Door hinge "router jigs".

[Weatherlawyer]

Anyone have any experience with the alternatives to the Trend router jig? They all look to be either hopelessly complex or highly unadjustable:

This one at an hundred quid is 70 cheaper than the Trend one but the apertures for the hinges seems fixed:

?productId=14489&imageNo=null&ts=07858This one looks totally unadjustable: while I am on the subject of door jigs: know why a simple ally extrusion with what must take seconds for a machine to rout out the appropriate holes and minutes for unskilled assemblers to stick together the assorted blocks inside, should cost more than a 110V router?

And a degree of price fixing going on here too.

BTW I am getting myself one this week, so if any lurker wishes me to knock out a simple jig from it to do the same thing -minus all the bells and whistles, just e-mail me with the hinge sizes, rebate depths and the positions he wants the hinges set at.

[legin]

Must admit that I have only ever seen one in real life. The guy that bought it said that he got on with it alright, I think that it was the screwfix one. Often wondered how you clamp them to the door. My Freud router spinning at 20000 rpm could do some real damage if it came adrift 3 foot up in the air! Legin

[dennis]

?productId=14489&imageNo=null&ts=07858>> This one looks totally unadjustable:

A couple of bits of MDF spring to mind.

[robgraham]

?productId=14489&imageNo=null&ts=07858>> This one looks totally unadjustable:

I'll say it before anyone else does !

I take it as obvious that you have a need for this rather than buying one for the sake of doing so rather than cutting the rebates out by hand. I built two doors recently and it didn't take that much time to prepare the rebates. I'm always concerned with jigs that I have them set correctly which then requires a test run on a piece of scrap - so that takes time.

Two questions come to mind - do these jigs angle the rebate bed back properly and can they be used to prepare the rebate on the door frame ? The angled bed may not be necessary, but it's how I was taught to do it - OTOH handling a heavy router at head height on a vertical face in a jig does not appeal at all.

Rob

[Guy King]

The message from "dennis@home" contains these words:

There's even a Norm Abram about it somewhere.

[normanwisdom]

?productId=14489&imageNo=null&ts=07858>> This one looks totally unadjustable:

Do you really need a jig? It's quick and easy to just mark them up and cut with router - clean up edges with chisel, or cut completely with chisel if you are only doing one or 2 - quicker than getting the router out.

cheers Jacob

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

You also need the corner chisel. :-)

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

They dont have to be adjustable,just positioned evenly for a normal sized door. The actual size of the hinge rebate is worked out with the size of router guide bush used in the template.

[sm_jamieson]

?productId=14489&imageNo=null&ts=07858> >

Can you say a little more about the angled rebate? - I've never heard that before. Simon.

[The Medway Handyman]

I just use an 'L' shaped plywood jig that I can clamp to the door to provide a flat surface for the router. No real set up time, just clamp it level with the egde, rout by hand & clean up with chisel.

No. Most door jobs I get involve replacing doors so I can use the existing rebates. Be different on a building site I guess.

The angled bed may not be necessary, but it's how I was taught to do

Wot dis angled bed bit then?

[Weatherlawyer]

?productId=14489&imageNo=null&ts=07858> >

It takes about half an hour to hinge a door and frame but with a jig it can be done in a few minutes. If you are a joiner doing them regularly then it might well pay to buy one.

I am about to start a contract replacing doors. This means I will have to try to match the previous frame hinge heights. But the point is that I do need one for new builds. It will pay if I get such work on a price.

[nightjar]

The Trend jig does not need much setting and there is no need to do a test run.

I've not seen that done since steel hinges replaced tapered cast iron ones.

That is precisiely why you use them. The jig ensures that both sets of rebates are in exactly the same relative positions and that there is a proper clearance at the top of the door.

Colin Bignell