Milescraft 1213 Hinge Mate 300 - Complete Door Hinge Installation Kit with Latch & Strike Plate Templates. For use on Doors and Jambs

Complete kit for door hinges and strike plates. I used this on the door for the deadbolt plate and I used it on the jamb for the strike plate. It is easy to set up and works to make a perfectly clean mortise for the plates. I’ve always used chisels and they has worked fine but never leaves the rounded corners like this does with the included router bit. Overall very happy.

makes cutting hinges much easier! why havent i bought this sooner

I've been a carpenter for 24 years and have use many versions of this template by other companies. They are meant to be cheap and easy while having decent results. There are 3 things about this kit that make it really flawed. The first thing is that it can't be use on an existing jamb with casing on. The adjustable nubs on the back are more than 5/8 of an inch. Casing usually has a 1/4 inch reveal. That is why these jigs have had 1/8 inch nubs on them since the beginning of time. I'm not sure why they advertise this as being able to do existing jambs. I could remove the nubs and use it if I lined it up correctly but I feel that I shouldn't have to do that. The second thing is that even if I do remove the nubs to use on a jamb it can only be used on a door with 3/8 stop or less. The jig has to set partially over the stop and is raised only 3/8. This will be okay for most jambs but not in older houses where the stop is 1/2 inch. All they had to do was raise it another 1/8 and it would have worked in all door jambs. And thirdly, I am having a difficult time fitting the plastic inserts. The fit is simply too tight and I can't get them to lay flat. I am going to warp the metal trying to force it to lay flat. I also hate the "case" and the fact that even for a chance for it to work I had to spend 15 minutes carefully opening it. Like I said, this is a simple design that many companies have used. It should have been easy to improve upon but in my opinion Milescraft not only fell short but made it worse. I hope I can send it back even tho I had to destroy the packaging to open it. I originally gave this 1 star. After using it I would like to update my review. 90% of the doors I do are 1 3/8 with 3 1/2 hinges. I install only a couple a month and rarely need to mortise the jam. So what I did was remove the silly adjustable knobs and screwed the jig to a 3/4 x 2 1/2 x 12" board. The length needs to be long enough for clamps to not interfere with the router. I then inserted the 3 1/2 template insert and mortised my fence to a hinge depth. This gave me an exact mark to line up with my hinge marks on the door. I just line it up and clamp and rout. Much faster and precise than holding the jig with one hand and trying to screw it to the door with the other hand, plus no screw holes. The template inserts need a little attention before using. I pushed the insert in place as far as I could then turned the jig over to where it was laying on the insert and used a thin board to gently tap the frame down to the insert. After it was laying flat I took it back apart to remove the plastic shavings from having such a tight fit. Now it snaps in and out perfectly. I planed a bevel on the knob side of the door and when I routed the latch plate I had to use small tapered shims on the low edge of my fence before I clamped it for the template to lay flat on the beveled edge of the door. Not a big deal and better than screwing it to the door.

Bought this for the huge amount of templates that come with it, the price and the template router bit thats included. After reading some reviews, didn't have terribly high hopes for the product, but figured it'd be good enough for government work for a custom basement door I had to build since it was a weird size. To my surprise, this product worked great! I didn't experience any of the problems other people had, and in fact it looks like they updated the product based on complaints. They have screws included instead of nails, and the template fit in the jig very snugly. They created a beautiful finish on the door and I couldn't be happier. The included bit worked great for me, no flexing from what I can tell. It was better than I expected considering I have some bits that were more than the cost of this entire jig! The finish was good, better than whats needed considering hinges and plates are going to be covering the mortise. The only complaint is the templates are such a tight fit, they dont always fit perfectly flush and even on the jig, but if you put some downward pressure on your router, it worked fine.

Works Great if you have any idea what you're doing. As for the 1 and 2 star reviews, clueless users. 1. If your templates are red, you didn't purchase the 1213, they're black. 2. If the cut out in your templates are not the stated size, that's because they're not suppose to be, the extra space is for the bearing to ride along the inside edge. The mortise will be cut out at the correct size. 3. The cutting edge of the router bit should never come into contact with the template, if it shatters your template by hitting it you have no business using a router. 4. The screw holes in the side of the door are no big deal, use a little wood filler. The hinged side of the door is rarely ever seen and no one will ever notice it. Use clamps on the jamb instead of the screws, no holes. 5. If none of the templates fit your hinge, why would you purchase it ? The hinge sizes that it will fit are clearly stated. Or why wood you purchase it and then purchase a hinge that the templates won't fit ? This is most likely another case of someone who thinks the cut out in the template is too big, refer to #2. 6. If the instructions for your templates are only correct for outswing doors, you are definitely clueless. The instructions shouldn't need to tell anyone to screw the template facing the opposite direction to install the hinge in the opposite direction. The template itself shows you which direction to place it on the door. 7. If your steel frame will only adjust for doors up to 1 3/8" in thickness, what can I say, you're beyond clueless. Actually the steel frame will only adjust down to 1 3/8" in thickness, try turning the knobs in the other direction so they point at the 1 3/4" and then you can mortiss a 1 3/4" thick door. Interior doors are made 1 3/8" thick, exterior doors are made 1 3/4" thick. The frame is made to mortiss 1 3/8" and 1 3/4" doors, it isn't that difficult to figure out how to operate this thing.

Seems like a good system in theory- actual execution not so much. The metal frame sits against the door jamb or on the door, a cam system adjusts it's position depending on door thickness (3 standard thicknesses are represented). Two small screws hold it to the door or jamb in position (you'll have to fill these screw holes with filler to complete your job- something to consider if you're using unfinished or clear finished natural wood- not a problem if you'll paint the door or jamb). A variety of router templates are included, they friction fit into the metal frame and guide the included 1/4" shaft router bit to make the cut. You have to set the bit depth manually of course. Router bit has a ball bearing, so you do not need to use a bushing. The templates are made of pretty thin plastic (black in my kit, not red as pictured) that do not fit into the metal frame well. They are slightly too large, so once you push them into place, they tend to pop back out. Looks like some sandpaper will be needed to sand off flashing from manufacture so they fit flush. That fit is required for the routed cavity to be the correct and even depth- if one side of the template backs out as you cut, your cavity will be uneven. Hinge templates for all common sizes of hinges are included, striker plates, etc. Very comprehensive kit for the occasional do it yourself-er, not at all for a professional who needs to use it repeatedly- it will not last under industrial strain.

If you've ever had to mortise a door you know that it is nearly impossible neatly and exactly unless you use a jig. I used one of the box store adjustable plastic jigs for several years but it was hard to get it to fit tightly or sit tightly on the door and so I finally broke down and bought this. The jig itself is very sturdy and he comes with its own router bit. When I like particularly about this set is that it has the templates for the latching mortise which is usually where I'm using it. If a door sticks, and he had to take the edge down, you have to deepen the latch mortise and this is a perfect tool for it. Strike plates also although you sometimes have to remove the trim, even with the jig, to properly route them. Well worth the money when you consider the aggravation and time it requires to do it with a chisel and the perfect cut that you get with the jig. I use a small router, which I highly recommend.

Here's why I gave this product 5 stars: - You can produce GREAT quality mortises with it. - It's EASY to use. - It's a GOOD VALUE. What I like: I cut mortises for 10 door latch plates yesterday, without taking the doors down off the hinges, and they all came out perfectly. The template was large and solid enough for my full-size router. What I didn't like: The measuring target on the template is about an inch above the cutting area, so in my case I had to project the center of the latch hole to the center target on the template. I used a laser level, but I'm sure you could also do this with a measuring tape. Also I dropped it once and one of the knob/spring/cam assemblies came apart. It was simple enough to reassemble and tighten the little setscrew that holds everything together, but it shows that this is a DIY homeowner type tool - it doesn't seem to be designed to tolerate abuse. If I had lost any of the little pieces I'd have been in trouble. This is a great kit and I'd recommend it to a homeowner or to anyone who would use it occasionally - and carefully.