mortise jig for router

[messmaker]

I am looking for a way to use a spare router for cutting a mortise without installing a new plate and using guides.I use an edge guide now but I have trouble with it moving on me. I would like somthing with support on both sides. The router plate has flats on two sides.

[ChrisD]

Your requirements sound a little contradictory to me as I'm not sure how you can install support on both sides of the stock you're routing without wanting to have a guide.

But what I would do is improvise a base plate with two edge guides screwed underneath that would trap the stock between them as you rout. You can probably get away with C-clamping the guides to your existing base plate, but may have clearance problems if your bit is not long enough.

[DeanKC]

Why not make a nifty jig out of a couple of pieces of 2x4 stock that work as a saddle, and an MDF chunk across the top to be able to form your actual recess for the hinge. If you always use the same size hinge, or if you're making a one-time jig for that door and those hinges, you can do this out of some inexpensive if not free scraps of wood. Give you plenty of support without buying or making a new sole plate for the tool. You may have to purchase a bit with a bearing, or buy the brass router bushing of your choice for about $6 from Woodcraft or elsewhere as you find them. Pretty cheap way to get consistent results, actually.