1. Cutting Hinge Slots In Door Frame Sizes
2. Cutting Hinge Slots In Door Frames
3. Cutting Hinge Slots In Door Frame Lock
4. Cutting Hinge Slots In Door Frame Doors

If you are replacing an existing door with a unit that was not purchased prehung, you will need to install the hinges and a lockset.

Plan to install the door in stages rather than as one unit.

After the slot is cut. You should run a toothpick down the middle into the slot to make a hole down the center. This allows the CA to wick all the way down the inserted hinge and to securely attach more of it to the material being installed in. Depending on the material being installed in. Sometimes it helps to hold the area above and below where the hing will go before inserting the tooth pick. Take a plain piece of wood, the width of your door, and cut it down until it fits into the shape left by your former door hinge. This may include covering over any wood stains left by the hinge. Once the wood is the right size, glue the inward facing side, and then press it into place. Hold until the glue starts to dry. MOSILVERON 35mm Concealed Hinge Jig kit, suitable for Face Frame Cabinet Cupboard Door Hinges (New Blue) 4.6 out of 5 stars 135. Get it as soon as. Screw the hinge-side jamb to the stud Remove the door from the frame and set it aside. Remove the hinge leaves from the jamb. Set the door frame in the opening with the jamb resting on the finished floor (Photo 2) or on a spacer. Screws through the jamb where they'll be hidden by the screws. Adjust the gap along the top.

You will need the door, side and head jambs, hinges, doorstops, a lockset and trim.

You will need to construct and install the jambs, shimming them to make them plumb and square.

After checking for level and nailing the frame into position, cut off the shims flush with the edges of the jamb.

Install the hinges on the door first. Be sure that the door is approximately ¼-inch narrower than the jamb opening. If you need to trim it, plane or saw the hinge side. The latch side should be beveled.

See also: How To Install An Exterior Door Slab

Hang the door in the jamb. Screw the hinges onto the correct side of the jamb. Unless you are installing a prehung door, you'll need to trace the outline of the hinges on the jamb and cut an indentation using a router or utility knife. Place the door in the jamb and fasten it to the hinges.

To be able to where the hinges are to go on the door and the jamb, set the door in place and temporarily shim it to make a 1/8-inch clearance on both sides. Then mark the hinge positions on the jamb and the stile edge of the door.

Usually, the top of the top hinge is 7 inches from the top of the door and the bottom of the bottom hinge is 11 inches from the bottom of the door.

Center the middle hinge between them for exterior doors. Take the door down, and trace each hinge outline on the edge of the door with a sharp pencil or knife, allowing each hinge leaf to extend 1/4-inch beyond the edge of the door so that the knuckle will clear the casing.

Make the knuckle inside, not outside, the house. Using a sharp chisel or router, cut mortises to the thickness of the hinges.

Then screw the hinges to the door, pre-drilling for each screw. Be sure to drill straight holes; if you drive the screw in at an angle it will pull the hinge out of alignment.

Cut mortises in the jamb the same way as for the door, tracing the outlines of each hinge on the jamb and then chiseling out the mortise. A trick to hanging a door is to mark and attach the top hinge first. Screw the top hinge to the jamb, then mark the other hinges and cut them.

When the door is up, check that it closes without binding anywhere.

It should have about 1/8-inch clearance on each side.

Make adjustments by placing a thin cardboard shim behind a hinge or by deepening the mortise.

Cut the bottom of the door to allow clearance for any carpeting, the threshold, or weather stripping. Use stop material 1 1/8 or 1 3/8-inches wide.

Hold the door closed in it’s proper position, and have a helper trace the outside edge of the door along the jambs with a sharp pencil.

Then measure and cut the stops to length, and nail them with the outside edges on the pencil line.

For greater security, install jamb stock made for exterior doors; the stops are milled as an integral part of the jamb and cannot be pried off.

Install the threshold, lockset, weatherstripping, and trim, using common techniques. You can either paint the door or finish it with a stain or clear finish. Applying a double coat of oil-based sealer will ensure a handsome appearance.

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We are going slightly out of order here... here is our experience in door jamb mortise cutting.
To cut the mortises you will need a few things:
A Hammer
A Chisel the same width as your hinge
Remember... measure twice, cut once. Oh, yes... and measure again... and throw something at the wall because your hinges moved on you after you cut the mortise. That MUST be it.
First, score the edges of your mortise:

Cutting Hinge Slots In Door Frame Sizes

Then, chisel lines across the mortise using a chisel the same width as the mortise. Make the lines about 1/8 inch apart.
Finally, take the chisel, bevel side down, and gently tap up through your lines. They should come up quite easily.

Cutting Hinge Slots In Door Frames

Cutting Hinge Slots In Door Frame Lock

As you can see from the picture, this was NOT what we tried first... we don't recommend simply whacking at the jamb with the hammer and chisel. (The chip at the top of the mortise is from THAT method.) The method we depicted DOES work, however, and gives you nice flat and smooth mortises.

Cutting Hinge Slots In Door Frame Doors

Next.... UTTER FAILURE in door hanging. Stay tuned.