PORTER-CABLE 59370 Door Hinge Template, Silver

I bought this to rout out the hinge mortises on a new door for my kitchen pantry, essentially going from a basic wood door to the fancier frosted glass version. Anyway I didn't have to rout out the door frame because it's already done, so I can only comment on the jig's ability to make the door hinge routing easy. In short, it does. The instructions are good but not great. it took me awhile to figure out that the adjustable hinge size sliders have to be flipped around depending on whether you are routing the door or the frame. The instructions weren't exactly clear on that but once I figured it out, the jig worked great. The supplied router bit cuts clean and considering the price for decent router bits alone, the price for this set is very reasonable. I've been woodworking and DIY'ing for 40 years and I feel like I know a good tool when I use one. This is a good tool.

This template is a good homeowner quality tool. While it's decent and will aid in hanging several doors, this is not something I'd add to my toolbox if I were hanging doors for a living. That said, I agree with the other reviewers that say the piece isn't as high quality you'd expect of Porter Cable. It does, however, do the job for someone needing to install a few hinges. The template is affixed by a pair of double headed nails, which in the newer models is replaced with single headed nails. You'll probably have to replace the nails with some of your own anyway, as they generally get bent out of shape when you remove the template after routing.The bit does dull quickly. After only cutting 4 hinges, the bit burned the wood when cutting. Buy a carbide tip if you have more than one door to install. The secret to using the template effectively is to cut slow and allow the router to cut away the wood without forcing the cutting head. Since the template is only secured to the side of the door with two small nails, it will wobble and shift if you press too hard against the sides as you cut. If you take it slow and cut small amounts at one time, you'll end up with a perfect cut everytime. Because the template is made of plastic, you have to be careful not to nick the template when inserting the router bit.Overall, I give this product a 4 because it isn't a bad product and sure beats a hammer and chisel, but Porter Cable should work on their quality of this template and bit.

Gets very close to the edge of the door so you have adequate spacing when hanging the door so it closes easily. I went through 3 other templates that weren't great. I used this one repeatedly with almost no issues. The one thing I noted was once the setting changed and I didnt notice. My fault, but it could be made so it doesnt change hinge size so easily. Luckily is moves smaller, not larger, so easy to correct. Also the nails that hold it in place could be a little longer above the ring that fits snuggly into the unit, but some needle nose will hold it while you hammer them. I tended to just use one, rather than one on each side. Great product.

I am working on a basement renovation, and I have 3 doors I need to hang. I got this after reading reviews. I have found that the included instructions are very helpful and the tool is very intuitive. And I appreciate the fact it comes with the router bit(1/4in). If you go slow and pay attention to what you are doing this template should last forever. Some of the reviewers showed pictures of cut up templates, if you are doing it correctly the router bit should never touch the plastic. For reference I am using a DeWalt DWP611 router and doors 1 3/8" thick.

This item came to my rescue from a few botched hinge slots I had made. I clean cut the places and made inserts of wood to fill them. The end results were professional and I was smiling at how simple this tool made the job. But there are some issues with this product that bothered me after only THREE hinge slots made. One was the double headed nails. They bend too easily. They appear to be hardened aluminum. No extras are supplied. Next are the alignment pegs. They break easily. I have dug out a couple from the jig already in the first little while. A couple extras are supplied. Then comes the jig itself. I love how they took the time to cover all sizes of hinges and their corners. However if the router bit makes contact with the jig while in use, you can count on a serious nick somewhere. Then finally the worst of all.... the router bit itself. I only made three hinge slot cuts before it went dull and started burning more than cutting. I was only making a 1/16" cut down into the wood. I checked around and there is not a router bit like it for purchasing. IMO I thought the router bit supplied would be a true "bottom and clean" design. This bit they supply can easily burn circles in the wood. Oh, and one other thing. The opening where the router bit is cutting into the wood is not so smooth for a normal sized platter on a 1/4" drive router. My platter would hang at times while going around. I have ordered a larger diameter platter and the closest replacement router bit I could find. In the end, a great and useful idea. But made with cheap and weak materials. To replace the whole thing? I'm not so sure I'd do that. To spend for replacement parts from known good manufactuers is what I see is best. Oh, the nails used to hold the jig in place are not common comsumer products. Porter-Cable should for this jig, offer packets of the nails and plastic guide pins to the public. Or tell us what would be an acceptable alternative. If the bit had stayed sharp longer I may have really recommended this jig to my fellow workers.

Worked great.