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At a later time, I will do a post on installing interior slab doors. For the time being however, I am going to explain the science behind mortising for hinges and strike plates.  The main reason for needing to mortise hinges or strike plates comes down to cost, really.  I will cover that in more detail when I cover the post of installing a slab door.

There are two ways to complete this. First, if you’re handy enough with a chisel, then this is the cheapest route. Second, if you have a lot of doors to do or just want it to be “perfect”, you might have to use a router. When I engaged in this project, I had 11 interior doors to change out. So, I bought a Ryobi Laminate Router. It did help of course already having this set of power tools. Because I used the router, this is the method I will talk about.

1.  Once you determine exactly where the hinges and/or strike plate will go, screw in the new hinges/strike plate.  This is only to provide the outline, so it doesn’t have to be real tight, you just don’t want it to move when you are outlining the piece.

2.  Use a utility knife to do the outlining.  Do not use a pencil.  The knife’s edge will provide a much cleaner line that will be a lot more accurate.  Also, the knife will cut into the wood a little.  This will help when you begin to use the router.

3.  Take the hinge and lay it on the router base so you can adjust the mortising bit to the depth of the hinge or strike plate.  Once the bit is locked in place, you are ready to start.

4.  The hinge outline should go off one edge of the door, and will be approximately 1/8″ from the other edge.  Start the router on the edge that the hinge “falls” off.  Start right in the middle, so you do not accidentally cut outside the outline.

5.  As you get near the edges of your outline, slow down.  When you get close to the line, the router should just chip away the wood and make a flush line where your outline was.  This is another reason to use a utility knife.  It serves as a kind of perforated edge.

When doing a strike plate mortise, it’s not much different.  On the strike plate, I do recommend cutting your holes for your lock first.  This gives you a starting point, which will be right in the center of your outline.