US2804106A - Mortising tool provided with door jamb clearance compensating means - Google Patents

Description

'Aug. 27, 1957 c DI MANNO 2,804,106

MORTISING TOOL PROVIDED WITH DOOR JAMB CLEARANCE COMPENSATING MEANS Filed Aug. 17, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 III/I ms 5" I l M /08 E S k Aug. 27, 1957 Filed Aug. 17-, 1954 c. DI MANNO' MORTISING TOOLPROVIDED WITH DOOR JAMB CLEARANCE COMPENSATING MEANS 3 SheetsSheet 3 I64 I I 7 0 IE9 MORTISHN G TOQL PROVIDED WITH DOOR JAMB CLEARANCE COMPENSATING MEANS Carlo Di Manno, Greenbush, Mass. Application August 17, 1954, Serial No. 450,287 15 Claims. (Cl. 14427) This invention relates to carpentry tools and more particularly to tools employed to cut mortises in doors and door jambs for receiving the leaves of hinges.

The operation of setting door butts by hand, as it is usually done, is time consuming and requires considerable skill on the part of the carpenter in order to produce an accurate, neat appearing job. The carpenter first marks out in pencil the outline of thearea which is to be cut out to receive the leaf of the hinge, then cuts the wood along the outline, and finally clips away the wood in the outlined area to the desired depth. This procedure is followed in making mortises on both the door and thedoor jamb. In laying out the jamb mortise it is necessary to calculate the width of the mortise so that there will be clearance between the face of the door and the rabbet, preferably about in. Furthermore, the depth of the mortise must be just enough to permit the hinge leaves to lie flush with the jamb and the edge of the door. If the hinges are set too deep, the door will bind. It is difficult to make a perfectly fiat even cut with a hand chisel. The wood tends to split along the line of the grain, which may slant with respect to the edge of the door or frame. The splinters also tend to extend beyond the desired outine, unless the carpenter works slowly and with care.

The general object of this invention is to provide a hand tool which will cut mortises quickly and accurately to the exact size and depth to fit a standard door butt, which eliminates the labor of laying out the borders of the mortises, which minimizes the danger of splitting the wood beyond the desired outline, which automatically spaces the jamb mortise the proper distance from the rabbet to allow clearance for the door, and which is sufficiently simple and compact so that it can be conveniently carried in a tool box. Other advantages of the device will be apparent from the following description.

In the drawing illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of a tool constructed according to the invention, shown in position for use on a door jamb;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the tool in position for use on a door;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cutting knife used with the tool;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of another form of the tool, shown as applied to a door jamb;

Fig. 7 is a cross-section taken along line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section taken along line 88 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of still another form of the tool, shown as applied to a door;

Fig. 10 is a cross-section taken along linep10-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a cross-section taken along line 1111 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the cutting knives Used with the tool of Fig. 9;

nited States Patent Fig. 13 is a plan view of still another form of the tool, shown as applied to a door jamb;

Fig. 14 is a cross-section taken along line 14-14 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a cross-section taken along line 1515 of Fig. 13; and

Fig. 16 is a cross-section similar to Fig. 14, showing the tool as applied to a door.

The tool illustrated in Figs. 1-5 consists of an H-shaped frame, indicated generally by the numeral 20, and a cooperating knife 21. The frame has a central cross bar 22, to which are connected legs 23 and 24 which serve as outline guides for the door mortise, and legs 25 and 26 which serve as outline guides for the jamb mortise. The legs 25 and 26 are offset to the rear of legs 23 and 24, and cross bar 22 has a longitudinal groove 27 which receives either edge of the rabbet 28 of the jamb 29, as in Figs. 1 and 4, or the edge of the door 30, as in Figs. 2 and 5.

The legs 23 and 24 carry rearwardly extending lugs 31 and 32 in which are threaded a pair of thumb screws 33 and 34, preferably tipped with rubber buttons 35 and 36. Groove 27 has a flat side face 37 which engages one side of the door or rabbet, as the case may be, and buttons 35 and 36 are brought up tight by means of the screws against the other side of the door or rabbet to clamp the tool in place. The extreme right hand face 38 of bar 22, together with the inner faces 39 and 40 of legs 25 and 26, serves as an outline guide for a jamb mortise. Similarly the extreme left hand face 41 of bar 22, together with the inner faces 42 and 43 of legs 23 and 24, serves as an outline guide for a door mortise.

The cutting knife 21 consists of a blade 45 attached to a holder 46 which has projecting margins 47 and 48. Arms 23 and 24 have slots 49 and 50, and arms 25 and 26 have similar slots 51 and 52, which slidably receive the margins 47 and 48 of the knife holder.

To use the tool for cutting a mortise on a door jamb the device is first clamped on the rabbet as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The carpenter needs to locate, by measurement, only the height at which the hinge is to be set and align one of the surfaces 39 or 40 with the bottom or top, as the case may be, of the area to be cut out to receive the hinge. The knife 21 is then placed with its back to face 38, in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and hammered into the jamb. As shown by the dotted outline 53 of the knife in Fig. 4, the front corners 55 and 56 of the projecting margins 47 and 48 of the knife holder engage the front faces 57 and 58, when the blade has penetrated to the correct depth and serve as stops. The knife is then moved successively to the positions shown by the dotted outlines 59 and 60 in Fig. 1 and hammered in to cut the top and bottom outlines of the mortise. The margins 47 and 48 of the holder are then engaged in slots 51 and 52, respectively, and the knife is hammered in the direction of the arrows 61 (Fig. l) to undercut the material in the mortise area and complete the mortise. The corners 55 and 56 of the holder engage the ends 62 and 63 of slots 51 and 52, respectively, when the knife edge is even with face 38, and thus serve as stops to limit the cut to the exact width desired.

To cut a mortise on a door, the tool is clamped to the door 30, as illustrated in Fig. 2 and 5. The knife is placed with its back to each of the three guide surfaces 41, 42 and 43, and hammered in to form the outline of the mortise, the front faces 64 and 65 serving as stops for the corners 55 and 56 in cutting the jamb mortise, the margins 47 and 48 of the holder are then engaged in slots 50 and 49 respectively and the knife hammered in to perform the undercut. These slots also stop short of the cross bar 22 so as to limit the travel of the knife to the desired area. 7

It will be noted in Fig. 5 that the mortise cut on the door is spaced from the right hand edge of the door by the distance between surfaces 37 and 41, which will be referred to as dimension A. In Fig. 4, it will be noted that the mortise cut on the jamb 29 is spaced from the rabbet 28 by the distance between faces 37 and 36 which will be referred to as dimension B. The latter dimension on the tool is made larger than dimension A, preferably about in. greater. The correct clearance between the door and the rabbet, when the door is hung, is thus ensured.

This form of tool is simple and flat enough so that several tools corresponding to the most used standard door sizes can be readily carried in a tool box. The tool, therefore, need not be made adjustable. This simple construction results in a saving, and the lack of adjustability is to some extent an advantage, as errors due to faulty adjustment are eliminated.

The form of tool shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 consists in general of a 72 and 73 are mounted, and which has slots 74 and 75 for slidably receiving a knife 76. The box carries blocks 77 and 78 on its sides. These blocks have rear surfaces 79 and 80 which, when the blades 71, 72 and 73 have been driven into the wood, engage the jamb, or door, as the case may be, and serve as stops to limit the depth of the cut. The blocks also have end faces 81 and 82 which butt against the rabbet 28 when the tool is used on a jamb, to space the mortise from the rabbet. The box has a rear wall 83, running between the side wall projections 70a and 70b in which slots 74 and 75 are located. A block 84 carrying a screw 85 is mounted on the rear of wall 83. The knife 76 carries a bar 86 which engages the head of screw 85 when the mortise has been under cut to the desired width. The screw can be adjusted to compensate for shortening of the knife when it is sharpened.

To use the tool on a jamb, the box is laid against the jamb with the end surfaces 81 and 82 of blocks 77 and 7S engaging the edge of the rabbet. The box is then hammered to drive the three stationary blades into the jamb, forming the outline of the mortise. The knife 76 is then engaged in the slots 74 and 75 and hammered in to perform the undercut. The tool is used on a door in much the same manner. The wall 83 carries a bar 87 which engages the edge of the door to establish the width of the mortise. This block is so located with respect to the blade 72 as to produce a mortise slightly wider than the jamb mortise which is gauged by engaging blocks 77 and 78 with the rabbet. The front wall 88 of the box may be provided with holes 89 for locating the holes for the hinge screws. After the mortise is cut, the box is turned over and fitted into the mortise and marks made in any usual way through holes 89.

In the form shown in Figs. 9 to 11 the box for gauging the mortise consists of side walls 90 and 91 with extending legs 92 and 93, an end wall 94, and a cross bar 95 mounted between the side walls 96, 97, and 98 which, with the three walls of the box, form open slots 99, 100, and 101. Two knives are used with this box, a broad knife 102, and a narrow knife 103. The side walls carry blocks 104 and 105 which butt aganist the rabbet when the tool is used on a jamb, in the same manner as blocks 77 and 78 in the form shown in Figs. 6 to 8. The rear plate 106 carries a block 107 which engages the edge of the door 30 when the tool is used on a door, as shown in Fig. 10. The small knife 103 is inserted in succession in slots 99 and 101, and hammered in to cut the top and bottom outlines of the mortise. The small knife is provided with a projecting back bar 108. Mounted on walls 91 and 92 are blocks 109 and 110 carrying screws 111 and 112 respectively. These screws engage bar 108 when knife 103 has penetrated to the correct depth. The large knife is inserted in slot 100 to cut the side outline of the mortise. This knife carries a block 113 in which box 70, in which three stationary knives 71,

' cut the top and bottom outlines.

is mounted a screw 114. Wall 94 has a projection which engages this screw to stop the knife at the correct depth. When the knife is used to perform the undercut, screw 114 engages block 107 and serves to stop the knife at the correct width. All the screws 111, 112, and 114 can be adjusted to compensate for shortening of the knives as they are sharpened.

The tool in the form shown in Figs. l3l6 again consists of a box having side walls 115 and 116 and end wall 117, a front plate 118 and a rear Wall 119. A stationary knife 120 is attached to the end wall. A movable plate 121 is also attached to end wall 117 by means of a thumb screw 122 running in a slot 123 in the plate. When the tool is used on a jamb the plate is adjusted flush with edge 124 of wall 117 and provides the extra clearance spacing between the mortise and the rabbet, as shown in Fig. 14. When the tool is used on a door, plate 121 is moved to the rear to engage one side of the door while edge 125 of wall 119 engages the other, as shown in Fig. 16. A single narrow, movable knife 126 is used with this device. Knife 120 is first hammered in to cut the side outline of the mortise and seat the tool. Plate 118 is provided with slots 127 and 12S. Knife 126 is inserted in each of these slots in succession and hammered in to. Knife 126 carries a block 129 having an edge 130 which engages the face of plate 118 when the knife has penetrated to the correct depth. This block also overhangs the knife to the rear, and has an edge 131, which engages the edge 132 of rear wall 119 as a stop, when the knife is used to perform the undercut. Rear wall 119 has a central partition 133 which has grooves 134 and 135. Walls 115 and 116 also have grooves 136 and 137. Knife 126 is engaged in grooves 135 and 137 and hammered in to under cut about one half of the area, and then engaged in grooves 134 and 136 and hammered in to under cut the rest of the area. The small strip of wood in the middle which is not directly engaged by the knife will ordinarily split away smoothly.

In all its forms this tool enables a carpenter to cut perfect mortises with a minimum exercise of skill, and without making time consuming measurements and layouts. The clearance between the door and rabbet is automatically provided. Furthermore the tool is sufficiently simple and compact so that it can be easily carried in a hand tool box.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool, for cutting corresponding hinge mortises on a door and a jamb of the type having a rabbet projecting so as to overlap the door when the latter is closed, comprising: a guide frame adapted to engage the member to be cut and to define the desired outline of the mortise; means on said frame for engaging the edge of a door to establish the width of the mortise; means on said frame for engaging the rabbet of a door jamb, said rabbet engaging means being so disposed in fixed relationship with respect to said door engaging means as to space the jamb mortise from the rabbet by sufficient distance to provide a predetermined clearance between the rabbet and the door when the latter is hung and closed; and a knife slidably engageable with said frame to perform the undercut of the mortise, said frame having means for guiding the knife to undercut at a desired depth.

2. A tool as described in claim 1, said frame having a pair of parallel grooves, and said knife having a pair of parallel margins slidably received in said grooves.

3. A tool as described in claim 1, said frame having a stop member, and said knife having a cooperating stop member, the stop members being adapted to limit the travel of the knife to undercut only the area within the confines of the mortise outline.

4. A tool, for cutting corresponding hinge mortises on a door and jamb, comprising: a generally H-shaped frame having a central cross-bar, a first pair of legs extending to one side of the cross-bar, and a second pair of legs exseems tending to the other side of the side of the cross-bar, each pair of legs having opposing parallel surfaces, and said cross-bar having a first and a second fiat surface, the first forming, with the opposing surfaces of the first pair of legs, an outline guide for the door mortise, and the second forming, with the opposing surfaces of the second pair of legs, an outline guide for the jamb mortise; a knife slidably received on either pair of legs to undercut the mortise; and an offset portion on said bar having a fiat face disposed parallel to said first and second bar surfaces and adapted to engage either the edge of a door or the edge of a jamb rabbet, said flat face being disposed further from said first surface than from said second surface by a distance suitable for producing a predetermined clearance between the rabbet and the door when the latter is hung.

5. A tool as described in claim 4, said first pair of legs carrying a pair of screws adapted to engage the edge of a jamb rabbet or door opposite that engaged by said fiat face to clamp the tool in place.

6. A tool as described in claim 4, each of said legs having a slot along its guiding surface, and said knife having projecting margins slidably engageable in the slots of either pair of legs, said slots terminating short of the cross-bar and said margins having corners engageable with the ends of the slots to limit the travel of the knife to under cut only the area within the confines of the mortise outline.

7. A tool as described in claim 4, said knife having a fiat back, engageable with any of the surface forming the outline guides, and side projections, and said legs and cross bar having front faces engageable by said projections to limit, the depth of the mortise when the knife is used to cut the outline.

8. A tool, for cutting corresponding hinge mortises on a door and a jamb, comprising: a box having two parallel side walls, connected by an end wall, and a rear opening; stationary knife blades attached to said side and end walls and projecting through said rear opening, said blades being arranged to cut the outline of a mortise; blocks mounted on said end walls having rear faces engageable with the door or jamb to limit the depth of the outline cut by said blades, said blocks also having end faces adapted to engage the rabbet of a jamb to establish the space of the jamb mortise therefrom to allow clearance between one rabbet and the door when the latter is hung; a bar mounted parallel to said end wall on the opposite side of the rear opening and adapted to engage the edge of a door to establish the width of the mortise; and a movable knife slidably engageable with said side walls in a plane perpendicular to said stationary knives said movable knife being adapted to perform the under cut of the mortise.

9. A tool as described in claim 8, said movable knife carrying a projection, and the box having a screw with a head engageable by said projection, said screw constituting an adjustable stop to limit the undercut performed by the movable knife to the area outlined by the stationary knives.

10. A tool, for cutting correspondinghinge mortises on a door and a jamb, comprising: a box having two parallel side walls, connected by an end wall, and a rear opening; a plate mounted on said box and partially overlying said rear opening, said plate having three edges disposed parallel to said side and end walls, and forming therewith a continuous slot adapted to serve as an outline guide for the mortise; blocks mounted on said side walls, said blocks having end faces engageable with a jamb rabbet to space the jamb mortise therefrom and provide clearance between the rabbet and the door when the latter is hung; a cross-piece mounted parallel to said end wall on the opposite side of said opening, said cross-piece being engageable with the edge of a door to establish the width of the door mortise; a first movable knife slidably engageable in said slot alongside of either of said side walls and adaptable to cut the top and bottom outlines of the mortise; and a second movable knife, wider than the first, said second knife being slidably engageable in said slot to cut the side margin of the mortise, and also slidably receivable between said side walls to undercut the mortise.

11. A tool as described in claim 10, said first knife having a projection and said side walls having screws mounted thereon to engage said projection and serve as adjustable stops to limit the depth of the outline cut, said second knife having a screw mounted thereon, said end wall having a projection adapted to engage saidlast named screw and serve as a stop to limit the depth of the outline cut and said cross-piece also having a projection adapted to engage said last named screw and serve as a stop to limit the width of the undercut.

12. A tool, for cutting corresponding hinge mortises on a door and a jamb, comprising: a box having two parallel side walls, connected by an end wall, and a rear opening; a front plate overlying said rear opening, having slots alongside said end walls; a stationary knife mounted on said end wall and projecting through said opening; a back plate connecting said side walls to one side of said opening, said back plate having an edge adapted to engage the edge of a door and establish the width of the mortise; a partition centrally mounted on said back plate, having grooves on either side running parallel to said side walls, the latter also having grooves; a movable knife slidably engageable with either groove of the partition and the groove of the adjacent side Wall to perform part of the undercut of the mortise, said movable knife being also slidably engageable in said slots to perform the top and bottom outline cuts of the mortise; and an end plate attached to said end wall and adapted to engage the rabbet of a door jam, said end plate being of a thickness corresponding to the desired clearance between the jamb and the door when the latter is hung.

13. A tool as described in claim 12, said back plate being slidable on said end wall in a direction perpendicular to the rear opening, to engage the edge of the door opposite that engaged by the back plate when the tool is used on a door.

14. A tool as described in claim 12, said movable knife having a first projection adapted to engage the back plate to limit the width of the undercut, and a second projection adapted to engage the front plate and limit the depth of the cut when the knife is used to cut the top and bottom outlines of the mortise.

15. A tool for cutting corresponding hinge mortises on a door and a jamb of the type having a rabbet projecting so as to overlap the door when the latter is closed, comprising: a frame having a cross-bar and legs extending therefrom and defining therewith the outline of the mortise; means on said cross-bar for engaging either the edge of a door or the edge of a jamb, and providing with said frame a fixed spacing device for producing a predetermined clearance between the rabbet and the door when the latter is hung; and a knife slidably engageable with said frame to perform. the undercut of the mortise, said frame having means for guiding the knife to undercut at a desired depth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 302,058 Thurston July 15,1884 453,045 Gutzman May 26, 1891 507,914 Lee Oct. 31, 1893 761,861 Wagner June 7, 1904 1,043,584 Franklin Nov. 5, 1912 1,079,719 Poortinga Nov. 25, 1913 1,417,431 Vogt May 23, 1922

Images