MORTISE. HINGE ETC. 4/CRB7

The MHLF is a pair of micro adjustable precision machined jaws; these sit either side of the work piece re-establishing a safer level of surface contact between router and work piece. Allowing accurate Mortises or Hinge and Lock Rebates or flutes to be machined.

Functions:

Work mortise length with uninterrupted on-board "Sight lines"

Cut centred and off centred mortises.

Cut hinge and lock rebates.

Repeat cut sets of flutes.

Edge molding Parallel to edge groove or channelling.

Quick fit:

The MHL has just 4 screws to fit it to the CRB baseplate; so it's seriously fast and simple to set up in 3 different positions according to the width of stock that's being worked.

Core Stability:

The main issue with routing into the edge of a board from above is that the router foot print is much greater in surface area than the surface area of the material being machined. However MHL's unique design creates a stable platform through increasing the surface contact area between router and stock. This is achieved by a sizeable jaw of 270 x 20mm either side of the workpiece that securely holds the Router CRB assembly onto the work piece. Even narrow sections of stock can be mortised easily especially when auxiliary cheeks are fitted to the jaws (Fixings included) they add a further contact surface area increase of 2 x 12 x 1.1/2" (300 x 35mm) maximising and further stabilizing the relationship between router and workpiece.

Heavy Duty Jaws:

The 2 Jaws are injection moulded in solid highly durable low co-efficient Nylon. Then to ensure a truly flat surface to run up against the work piece. Both Jaws are machined flat on a milling machine at our factory in the UK. That guarantees consistent jaw to work piece surface contact. Threaded inserts are fitted to the jaws so that auxiliary cheeks can be fitted to further enhance stability when working with very narrow stock.

Blunted Jaw Tips:

We’ve improved the profile of the Jaw Ends - Feedback from our MHLF beta testers led us to re-tool the injection molding suite of tools. Our panel found that when using clamp heads to control the length of a mortise; the jaws curved tips made for a small contact point for the clamp head to consistently butt up against. The curves have been replaced by cropped right-angle ends that have proven to be the solution.

Micro Adjustment:

Having established and we like to think perfected micro adjustment of cutter position. We've repeated the same design and included it with the positioning on the MHL Jaws. However on the MHL we centralized the adjuster between a pair of rods, pinch bolts and collars so that when positioned can be locked; ensuring that the jaws remain parallel to each other at all times.

Sight Line:

During a router cutting pass considerable amounts of dust and debris are created. Making it difficult to accurately see the position of a cutter spinning at high speeds . All this is hidden at the center of the most crowded part of the router. So gauging when to consistently end the cutting pass is difficult. The design of the MHL offers an alternative "Sight Line" solution; recessed indicators are positioned on the tips of both jaws and allow an uninterrupted view that allow greater control and accuracy of the mortise length.

Massive Range:

It's no news that the router is the most versatile power tool available especially allied with the CRB 7. However what may not be fully apprciated is that extraordinary levels of accuracy can be achieved comparable with accuracy levels attained by serious floor mounted machines. Comparing The CRB7 MHL to floor mounted machinery seams foolish.
However we can't think of many if any mortising jigs or mortising machines with the adjustability that can cope with the huge varity of stock width that the MHL can. Starting from effectively a zero width (not very useful) up to a maximum of 7" (178mm) - the MHL can cope with any stock width in between.

Mighty Small:

If workshop space is limited or there's a need to work "On site", The MHL like its base unit The CRB7 is light and easy to carry or store. Small in size, large in heart. The MHL can create extraordinarily crisp precise repeatable mortises and rebates easily and quickly.