The mortised depression chopped or routed into wood to receive the leaf of a hinge. Sinking the hinge into the pan allows the two wooden surfaces to close tightly without the metal hardware holding them apart. The depth of the pan must perfectly match the thickness of the hinge leaf to prevent the door from binding.
Heard on the job
Clean out the corners of the pan with a chisel so the butt hinge sits dead flat.
Also heard as
- hinge mortise
- hinge gain