Looking to buy a door hinge template and strike plate template for OCCASIONAL use.
Options are: Porter Cable, Carey, Hinge-Mate. These are the less-expensive units and not the all-inclusive kits that Bosch and Porter-Cable make.
Any opinions or warnings?
Thanks in advance to all who reply.
PK
Replies
I've had the PC template for ten years - got it on sale at HD for $5.00! I have been careful with it and done about 20 doors. IT is still like new. Mainly, you have to be careful putting in the nails and then taking them out. That is where you can break the plastic easily.
I would prefer something more solid too, but first I am going to see how many more doors I can do with what I have.
BTW, for pocket doors, I just made a template by cutting a rectangle shape out of the edge of a piece of 1/4" scrap plywood. I just clamp it to the door. I can probably do a thousand doors before I wear that out.
Drive up to Utica on the weekend and I will sell you a hardly used Porter Cable mortiser kit with case for $100!
We are only a few miles from the Adirondeck Mountains.
Hey! I already called that jig. I want it. I just have to get to Utica. I passed it coming from Chicago this weekend but it was 3am. I didn't think you wanted me to wake you up. I will figure out a way soon. But if you have a buyer now, cool w/ me.
"It is what it is."
Not yet! come and get it!
For occasional use? Just use your tape measure. I trace the hinge on the door and jamb and route free hand.
I'm all for buying a new tool but I think those cost a few bucks.
MSA1
Normally I love cheap but not when it causes problems. I bought a Porter Cable hinge kit to hang the doors in my house. What they do that is so wonderful is if you have a jamb that's off slightly you can quickly tell ina glance with the hinge butt kit.
I used to hang all my doors as you suggested, carefull measurements and scrap made templates.. I was amased at how much nicer I could hang them with the Porter cable kit. It takes only a tiny misalignment to make a door stiff and the the fiddling and adjusting trying to get everything dead nuts correct drove me crazy.
I even went so far as to get a long rod to keep hinge pins aligned perfectly but without 10 foot ceilings I still had to remove at least one hinge to get the rod off.. (usually two)
I made an pair of garage doors 4 inches thick 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide out of black walnut.. We're talking massively heavy things which I was able to hang with six hinges on a side because the hinges were perfectly aligned the doors swings like a bathroom door not some stiff door requiring a lot of effor to open..
Hanging 22 doors seems like an expensive tool but I'll sell it when done with all of the work on the house and recover about 1/2 it's cost. So I spend about 3-$4 dollars per door. The perfection I achieve makes it worth while to me and somebody gets a bargin when I'm done.
I bought a kit something like this:
http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=170441
only with 3 more actual jig fixtures probably 20 years ago and for dang close to $350.00 at that time. I can count the number of times I've actually used it on one hand and still have a few fingers left. For occasional use just goggle it up and figure out how to make a template and do it with your template, tape measure and router. A set up like the one in the link is only really practical if you have a lot of doors to machine in the field and I mean a lot. And IMHO I would probably make money on having my door supplier just machine them before they are even delivered to the job. Plus if you make a mistake you just bought a door that might or might not be unusable. If the door supplier screws up they buy the door.
BjR
The Bosch jig in your link appears identical to the Milwaukee one that I have. I also am thinking that it was originally produced as a Stanley jig. Can anyone confirm this?I think it's worth it to use this jig for machining even ONE door and jamb. The hinge locations match perfectly, backset is right on the money, and head reveal is right on, too.
I just made a hinge template for one at a time. We just bought a house and most of the doors are sized to large with no bevel. So I deepen the hinges mortices and power plane the edge off on the hinge side.
It took a while to get it the right size but now the hinges just fit.
This one is just for the door but I think you could work something out for the jamb.
Edited 6/19/2008 7:39 pm ET by popawheelie
I've never beveled the hinge side, what's up with that?
I do it because I've run into doors that are hingebound. If the hinge jam is twisted at all or the screws heads ride high in either leaf, the edge of the door can contact the jam before the door is completely closed.
When you bevel the hinge side of the door this won't happen. Also, when you paint a door it can add thickness to the door. I like my doors to touch the jam only in a few places where I want it to touch. If you have a nice glossy paint job on a door I don't like it when it rubs on the jam.
Most door handers set everything to tight imo. I give my doors plenty of space all around.
Has anyone tried this one?
http://www.trend-uk.com/product/U*H_JIG_A
I'm thinking of getting it because it looks simpler than the bosch/PC units. I was just wondering if it was more limited than those two.
Thanks
Lettusbee
Take a look at this thread:
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=94820.1
A variety of hinge templates were discussed.
And here's my contribution to that thread:
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=94820.8
Just check out Templaco.com. They have everything you need and well made as well. I have had my single 3.5 butt hinge template for about two years now and it has paid for itself ten times over.
I was going to mention Tempaco but forgot the name. They make a variety of template that are just made out of particle board but refined around the edges.
If you are doing standard doors they should be fine.
As a remodeler I've found that a jig set up full length doesn't work very often.
Often the door hinges are spaced custom. So I just have a hinge template I made that is for one at a time.
It's slower but more versatile.
I had the Bosch. It wouldn't do wood doors in steel jams so I had to customize it for them.
So even the Bosch had limitations.
Edited 6/29/2008 4:54 pm ET by popawheelie