Because I had to hang 8 doors recently, I saw this as an opportunity to buy a new tool — a L-N butt mortising plane.

I just wanted to pass on that this is one sweet tool. When paired with a Stanley butt marker (sort of a 3-sided chisel that’s the exact right dimensions and setback for a standard hinge – Google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about), this tool reduces the ordinarily tedious task of hanging a door to a 10-minute, noise-free, walk in the park.

Although hinging cabinets removes the butt marker from the mix (since cab hinges are too small — Stanley only makes 3″ and 3-1/2″ butt markers), this would still be an excellent addition to the tool barn for anyone who does more than a rare hinge.

It leaves the hinge mortise perfectly sized, at a perfect depth, smooth-bottomed, and is a joy to use. I liked it better than a router plane since its design, size and orientation allows the user to run it parallel to the door edge as opposed to perpendicular, keeping the plane supported both fore and aft of the iron. This allows much better control, particularly in the critical area along the back side of the hinge where breakouts are particularly problematic. Further, the mouth is about 1″ wide X 3″ long, giving the user a perfect, unobstructed view of the whole operation. It’s handles fore and aft are comfortable to use and allow the user to “bump” the plane forward in very small increments near the end of the cuts where one risks blowing out the end of the mortise.

While the iron has no adjuster (it’s held in place by a brass cap and thumbscrew, and adjusted like a wedged plane), it’s pretty easy to set the blade. I just inserted a bit of cardstock under the sole, just ahead of the blade, and dropped the iron until it rested on the wood in the mortise. Removing the cardstock and running the plane over the work area removes a precise amount of waste. I was working in red oak, so  I removed the waste from the approx. 1-1/4″ wide hinge mortise in three or four parallel passes of about 3/8″ each. This method gave me a perfect depth in three settings of the iron. It would be nice if the tool included a settable depth stop, but it was no big deal without one. The frog and mouth of the plane are generously sized, allowing the user to cant the blade to one side or the other if needed.

This one’s a keeper and at around $150, reasonably priced.