Several years ago, I remodeled my kitchen and painstakingly arrived at many of the details presented in Bill Pfeiffer’s European-style cabinets article (Fine Woodworking #43). I have neither a drill press nor the 1-3/8-in. Forstner bit with which he bores the large mortises for the door hinges. Instead, I made a router jig that did the job. To calculate the diameter of the cutout in the jig, add the router-base diameter to the mortise diameter, then subtract the diameter of the router bit. For example, if the diameter of the router base is 6 in., the mortise diameter 1-3/8 in. and the router-bit diameter 1/2 in., the cutout diameter should be 6 plus 1-3/8 minus 1/2, which equals 6-7/8 in.

To rout the mortise, lock the jig in place with handscrews, lower the router base into the cutout, and move the router around and to and fro. To avoid overloading, especially with a light-duty router, make several passes, lowering the bit gradually to final depth.

Grant D. Miller, Reno, Nev.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, August 1984 No. 47

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