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Jigs are tools that are used to help you make more precise and specialized cuts.
A door hinge jig is, quite predictably, a tool that’s used to cut door hinges to fit the door and the frame.
However, not all hinges are alike, and not all jigs are best suited for every opportunity.
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With this in mind, we present you with a list of this year's best door hinge jigs.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Door Hinge Jigs
- BEST OVERALL : Bi-DTool Hinge Drilling Jig
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: Milescraft 1213 HingeMate300
- BEST CABINET DOOR HINGE JIG: True Position Cabinet Hardware Jig
- BEST DOOR HINGE MORTISE JIG: Mophorn 8-Piece Mortice Door Fitting Kit
- BEST KREG DOOR HINGE JIG: Kreg Tool Company KHI-HINGE
Comparison of the Best Door Hinge Jigs
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What Should I Look for When Buying a Door Hinge Jig?
Knowing the basics of what to look for in a door hinge jig is essential if you want to install doors with precision. You already know that door installation is very important for a variety of reasons. Here are a few important points to keep in mind when browsing for door hinge jigs.
Tightness
What’s the critical part of making precise cuts in anything? Stillness. Only the essential parts should be allowed to move when cutting a mortise for a door hinge (the saw). So, when browsing for door hinge jigs, make sure that you buy one that’s solid. It has to clamp tightly to fasten to the door as securely as possible. It also needs to be stable when affixed, i.e. without any moving parts.
The Guide Rail
Another critical part is the guide rail that guides the saw while you’re making a cut. Guide rails as a rule are built stable. However, you may want to look for rails that support a good number of chisels and routers.
Adjustability
If you’re purchasing a door hinge jig, you’ll want to be able to set it to make mortises for all sizes of hinges. Most door hinge jigs can handle most mortise requirements, but you may still want to keep an eye for it.
Review of the Best Door Hinge Jigs
If you so desire, you can just go out and start looking for that perfect door hinge jig for your needs. Or, you can start by looking at our selection of the best door hinge jigs of 2020. Either you’ll find your ideal model below or you’re going to have a much better idea of where to start.
Best Overall:
Bi-DTool Hinge Drilling Jig
PROS
CONS
Our Review
As a beginner woodworker, you might run into problems making measurements and end up constantly second-guess your decisions. This is why you should aim to get a door hinge jig that’s very straightforward and simple to use. Even if you know what you’re doing, you may not want to waste any more time on complex jig mechanisms either.
In this regard, the Bi-DTool Hinge Drilling Jig is the answer. It might not be the best jig or the most respected brand on the market, but it gets the job done and makes things very straightforward.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
Most door hinge jigs are capable of handling concealed hinges. But the fact remains that installing concealed hinges is never a comfortable job. With the Bi-DTool Hinge Drilling Jig, concealed hinge installations can be a breeze. There aren’t many jigs that make working with concealed hinges as easy as this one does.
Runner-up:
Milescraft 1213 HingeMate300
PROS
CONS
Our Review
This door hinge jig comes at a ridiculously low price. Especially when you take into account that it rivals the quality of more expensive models. With that said, don’t expect the best jig on the planet. Its marking guides could be much better and you will have to perform a couple of tweaks to make it work at top capacity.
In any event, the drop-in template makes things very easy and can help you avoid headaches. The frame is also very sturdy as it’s made of steel. Hard to find steel frames on door hinge jigs these days especially not at this price.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
This door hinge jig does both doors and jambs. Of course, this isn’t to say that you should expect every jig to do both doors and jambs as door hinge jigs are made to work with doors. However, it’s a huge plus for the Milescraft jig.
Best for the Money:
True Position Cabinet Hardware Jig
PROS
CONS
Our Review
The first thing to note here is that this is an original cabinet hardware jig. It’s not some door hinge jig that also works on cabinets as it’s made strictly for cabinets. It’s also incredibly precise. In fact, it’s among the most precise cabinet jigs on the market with a precision rating of down to 0.0002”. (Try measuring that.)
This jig is also very straightforward to set up. The drill templates are both adjustable and reversible, which makes things very easy.
You also get a lifetime warranty (of manufacturing defects only) with the purchase, including a free replacement for the first 60 days if anything goes wrong.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
That would be the fact that this True Position jig is made for cabinet hardware. You won’t find many jigs that specialize in cabinetwork, especially not one as good as this.
Best Door Hinge Mortise Jig:
Mophorn 8-Piece Mortice Door Fitting Kit
PROS
CONS
Our Review
By the look of it, especially considering the low price point, you may think that this jig is going to be flimsy and too lightweight to do a good job. But take a look at one online review video and you’ll see how deceptive looks can be.
The kit consists of eight pieces: 1 jig, 2 Allen keys, 3 cutters, a ruler, a spanner, and a plastic suitcase. The plastic suitcase is a very convenient addition as it makes the transport easy and keeps the thing safe and sound. The three tungsten steel cutters are ideal for mortise cutting.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
This jig isn’t made solely for wood cutting purposes, unlike most of its competitors. It can tackle any door hinges in existence. This sturdy kit can be used on wood and aluminum doors of less than 5.2” in thickness.
Best Kreg Door Hinge Jig:
Kreg Tool Company KHI-HINGE
PROS
CONS
Our Review
You might not believe it, but the Kreg jig is capable of a drill press level of accuracy. No, you don’t have to use any fancy drills either. Just lock this tool in and grab your go-to drill. The precision is almost unbelievable.
Align the tool as required using the built-in measurement system, make sure that you’ve done the calculations correctly, and start drilling. You’ll love the precision.
This is made possible by the nylon base that’s filled with glass and has a perfect drill guide. It would’ve been nice to have the imperial measurements on the tool in addition to the metric system.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
Without an ounce of doubt, it’s the precision that makes this product special. It’s sturdy and firm enough to lock onto any kind of door and help you drill perfect holes for any hinges. If you’re looking for reliability and precision, this Kreg Tool jib will get the job done right.
Best Porter Cable Door Hinge Jig:
Porter-Cable 59370
PROS
CONS
Our Review
You’ll be amazed by how quick and easy this Porter-Cable jig is to set up. The template is very robust, which is apparent before you even get your hands on the 59370. The lock-in pins do a brilliant job of setting in there and providing maximum security and sturdiness.
There are 8 hinge sizes and 5 door sizes included, which is probably more than you need. The mortise router is very fast and the included bearing brads make this deal all that more impressive.
To be fair, cutting bits will dull the tool quickly. However, for the low price, you can buy this tool purely for use as a high-quality template.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
As you may have guessed, this would be the template. Porter-Cable has taken a huge step forward with this template – it’s lightweight, easy to set up, sturdy, and secure. Not much more that you can ask of a template. It’s got precision too.
Editor’s Pick:
Ryobi A99HT3
PROS
CONS
Our Review
The Ryobi A99HT3 clamps to the doorframe very tightly and it doesn’t move around. This is probably the most important thing for making precise mortises with a door hinge jig. The guide rail is also very sturdy and it is very versatile. It will allow you to set things up the way you want to and it will hold tight to your saw as you’re guiding it.
Yes, the A99GHT3 is made of a plastic material. But this doesn’t impact its durability one bit. The engineering plastic is very hard and it’s even scratch-resistant. The build also makes the jib very lightweight, which works well with its compactness. Small, lightweight, but simply versatile and durable.
What Makes This Product Stand Out?
The number one thing that sets this product apart from others is its versatility. You’ll find many versatile door hinge jigs but this one can actually cut both rounded and squared mortises. This is not a feature that every jig can boast.
In summary, here are the best door hinge jigs:
What Is a Door Hinge Jig?
Like all other jigs, the door hinge jig is a tool that specializes in cutting a particular type of workpiece. In this instance, we’re talking about making accurate cuts for door hinges. Or mortises, to be exact.
What Are Mortises?
In woodworking, a mortise is a hole that’s cut into a piece of wood that can fit a particular object snuggly. In this instance, the object is a door hinge.
Yes, you can use another tool to make the cutout, but you’ll have a hard time nailing the size. This leads to having to use epoxy to fill the potential inconsistencies. This is quite a pain in the behind. Instead, a door hinge jig can do a perfect job here.
How Does a Door Hinge Jig Work?
First of all, why is using a door hinge jig so important? That’s because you’re going to want that mortise to be a snug fit for your hinge. The hinge itself is of course the essence of door hanging.
This is exactly why door hinges exist. After you carefully measure the door hinge that you’re installing, you set the jig up according to the hinge’s dimensions, line it up against the doorframe, and cut into the wall accurately and quickly. The two main parts of a door hinge jig are the frame and the saw.
The frame is tightened and put in place on the doorframe and the saw is used manually to make the perfect mortise. Although the saw is manually operated, it’s the frame that guides it all the while to ensure maximum accuracy.
What Do I Need to Know Before Buying?
There are three main things you need to pay attention to when buying a door hinge jig. Pay attention to these!
Know the Type of Door Hinge Jig Needed
Do you need one for cabinet doors? Or for concealed cabinet doors? Aluminum? Wood? There are different hinge types for all the purposes.
It Needs to Be Sturdy
No matter what you’re looking for, the jig has got to lock firmly on the material that you’re working on. It doesn’t matter whether you’re cutting out mortises on an aluminum frame or drilling holes on a wood door. It needs to do sturdy and…
It Needs to Be Accurate
Whatever hinge you’re making a mortise or drilling for, one thing is for certain – it has to provide accurate measurements. Otherwise, you’re not going to be happy with the job.
How to Use a Door Hinge Jig
Never used a door hinge jig before? Don't fret! It's pretty simple and we will run you through it.
1. The Setup
Fit the router with a guide bush and a cutter (or any alternative). Now, adjust the edge stops to the hinge leaf width measurements. After double-checking, secure the hinge jig to the door. Finally, the aperture blocks need adjusting – position them properly (you’ll need a spacer gauge for this). Lock everything in place.
2. Route the Door
Switch the router on and plunge it. Rout clockwise and repeat for each of the hinge spots.
3. Route the Frame
The swivel plate needs to be flush with the hinge jig; rotate it until it’s properly set up. Now, secure the jig to the doorframe. Switch the router on and plunge. Rout clockwise. Do this for each hinge recess.
Conclusion
Buying a door hinge jig will not only make your door installation easier, but it will make it as precise as humanly possible. Nothing beats the precision of a good door hinge jig. These are precise tools that make mortise cutting and drilling easy.
People Also Ask
We hope that we’ve answered any question you may have about door hinge jigs. However, just in case you have a couple more, here are some that we commonly run into.
What Is a Mortise Hinge?
A mortise hinge is used for mortising both leaves into the door/cabinet/jamb. The hinge is going to sit perfectly aligned with the door surface and frame, making for a smooth appearance.
What Is a Butt Hinge?
Butt hinges are used in commercial properties, as they can mount heavier doors. It consists of two leaves that match perfectly. You attach one to a moving component and the other to a fixed component (the door and jamb, for instance).
What Type of Router Do I Need for a Door Hinge Jig?
You need one that can perform a safe and controlled cut. One with a computer-balanced design is a definite plus, as it will reduce a lot of chatter and vibration.