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The folding workshop relies on sev-
eral pairs of hinges so it can trans-
form from a compact storage cart
to full-featured workcenter. And in
order for the folding components to
operate smoothly, the hinges need to
be installed properly with a square
fit and consistent gaps. But installing
1 2
MAKE LIGHT
PASSES WITH
A KNIFE TO
SCRIBE THE LINE
!/16" SPACER
routing
Hinge Mortises
hinges can often be frustrating. It’s
one of those fussy tasks that requires
extra attention to the details.
Fortunately, there’s an easy tech-
nique for installing hinges. It starts
by scribing the outline of the hinge
on the workpiece with a knife (Fig-
ure 1). The scribed lines not only
!/4" HARDBOARD
TEMPLATE
ALIGN
TEMPLATE WITH
LAYOUT MARKS
AND AFFIX WITH
DOUBLE-SIDED TAPE
mark the location, but it severs the
wood fibers so you’ll get a clean cut
when you rout out the waste.
The next step is to make a tem-
plate with an opening that matches
the size of the hinge. I use 1⁄4" hard-
board for the template. All you need
to do is mark the width of the hinge
and cut out a recess at the band saw.
As you can see in Figure 2, I
attach the template to the work-
piece with double-sided tape. Now
you can rout the hinge mortise
using a dado cleanout bit like the
one shown in Figure 3a.
Complete the mortise by squar-
ing up the round corners with a
chisel. This method guarantees a
snug fit every time.

3 a.
#/4"-WIDE
CHISEL

DADO
CLEAN-OUT BIT
BY LEAVING THE
TEMPLATE ATTACHED
TO THE WORKPIECE, IT'S Perfect Fit. Accurately installed
EASY TO SQUARE UP THE
CORNERS WITH A CHISEL hinges allow the wings of the folding
workcenter to fold smoothly.

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