8663 Jig for SOSS 203 Invisible Hinge Mortise Installation, Hidden Hinge Install Template, Made in The USA

This soss hinge routing jig is excellent.....I machined 4 perfect sized mortises, eachchecked with a digital depth gauge, and verified snug fit to perimeter of hinge body.The average depth varied no more than .005 and the body width was dead on, as well as thetotal length and the radius at each end, for a nice snug fit.Where I found a problem, was that with assembled fold down solid maple fronts...(two hinges each)...is that the gap between the edge of the closed front and the face frame they were hinged fromwas not consistent. One side of a given door might be .055 - .060 (1/16"),while the other sideor where the other hinge was might be as small as .010 - .015 (1/64"). I had purchased aquantity of these soss #101 hinges, so started exchanging them for the small opening gap,and found that it was the hinges that varied the gap when installed in the same mortise.In the end, to finish my project I had to shim the upper part of the hinge mortise,where thescrews mount the hinge,(sometimes just in the frame,and other times both the frame and door panel)with .005,.010, or .020 self-adhesive UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight).This stuff is priceless for shimming everything from tools andjigs to hinges that don't quite live up to the task.I HIGHLY recommend these fixtures from woodhaven. You just may have to figure more time for shimmingthe hinge discrepancy itself.

This jig worked great. I've built similar jigs in my shop but for the degree of precision required for Soss hinges I figured this would be a worthwhile investment. It definitely was a good call. I was able to install 2 hinges in less than 15 minutes (including layout) with darn near perfect results.I was however building a very simple jewelry box. It would be nice if this jig had a center line mark or some other kind of reference. I originally planned to scribe a line at the end of the hinge (since there is not center line in the jig) but even that proved problematic since top plate is cut away at the edges. If I'm missing something I'd sure like to know as I plan to use this in more complicated setups.I'd buy this again in a heartbeat if it had some kind of reference marks. . . without them I'd still probably buy it but feel that its overpriced.

The product claim to work with a 3/4" OD router bushing.My bushing is .752 OD.The slot is only .742 in width.-- Update -- I purchased their 20 dollar overpriced bushing to see if it fit. It does not.Just buy the cheaper soss jig and don't waste your time with this oneMaybe their bushing that is advertised as .75 OD is actually significantly undersized. But I don't see any possible way this would work unless the template had at least 1/16" of clearance. I received a defective or mislabeled jig.

I would have given 5 stars as the this template is very accurate and easy to use. The only downside is chip clearance, this thing collects wood shavings so fast, you have to be careful to clear it often or else your holes will not be full width. Otherwise a good template that as previously mentioned is a bit overpriced.

SOSS hinges are great, but they're a bear to install right without a template. This template makes perfect installs every time quick and easy. Only gripe is it's a bit spendy for what it is.

I purchased this router guide template from Woodhaven to aid in the installation of Soss hinges. The template was easy to use and provided a near perfect fit for the hinge. I think that the hinge installation without the guide template would have been rather difficult and not as tight and clean. I will definitely use this product again in the future. I used the template in a vise which made the job a lot easier. For safety sake I don't think that I would use it unless you have the template and the workpiece clamped together to a bench top or held in a vice.

A number of issues exist upon inspection.1) One incorrect sized “One Track” of two2) The 10-24 flat head screws are too short to assemble and use the One TrackSolution: locate blue anodized T track slot material as found on hand and cut to length. Find and modify 2 of the 10-24 screws to correct length. Assemble..good to go.

The only down side here is the inability of the template offering to do multiple hinges on a door at the same time without having to improvise one, but that would be a great addition!±