding Glass Doors
  • How to Choose Exterior Paint Colors for a Home
View All Doors Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2023 Tool Guide
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
  • 2022 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 315 - June 2023
    • How to Craft a Copper Roof
    • 5 Lessons from Building in a Cold Climate
    • The Advantages of Cellular PVC Siding
  • Issue 314 - April/May 2023
    • 7 Options for Countertops
    • Tool Test: Wood-Boring Bits
    • Critical Details for Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Issue 313 - Feb/March 2023
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
    • Fine Homebuilding Issue #313 Online Highlights
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
  • Issue 312 - Dec 2022/Jan 2023
    • Tool Test: Cordless Tablesaws
    • Gray-Water System for a Sustainable Home
    • Insulate a Cape Roof to Avoid Ice Dams
  • Issue 311 - November 2022
    • 7 Steps to a Perfect Exterior Paint Job
    • Options for Smarter Home-Energy Tracking
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: James Metoyer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell or share my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • FHB House
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in