Chisel Door Frame

Cutting a door hinge mortise with a chisel.

Chisel door frame.

Place the edge of a sharp chisel into any of the mortise outline grooves. A hinge mortise is the shallow cut made in the edge of a door and the door jamb that mirrors the size and thickness of the door hinge. Tap the chisel with a hammer to cut the wood about 1 8 inch deep or to the precise thickness of the hinge leaf. Hold a sharp chisel a 1 inch or 1 1 4 inch chisel works best vertically with the beveled side facing the mortise.

Tap a chisel into the scored outline. Using a sharp 1 inch wide chisel cut a series of parallel lines into the jamb about 1 4 inch apart staying within the scored lines and holding the chisel perpendicular to the wood. Unfortunately as you will see at th. Move the chisel over and tap again until you ve cut along the entire scored outline.

Arno 467863 solid steel french timber framing slick chisel 35 mm 1 3 8 inch wide x 14 inches long rc 58 60 pvc dipped handles 5 0 out of 5 stars 4 44 99 44. Knowing how to cut a mortise is essential for installing a deadbolt lock. The hinge mortise allows the hinge to be mounted flush with the jamb and door so the door will close properly. Hold the chisel parallel to the door.

Make a series of shallow cuts into the wood with the chisel. Fortunately cutting out this mortise isn t nearly as difficult as it sounds. Then gently tap the back end of the chisel with a hammer or mallet pushing it into the door. Grasp the chisel blade near the edge with the bevel upward and.

The plate should be flush with the door edge when inserted into the finished mortise. You ll need to cut a mortise a small shallow recess in the wood of the door and doorjamb for the latchbolt and strike plate to rest. Step 4 remove the waste wood with the chisel bevel side down held nearly parallel to the jamb. Using a chisel cut along the outline as deep as the plate is thick.

Then chisel to the same depth every 1 8 inch between the top and bottom of the plate outline.