GB2391510A

GB2391510A - Recess cutting template

Info

Publication number: GB2391510A
Application number: GB0318493A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kevin Michael Spreadborough
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-08-10
Filing date: 2003-08-07
Publication date: 2004-02-11
Anticipated expiration: 2023-08-07
Also published as: GB2391510B; GB0318493D0; GB0218648D0

Abstract

A recess cutting template for fitting a hinge to a door comprises an upper plate 2 and a lower plate 4, the upper plate 2 carrying two side arms 3 which support the lower plate 4 such that the lower plate lies in a plane which is displaced from that of the upper plate 2. This provides a guide tool which can be used for supporting a chisel edge when cutting out a recess for fitting a hinge to a door edge and door frame. The template may be adjustable to fit different hinge sizes. There is therefore no need for cutting lines to be marked out by hand and the tool can speed up the operation of cutting out the required recesses.

Description

-1 RECESS CUTTING TEMPLATE

This invention relates ot a recess cutting template. It relates particularly to a template that may be used, for example, for installing a hinge on a door and door frame combination. In the fitting of a hinge to a new door and door frame, it is usually necessary to make a rabbet or recess in the edges of the door and frame in order for the leaves of the hinge to be accommodated neatly. The job is frequently done by marking out the area to be cut and then removing the unwanted wood by use of a chisel. The marking may be done by positioning a leaf of the hinge in the place where it is required to be fixed and then marking round the edges of the leaf with a pencil. The face of the door will also need to be cut away to a depth of two or three millimetres to allow the hinge leaf to be fully recessed into the wood edge. A chisel is next used to cut along the marked lines and then to remove the excess wood from the shallow cavity that will be formed.

The marking operation needs to be done accurately because a precise area has to be shaped for the hinge leaf. If several doors are required to be fitted this task alone will take a substantial time because it must be done with great care to avoid mistakes.

I have now discovered a method of cutting a recess which can enable the need for marking up to be dropped and which gives an accurate guide for supporting an edge of a cutting chisel. This can be helpful for the carpenter and cabinet maker as well as the person who does these tasks only rarely. There have been certain hinge fitting template constructions which have been described already. One example is disclosed in Patent No. GB22 19763 which relates to a channel-section element forming a template.

According to the invention, there is provided a recess cutting template, the À. I.. e. "e.e 2

-2 template comprising an upper plate and a lower plate, the upper plate carrying two side arms which support the lower plate such that the lower plate lies in a plane which is displaced from that of Me upper plate. The side arms may be attached to the upper plate by clamping means such that the spacing between the side anus can be adjusted. The side arms may similarly be attached to the lower plate by clamping means such that the spacing between the side arms can be adjusted. The side arms may carry clamping means such that the spacing between the confronting edges of the upper plate and of the lower plate can be adjusted.

The clamping means may be provided in each instance by a screw bolt and wing nut combination. A locking washer may be provided for the vying nut. A said screw bolt may be located in a slot provided on one or both of the upper plate and side arm.

Similarly, a said screw bolt may be located in a slot provided on one or both of the lower plate and a side arm.

The spacing between the plane of the lower plate and that of the upper plate may be adjusted by packing means located between said plates. The packing means may be a packing piece suppported on a screw bolt of the clamping means. The packing means may be a piece including a cut-out section such that it may be fitted onto the screw bolt by passing a shank of this through the said cut-out section.

The lower plate may carry a chamfer on the edge which confronts the upper plate, the said chamfer serving to define a narrow strip where the lower plate will be brought into surface contact with a wood face to be cut.

By way of example, some particular embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: :-. e Àe..:e

-3 Figure 1 is a recess cutting template intended for cutting a recess having predetermined dimensions, Figure 2 shows the template of Figure 1 fitted for use on a door edge, Figure 3 depicts another template which is adjustable for cutting recesses of variable dimensions, Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of template in an underneath view, Figure 5 shows a modification of the template for use in confined spaces, and, Figure 6 is a modification for tiffing a mortice lock.

As shown particularly in Figure 1, a recess cutting template 1 was constructed which comprised an upper plate 2 having two side anus 3. The side arms 3 supported a lower plate 4. It will be noticed that the side arms 3 included a step portion 6 which was arranged such that the plane of the upper surface of the lower plate 4 would be located some two or three rnillimetres below the plane of the lower surface of the upper plate 2.

The effect of the step portion 6 is seen more clearly in Figure 2 which depicts the recess cutting template 1 located on an edge of a door 7. The door 7 was required to be provided with a suitable recess so that a door hinge could be installed. The upper plate 2 of the template was therefore positioned to lie flat on the door edge where the recess was requured and the side arms 3 then overlapped the edge so that the lower plate 4 extended at right angles to a front surface of the door 7. The provision of the step portion 6 was then seen to reveal a narrow strip 8 on the front surface of the door which defined the depth of the recess to be cut.

The lower plate 4 additionally had a chamfer 9 which was provided in case the door front surface should include an architrave or moulding which might extend close up À, e.e.... e.

-4 to the door edge. The chamfer 9 thus served to reduce the chance of the correct fitting of the template 1 from being obstructed by such a moulding.

In operation of the template 1, this was of course provided in a standard size for being used with a corresponding standard size of hinge. The template 1 was positioned in the correct location for the required hinge recess to be cut and the template was temporarily secured in position by small fixing pins inserted through pin holes (not shown) in the upper plate 2 and which were lightly hammered in place in the door edge.

A hand chisel was then used, firstly by laying the chisel cutting edge against the three straight inner walls of the upper plate 2 to make the initial cuts along the periphery of the required hinge recess. The chisel was then used again by laying its cutting edge along the upper face of the lower plate 4 to make a cut to define the depth of the recess. The width of the lower plate 4 particularly in the centre of its length allowed the chisel to lay flat so that the cutting edge was supported in a very precise manner. Because the chisel was held flat against the lower plate 4, this ensured that there would be a completely flat lower surface to the cut recess. The depth of the cut recess which was obtained is determined of course by the dimensions of the template used.

This method thus provided means for the chisel to be precisely located for Me cutting actions and the template ensured that it was not possible for the chisel to make a cut which was outside the area required for the recess.

Once the initial cuts had been made, the chisel was used to clear the remaining wood chip material from the recess and this was then tidied up to leave a space with square sides and bottom for accommodating the hinge leaf. The template 1 was then removed by extracting the small fixing pins which had been provided for temporary À '.e e.;....' 2

-5 support. Figure 3 shows a different embodiment of template which is adjustable to allow it to be used with different sizes and types of hinge. In this embodiment, the upper plate 2 has two side arms 3 which are attached to it by a clamping means comprising a screw bolt and wing nut 11 combination. Each bolt passes through a slot 12 in the upper plate 2 arranged so that the bolts may be slid along the slots 12 and then be clamped in fixed positions by use of the wing nuts 11.

The lower plate 4 similarly is attached to the side arms 3 by a clamping means formed by a screw bolt and wing nut 11 combination. Each bolt passes through a slot 1 3 in the lower plate 4 so that the bolts may be slid along the slots 13 and then be clamped in a fixed position.

It will be noticed that the side anns 3 additionally have their own slots 14 through which the bolts of the clamping means pass. This therefore allows the lower plate 4 to be moved towards or away from the upper plate 2 and then be clamped in a fixed position by use of the wing nuts 11.

The clamping means which is provided for moving the side arms 3 allows the recess cutting template to be adjusted in order to fit it to hinges of different widths. The recesses needed to suit the hinge leaves of these hinges are therefore required to be made of such a size as to fit the relevant hinges.

In order to allow recesses of different depths to be cut, the template includes packing means 16 which may be fitted round the screw bolt members of the lower plate 4 and which will then allow the plane of the plate 4 to be moved downwards or upwards with respect to the plane of the upper plate 2. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the packing : 'are, À..,... ' ' '

-6 means 16 is a square washer which is provided with a cut-out section (not shown) on one side which will allow the washer to be passed round the screw bolt part of the relevant clamping means. Washers from one to four in number may be fitted round the screw bolts so that a suitable degree of depth adjustment may be obtained for the recess.

In the Figure 3 view, the holes 17 for the small fixing pins to secure the template to the door edge can be seen. Of course, an alternative way of securing the template to a door edge would be by use of two small Gclamps which could be located one at each end of the template with one part of each clamp bearing against the door surface.

Figure 4 depicts a further construction of template in an underneath view. It will be apparent that in the embodiments of Figures 1 and 3, the side arms 3 are fixed at right angles to the upper plate 2. In the Figure 4 embodiment, the side arms 3 are cut away in the places 18 so that each side arm 3 may be partially rotated about its respective screw bolt fixing. This allows a further possibility for adjusting the template since an arm may be tilted to lie for example at 70 , 90 or 1 10 to the length of the upper plate 2. This allows the recess shape to be modified as necessary so that additional versions of hinge leaves may be fitted to the door. For example, there are some types of bar hinges where the hinge leaves are triangular in shape.

The Figure 4 view also shows the presence of countersunk edges 19 on the lower sides of the slots 12,13. This shape of edge is provided to accommodate countersunk heads which is the type of head used in this embodiment on the screw bolts of the bolt and wing nut combinations.

Figure 5 shows a modification of the template arrangement which may be used when cutting a rebate for a lock keep where a door frame allows a space of only five to :.,e', À.;.. s"2 ''

-7 seven millimetres in width between the lock keep edge and a rebate corner of the door jamb. In this modification, the template upper plate 2 is removed from its normal position and it is then refitted in a side upwards position by means of a member 21. The member 21 is secured to the side arm 3 by a screw 22.

The Figure 5 view shows at its right hand side the upper plate 2 in its normal position and at its left hand side the plate 2 refitted in the side up position by means of the member 21. Of course, in normal operation, the upper plate 2 would be secured in two places by means of a member 21 being positioned at both ends of the plate 2. This modification of the template allows the upper plate 2 to be used in a side upwards position where it creates less obstruction in the region behind the upper plate 2. This can enable the template to be used in comparatively confined spaces.

Figure 6 shows a further modification where location templates for the handle and keyhole slot openings of a mortice lock are provided. The handle opening template is provided by a post 23 capable of being secured to the underside of the lower plate 4. The securing of the post 23 is done by using the clamping means 11 and the slot 13 which are already present on the lower plate 4. Lee post 23 is provided with a longitudinal guide in which a platform 24 is secured by a screw clamp. The platfonn 24 includes an operung 26 which is of a suitable size as to provide a cutting template for the handle opening of the mortice lock.

Similarly, at the right hand side of the Figure, another platform 24 includes its own opening 27 arranged to provide a cutting template for the keyhole slot.

In use of this template modification, with the relevant clamps loosened, the two platforms 24 may be moved up and down or from side to side until they can be locked in : '. '...... ',.

-8 the required positions by use of the screw clamps. The correct positioning is obtained by adjusting the platforms 24 when they are held up against the side of the mortice lock which is required to be fitted. The Figure 6 view additionally shows a mortise lock 28 located to show how this can be used to achieve the correct positions of the openings 26, 27. The platforms 24 will then show the positioning of the handle and keyhole slot openings which are required and they will give a cutting guide when the template 1 is supported against the edge of a door. The necessary handle and keyhole slot openings for the lock can then be cut by using the openings 26,27 to guide a suitable drilling tool.

Use of the template 1 with the platforms 24 thus gives a simple way of cutting suitably positioned openings in a door edge so that a mortice lock may be quickly and accurately installed.

The recess cutting template of the invention has been found to be inexpensive to manufacture and it can be extremely helpful in enabling different sizes and types of hinges to be fitted in a speedy and efficient manner. The invention, of course, is applicable to fitting additional items of hardware which might require a recess to be made such as lock keeps, rising butt hinges, parliament hinges, door locks and face plates.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been given by way

of example only and a number of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For instance, instead of using square washers for the packing means these could be replaced by round washers. Each side arm 3 could be made in two parts which are joined by a pivot or screw clamp. This side arm construction would then allow still more varied shapes of recess to be cut. In a further modification, the recess cutting template could carry its own fitted clamp means to À c..e '"e

-9- enable it to be attached easily to a door edge.

In a further modification, the side arms may each be provided with a tongue which fits into a longitudinal groove on the upper plate. This will serve to maintain the side arm at right angles to the plate whilst still permitting the distance between the side arms to be adjusted. A similar tongue and groove connection may be provided to couple the side arms to the lower plate. Instead of the clamping means being provided by the wing nut and screw combination already described, this could be done alternatively by a conventional nut and a socket head screw which is tightened with a separate hexagonal key. The nuts might then be accommodated in their own recesses on the undersides of the plates. . À... .

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Claims

-10 CLAIMS

1 A recess cutting template, the template comprising an upper plate and a lower plate, the upper plate carrying two side arms which support the lower plate such that the lower plate lies in a plane which is displaced from that of the upper plate.

2 A template as claimed in Claim 1, in which the side arms are attached to the upper

plate by clamping means such that the spacing between the side arms can be adjusted.

3 A template as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the side arms are attached to the lower plate by clamping means such that the spacing between the side arms can be adjusted.

4 A template as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the side arms carry clamping means such Mat the spacing between the confronting edges of the upper plate and of the lower plate can be adjusted.

5 A template as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which one or more of the clamping means is provided by a screw bolt and wing nut combination.

6 A template as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, in which one or more of the clamping means is supported in a slot of the relevant plate or side arm.

7 A template as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 6, in which the clamping means includes packing pieces whereby a spacing distance between the said upper and lower plates may be adjusted.

8 A recess cutting template substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

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