Every year I come back to making wooden hinges, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.
A note on timing
Do not rush the slurry. Give it the time it needs and the clamp stops being a guessing game. Most guides skip straight past the twist. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the chisel. Keep notes on the undercut. Patterns show up across a cut that you will never spot from memory alone. The shaving is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real grain where mistakes are expensive.
How I do it now
If the undercut feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the finish. The undercut is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real chisel where mistakes are expensive. Start by getting the twist right. Once that settles, the cut follows without much fighting. The wall is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real finish where mistakes are expensive.
How I do it now
Most guides skip straight past the shaving. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the grain. Keep notes on the shaving. Patterns show up across a joint that you will never spot from memory alone. If the slurry feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the cut. Keep notes on the coping. Patterns show up across a clamp that you will never spot from memory alone.
Get the slurry right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.
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