Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 59370 Door Hinge Template

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This used to be a great little product. I had an old one that worked just fine until I broke it by accident. But when I bought a new one, I couldn't believe what they'd done - they've switched out the double-head nails for flat heads and there are no guide bushings like before. AND, the new flathead nails just barely clear the template thickness; nowhere near enough bite to hold it to the jamb while routing! How many thousandths of a cent did they save with this with this blockhead move? Rule #1: if it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT.

Give this template a four. Not meant for everyday use it's a little 'wobbly' when using a router bigger than 1 1/2 hp but gets the job done. For someone looking to put a few new doors up it's worth the price to get super clean mortises. Not well explained in the instructions is how to acheive a 1/4"' radial corner. The material shows how to do the 5/8" and a square. Maybe those smarter than me would instantly realize that a router bit like the one included could never cut a square but it took me a few minutes of scratching my head until I realized the square set up is the 1/4" set up too. You just chisel out the corners for the square.

I bought this template to speed up the process of replacing 8 doors in our house. The only good thing I can say about this product is that the included router bit is decent. Otherwise this hinge template was a waste of money and time. It has several flaws, most of which are attributable to the product being made poorly from injection-molded plastic.

1) Several "nubs" of flashing from the injection molding process stuck up at various heights from the surface upon which the router glides. I had to spend several minutes shaving these off with a sharp chisel so the router base could glide without hanging up on them or tilting as it rode up over one (but see next two items).

2) The ribs that formed the glide surface also had sharp edges (flashings) that rose above the surface, and these also had to be shaved down.

3) The tops of these ribs were not aligned in a plane, which was easy to confirm by sighting across it. That is, the structure was somewhat warped, meaning the router would hang up as it glided left to right. (This was after I had shaved off the sharp edges.)

4) The thickness was nonuniform, perhaps because of item #3, and so the depth of cut was always deeper on the right side. This was readily apparent upon fitting the hinge into the mortise--the upper edge was flush while the lower edge stood out.

5) The device was difficult to align. There are cutouts so you can see the edge of the door, but the template had enough curvature to it such that these were useless (misaligned). Instead you had to eyeball the left/right, fore/aft, and rotation of the template according to your layout lines, which are 1/16" inside the edges of the template. (The router bit has 1/16" offset from the bearing to the cutting flute.) You can carefully layout additional lines 1/16" from the future mortise but this takes extra care and time. Then, when you think you have the template in the right spot, you hammer in the nails at each end, and pray that the thing did not shift due to the hammering. On several occasions one of the nails would find a softer spot in the grain and pull itself and the whole template over.

6) The nails were insufficient to hold down the template. There just isn't enough holding power with two tiny nails, and the template rocked perilously fore/aft. I had to be very careful in holding the router down to prevent the template from tipping up and away from the edge of the door.

7) The inserts that determine the length of the mortise were flimsy. They were difficult to snap into place, and in spite of careful tapping during installation, one of the tabs broke off immediately. (Fortunately just enough of it remained to align the insert.)

8) The inserts were malformed. Upon making the first mortise I discovered the length was nearly 1/16" too long, and the radius didn't quite match the hinges. (These were brand new hinges, exactly 3 1/2" long.) Although these were the correct inserts for that hinge, the radius was not constant. I.e. part of the curve matched the hinge, but then there were noticeable gaps at the ends of each curve. I ended up using 4 thicknesses of masking tape on each insert to size the pocket to length, and similarly I filled in part of the curve on each insert to match the hinge radius properly.

In the time I spent messing around to make this thing work, I could have used a scrap of MDF to make a much better template from scratch. Don't waste your money on this product unless you you have time to burn and you really can't afford a real template. If you have only one or two doors to install, you should make the mortises by hand, the old fashioned way. I tried this on one mortise to see if I could make the curves adequately, and it was not that hard, it just took some time. I would not want to do this 16 times however. Ultimately the hinge template saved me time, but this savings was hard fought and frustrating. This template went straight into the trash when I was finished with it.

I bought this template 6 months ago and was disappointed in the quality of the plastic. a piece broke off one of the adjustable sizing tabs the first time I used it.

The sides are flimsy and flexible enough that if you try to cut all three edges first before cleaning out the middle, the back-of-hinge cut will be bowed. You have to cut top and bottom, then clean out the middle until you can finally make the cut against the back edge gently cutting the small remainder of wood without pressing hard against the guide.

My version has double-headed nails, but they fit so loosely that there is considerable play, so the template can shift while you are cutting.

I wish they had made it easier to align to a marked hinge location. The actual cut is about 1/16th smaller than the template, so you have to estimate placement of the template to result in a mortise that matches your hinge tracing.

The resulting mortise, when you work carefully, is clean and accurately sized to fit a 1/4 or 5/8 radius hinge.

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.

Right out of the box, the thin plastic "ears" on the adjustable size bar snapped off! Pretty disappointing for a Porter-Cable tool. But on the good side, the template actually mortises 3 hinge types, not 2 as advertised: 5/8" radius, square (using a corner chisel), AND 1/4" (which is not advertised). It turns out that the installed bearing on the mortise router bit perfectly accomodates a 1/4" hinge and I don't know why that important feature is not promoted. Realize that this tool is for the occasional use and not for production. On balance though, it's a good one to have in your tool bag.

I have 5 doors to install. I did one and this template and bit are not going to make it all the way.
1) Flimsy tabs on the insert pieces. It's just a matter of time before they break.
2) The insert pieces don't sit flush in the template. They stick up 1/8". It makes your router base ride against the two inserts that stick up. At the two edges of the cut your 6" router base will "fall" off the insert pieces and cause a gouge in the wood. You need to buy a larger router base so this doesn't happen.
3) Poor instructions
4) Bit wears out quickly

I don't expect this type of product from Porter Cable. I am going to return it.

I use this jig for door projects from time to time. It's easy to use but takes a little figuring out as the instructions aren't great.

The included bit is good for a couple doors. Get the carbide bit if you plan on doing several doors.

I have done a half dozen exterior doors and about two dozen interior doors. Worked well for all. Have not had a single hinge not line up.

Can't really complain for it's price. Sure beats freehanding it with a router or chiseling it out. It could use a little redesigning though.

When ordering the template, order a carbide router bit. I made two practice cuts and wore the bit out before I made the actual mortise.

This product is ok, not made really well as some others have indicated. It will get you through hanging several doors probably.

The biggest con to this is that the directions were really poor. The way to get the 1/4 radius you have to set it on square and use the bearing guide on the router bit to guide you. The instructions do not tell you this.

Also if you hit the plastic even lightly with the router bit it will cut it. Doing this several times will render this template useless.

All in all if you have just a few doors to hang this will probably do you just fine. If you are looking for something long term to add to your tool box look for one that is made out of metal.