How to Make Wooden Hinges for a Gate Leg Table

Discover how to make wooden hinges for a gateleg table, hinged-lid blanket chest or other furniture projects. Watch as we teach you how to set up your tablesaw with a shop-made fence that guides your workpiece past a dado head blade, creating perfect teeth and sockets. And this wooden hinge is just the beginning. WWGOA’s extensive, authoritative video collection is the best place to go to learn how to build furniture.

Make the Fence

When learning how to make wooden hinges using this technique, you’ll start by building a fence with vertical and horizontal components. This fence supports your work pieces and prevents them from being tippy and splintering while going past the blade.

Adjust the Blade

Use a piece of your project material as a gauge to make adjustments to the dado head blade. After it is properly positioned, attach the miter gauge fence to the tablesaw and you’re ready to make the cuts for the teeth and sockets.

Make the First Cuts

Turn on the tablesaw, put on hearing protection and with the fence and the dado head properly set up, these cuts are nearly foolproof.

Transfer Measurements

Once you’ve made the cuts for the hinge’s teeth, use the teeth and marking knives to indicate where to make cuts for the sockets on the second piece of wood.

Finishing Touches

Test the hinge to see how the teeth fit into the sockets. If one is a bit too big, shave off a little and test it again. Once you get the hang of how to make wooden hinges, you’ll want to use them whenever possible in your woodworking projects.

Related Videos:

Boring the Hinge Pin into the Wooden Hinge for a Gate Leg Table

Rounding the Edges on a Wooden Hinge for a Gate Leg Table