In the pic... the hardwood strip clamped to the bench serves as a rest for the cutting tool. I can't recall if I've cut through covering materiel that didn't have a prior knife cut but I doubt it would be any problem. It certainly is no problem when there is a knife cut. As offered, cutting the relief for the hinge pin is no problem with a rotary tool and a cone shaped cutter. The tip of the cone holds the cutter aligned with the slot and it is easy to hold the depth needed whether there is covering or not.