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Cool Hinge Project

12K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  Laserdude 
#1 ·
Create Hinge Pattern

The fall cleanup is finally over & and I am finally finding my way back into the shop. I am very eager to get started with some new projects this season. As it turns out I have a cedar box base left over from last year, and before I start a new project I want to finish this box. The box is @ 4" x 7" x 2" tall with a maple base.

Rectangle Wood Material property Hardwood Flooring


The Lumberjock community seemed to like the hinges I made on a Black Walnut Box I posted earlier this year. This enthusiasm has motivated me to try to make another box with a new wood hinge design. I want to create a design where the hinges will integrate into the pattern on the box cover. Before we get too far, we should consider the level of contrast we are trying to accomplish in the box cover. Since we are using the eastern red cedar base, I have decided to use a maple cover which is very light in color. The contrast will look really cool if we make the cover inlay design & hinges out of red cedar. This should make the cover really stand out….....

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The cover will be on hinges, so we will overlap the cover by 1/8" beyond the base to make an overhang or lip on three sides of the box. After studying the appearance of the blank cover, I have decided to make 1" beveled edges. This should give the illusion the cover is smaller in thickness, and will soften the profile of the finished box.

Wooden block Wood Rectangle Table Art


The beveled edges on the cover leave a working area of 3" x 5" for our design & hinges. We need to go to the computer at this point, and try to create a graphic that can be used to integrate a hinge within this space. After contemplating the design I settled on a floral type of pattern, where I can use the stems as a portion of the hinge. The design ended up in a symmetrical pattern, and the stem size was increased for improving the strength of the hinge.

Personal computer Computer Font Art Cephalopod


The next step is to laser engrave the graphic to the cover. We only want to cut the depth of the graphic to @ .030 into the maple. This will allow the cedar inlay to be accurately located in the cover to maintain symmetry, proper spacing, and will complete our artistic intent for the design of the cover.

Wood Rectangle Art Material property Flooring


At this point it is important to finish sanding the cover. I want the maple surface as smooth as possible before we start to glue some of the cedar inlay when we get to that step. As we progress further we must be cautious not to damage the surface as we continue to work on the cover.

Later this week I will post the next steps on this cover/hinge design….....................
 

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#2 ·
Begin Creating The Inlay Patterns

Today we are getting ready to start inserting our red cedar inlay into the Maple cover we have made. If you remember we left off with a cover that is roughed out by the laser for our design, and was finish sanded.

Brown Wood Rectangle Material property Font


I do like making inlay that fits into the wood like marquetry. The finished look of the inlay flush to the wood surface is always a nice appearance, but this design is going to have more of a contoured finish. I am going to raise the inlay to different heights to give the design more of 3-D effect. I will start to create the inlay at the thinnest/lowest level in the design. We will choose some red cedar that I have planed down to @ 3/32 of an inch.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Plank


The next step is to go back to the computer and create a cutting program for the individual pieces needed for the thinnest inlay. I arrange the pieces needed within the size of the wood I am working with.

Gesture Font Art Material property Tree


The laser cuts the parts needed pretty quickly.

Wood Sewing machine feet Sewing machine Household appliance accessory Creative arts


Very carefully we dry assemble all of the parts to verify the fit. The laser is very accurate, and we can nail the fit precisely to size. Once we are satisfied with the dry assembly, we are ready for gluing them in place. I really despise any glue run out, so I am very careful when starting this phase of the inlay. I use a small notepad and put glue in the center. I level out the glue to create an even film. I then carefully place each piece onto the film of glue on the notepad. This technique applies an even film on the inlay. We do this repeatedly until all the pieces are in place. I then clamp a flat board over the inlay pieces, and let the glue dry over night.

Brown Wood Art Font Flooring


Once the glue has dried I finish sand this inlay level very carefully. I also slightly break all of the edges to soften the sharpness of each piece without damaging the surface of our cover. We then proceed to create the next thickness level in our design. I am going to increase cedar inlay to @ 5/32 of an inch. We will follow the same procedures we used earlier on the first level of inlay. This technique is not a fast process, but we are making something we will enjoy…............

Brown Wood Rectangle Material property Art


While the glue dries on our second level of inlay, we can start thinking about the flower stem hinges. Sometime tomorrow, we will post the third inlay step that will start to create our hinges….........
 

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#3 ·
Time For The Hinges

A new day, and we are finally ready to start the hinges…...........

We left off with gluing the second level of cedar inlay, and letting it dry overnight. We now need to finish sand this inlay level. Once the inlay is smooth, I round over the sharp edges on all of the inlay being careful not to hit the finished cover surface. If you recall the first inlay level has a slightly rounded edge, and now the second level inlay will have a more distinct rounded edge. Now onto the final inlay level which is our hinges. We will increase the thickness of the cedar to 1/4" thickness for our inlay/hinge.

Wood Finger Wood stain Cutting board Flooring


Time to go back to the computer to work on the rest of the hinge design. We need to create a base component that will match our floral stems, and incorporate the geometry needed for a hinge. Once I have settled on the design, I create a cutting program for the laser.

Computer Personal computer Rectangle Office equipment Operating system


Since the cover of the box will be opened and closed repeatedly, I want to incorporate some strength to stem inlay. I do trust the glue to hold the inlay, but if we use brass screws in the design it will add a decorative touch to the finished box. I add a hole pattern to both the right & left style hinges on the computer. They will be perfectly positioned to maintain symmetry in the cover design when the laser cuts the finished hinge. I can also countersink the screw slightly with the laser so the head does not protrude too high in our finished cover. I cut a few sample hinges with the laser, and do a dry assembly to gage the fit I am after.

Finger Thumb Nail Wood Musical instrument accessory


Once I am satisfied with the fit of the hinge, I need to verify the artistic look to the cover. I have decided to capture some of the light coloration that runs through the grain of eastern red cedar. If I can capture some of this color transition near the ball of the stem, it could add an additional feature on the cover that I did not plan. This is the fun part of the project when you make a discovery in the middle of your work.

Guitar accessory Wood String instrument Musical instrument Font


I found a piece of cedar that will fit the coloration we are after, and cut another sample hinge to verify the artistic appearance of our design. The coloration looked really cool, so I need to carefully position the cutting portion of the laser program to match the exact position where the color changes on the cedar board. Once the artwork is positioned properly in the wood (right & left hand version of the hinge) we can finally start to cut the finished components.

Jaw Gesture Finger Reptile Wood


At this point I want to really want round the edges over on the hinge inlay. This will bring out the grain, and transition in color we are after in the design. This operation is very time consuming, and you must be careful not to break or damage the work. You must also be careful not to reduce the physical size of the piece, so it still fits accurately to the engraving in the cover. Once the hinge edges are sanded, we test the fit & the appearance in our work.

Wood Table Cookie cutter Flooring Hardwood


We then proceed with finish sanding all of the hinge edges. We are progressing pretty well, and it is possible we may finish this box sooner than I thought. So far I like the appearance, and look forward to mounting the hinges. We will save this operation for tomorrow…............
 

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#4 ·
Time For The Hinges

A new day, and we are finally ready to start the hinges…...........

We left off with gluing the second level of cedar inlay, and letting it dry overnight. We now need to finish sand this inlay level. Once the inlay is smooth, I round over the sharp edges on all of the inlay being careful not to hit the finished cover surface. If you recall the first inlay level has a slightly rounded edge, and now the second level inlay will have a more distinct rounded edge. Now onto the final inlay level which is our hinges. We will increase the thickness of the cedar to 1/4" thickness for our inlay/hinge.

Wood Finger Wood stain Cutting board Flooring


Time to go back to the computer to work on the rest of the hinge design. We need to create a base component that will match our floral stems, and incorporate the geometry needed for a hinge. Once I have settled on the design, I create a cutting program for the laser.

Computer Personal computer Rectangle Office equipment Operating system


Since the cover of the box will be opened and closed repeatedly, I want to incorporate some strength to stem inlay. I do trust the glue to hold the inlay, but if we use brass screws in the design it will add a decorative touch to the finished box. I add a hole pattern to both the right & left style hinges on the computer. They will be perfectly positioned to maintain symmetry in the cover design when the laser cuts the finished hinge. I can also countersink the screw slightly with the laser so the head does not protrude too high in our finished cover. I cut a few sample hinges with the laser, and do a dry assembly to gage the fit I am after.

Finger Thumb Nail Wood Musical instrument accessory


Once I am satisfied with the fit of the hinge, I need to verify the artistic look to the cover. I have decided to capture some of the light coloration that runs through the grain of eastern red cedar. If I can capture some of this color transition near the ball of the stem, it could add an additional feature on the cover that I did not plan. This is the fun part of the project when you make a discovery in the middle of your work.

Guitar accessory Wood String instrument Musical instrument Font


I found a piece of cedar that will fit the coloration we are after, and cut another sample hinge to verify the artistic appearance of our design. The coloration looked really cool, so I need to carefully position the cutting portion of the laser program to match the exact position where the color changes on the cedar board. Once the artwork is positioned properly in the wood (right & left hand version of the hinge) we can finally start to cut the finished components.

Jaw Gesture Finger Reptile Wood


At this point I want to really want round the edges over on the hinge inlay. This will bring out the grain, and transition in color we are after in the design. This operation is very time consuming, and you must be careful not to break or damage the work. You must also be careful not to reduce the physical size of the piece, so it still fits accurately to the engraving in the cover. Once the hinge edges are sanded, we test the fit & the appearance in our work.

Wood Table Cookie cutter Flooring Hardwood


We then proceed with finish sanding all of the hinge edges. We are progressing pretty well, and it is possible we may finish this box sooner than I thought. So far I like the appearance, and look forward to mounting the hinges. We will save this operation for tomorrow…............
Excellent Work on the Blog, Box and Hinges Dave!!
It's going to be a Beauty!!
 

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#5 ·
Finishing The Project

Another day is gone, and it is back into the shop for the evening…................

We have sanded our stem hinges, and it is time to make the hinges functional. Before we drill the rod into the hinges, I verify how I want the cover to open. In this project I want the cover to open a little more than 90° so the cover won't flop over on it's own when the cover is opened. This requires a little more thought when completing the final step for making these hinges.

Table Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor


I start out with a dry fit of the assembly. Once I am satisfied with the appearance it is time to drill & set the rod. I use a small common nail that measures .048 Ø with the micrometer.

Wood Finger Thumb Nail Service


In order for the nail to press fit into the hinge without damaging the wood, the hole needs to be drilled out .006 to .010 smaller than the nail diameter. If the wood is really hard it would be good idea to drill a hole in a test piece in order to gauge how tight the nail fits. Better to be safe than break the hinge. Using a number drill index you will find it very easy to drill the right size for the fit. The next step is to determine the exact center of the hinge so it will pivot correctly. This is a very important step.

Wood Gas Jig grinder Drill Machine


Once the location for the pivot hole is determined we need to set up the drill press. Since we are going to use the .048 Ø nail we measured, we will need to use an .042 Ø drill bit. It is important to note that your drill press & vise must be perpendicular, other wise you will not drill a straight hole. I mount the hinge assembly in the vise, and verify that the hinge is perpendicular to the vise before drilling the hole. Once the drill is aligned to the pivot location I slowly drill the hole with small pecking motions to clear the wood chips frequently. If you rush drilling a hole this small the drill will walk, and the hinge will be ruined. Small pecking motions will keep the drill straight, and you will be happy with the end result. There is no need to rush this step, so take your time.

After drilling the press fit size hole I separate the hinge assembly, and I will use a .052 Ø drill on the center tab of the stem side hinge. This will make the rod tight on the outer two tabs of the base side of the hinge, and loose on the stem side side of the hinge. Before we assemble the hinge we will need to radius the hinge edges so the hinge will have a limited operating range. We only want the cover to open slightly past 90°, so we need to radius the inside edges of the stem & base hinge tabs.

Musical instrument Guitar String instrument Guitar accessory Wood


Press the rod into the assembly, and test the motion. Once you have the hinge working properly you can finish sand the piece. At this point it would be a good idea to cut the rod off and sand the rod edges flush to the base hinge. I left my rod intact, and cut it off later. It is harder to do, so I would not advise doing it later unless you are confident with your woodworking skills.

Rectangle Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood


We are finally ready to mount the stem hinges to the cover. I drill the pilot holes needed for the brass screws. Once done with the pilot holes I glue the hinge inlay and install the screws carefully. When starting the screw into the work I always face the slot at 12:00 so the slots will come out parallel when they bottom out. I like the appearance on the cover when the slots of the screws all face the same direction. Maybe it is a neurotic tendency, but since I am making the cover I will do it anyway.

Wood Grey Font Metal Fashion accessory


Once the stem hinge side is installed, we need to align the cover for the base hinge installation. I use a piece of paper to act as a spacer when putting the cover on. This allows the perfect amount of clearance to ensure the cover always closes flat to the base of the box. We clamp the cover, and drill the pilot holes in the base. The final step is to install the screws to the base.

Wood Tool Eyewear Insect Hardwood


The best part of the whole project is when we open the cover for the first time. It works wonderfully, so I can move onto the Tung Oil finish. This will really make the red cedar pop on the maple cover.

Brown Wood Table Rectangle Art


I am pleased with the look of the cover, and I enjoyed sharing this project with y'all. The project illustrates how a modern laser can be utilized for many elements of a woodworking project. Ultimately, we are only limited by our own creativity. There are some purists who may not agree with this tool being used in the wood shop, but it still takes a craftsman to make art!

Peace!
 

Attachments

#6 ·
Finishing The Project

Another day is gone, and it is back into the shop for the evening…................

We have sanded our stem hinges, and it is time to make the hinges functional. Before we drill the rod into the hinges, I verify how I want the cover to open. In this project I want the cover to open a little more than 90° so the cover won't flop over on it's own when the cover is opened. This requires a little more thought when completing the final step for making these hinges.

Table Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor


I start out with a dry fit of the assembly. Once I am satisfied with the appearance it is time to drill & set the rod. I use a small common nail that measures .048 Ø with the micrometer.

Wood Finger Thumb Nail Service


In order for the nail to press fit into the hinge without damaging the wood, the hole needs to be drilled out .006 to .010 smaller than the nail diameter. If the wood is really hard it would be good idea to drill a hole in a test piece in order to gauge how tight the nail fits. Better to be safe than break the hinge. Using a number drill index you will find it very easy to drill the right size for the fit. The next step is to determine the exact center of the hinge so it will pivot correctly. This is a very important step.

Wood Gas Jig grinder Drill Machine


Once the location for the pivot hole is determined we need to set up the drill press. Since we are going to use the .048 Ø nail we measured, we will need to use an .042 Ø drill bit. It is important to note that your drill press & vise must be perpendicular, other wise you will not drill a straight hole. I mount the hinge assembly in the vise, and verify that the hinge is perpendicular to the vise before drilling the hole. Once the drill is aligned to the pivot location I slowly drill the hole with small pecking motions to clear the wood chips frequently. If you rush drilling a hole this small the drill will walk, and the hinge will be ruined. Small pecking motions will keep the drill straight, and you will be happy with the end result. There is no need to rush this step, so take your time.

After drilling the press fit size hole I separate the hinge assembly, and I will use a .052 Ø drill on the center tab of the stem side hinge. This will make the rod tight on the outer two tabs of the base side of the hinge, and loose on the stem side side of the hinge. Before we assemble the hinge we will need to radius the hinge edges so the hinge will have a limited operating range. We only want the cover to open slightly past 90°, so we need to radius the inside edges of the stem & base hinge tabs.

Musical instrument Guitar String instrument Guitar accessory Wood


Press the rod into the assembly, and test the motion. Once you have the hinge working properly you can finish sand the piece. At this point it would be a good idea to cut the rod off and sand the rod edges flush to the base hinge. I left my rod intact, and cut it off later. It is harder to do, so I would not advise doing it later unless you are confident with your woodworking skills.

Rectangle Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood


We are finally ready to mount the stem hinges to the cover. I drill the pilot holes needed for the brass screws. Once done with the pilot holes I glue the hinge inlay and install the screws carefully. When starting the screw into the work I always face the slot at 12:00 so the slots will come out parallel when they bottom out. I like the appearance on the cover when the slots of the screws all face the same direction. Maybe it is a neurotic tendency, but since I am making the cover I will do it anyway.

Wood Grey Font Metal Fashion accessory


Once the stem hinge side is installed, we need to align the cover for the base hinge installation. I use a piece of paper to act as a spacer when putting the cover on. This allows the perfect amount of clearance to ensure the cover always closes flat to the base of the box. We clamp the cover, and drill the pilot holes in the base. The final step is to install the screws to the base.

Wood Tool Eyewear Insect Hardwood


The best part of the whole project is when we open the cover for the first time. It works wonderfully, so I can move onto the Tung Oil finish. This will really make the red cedar pop on the maple cover.

Brown Wood Table Rectangle Art


I am pleased with the look of the cover, and I enjoyed sharing this project with y'all. The project illustrates how a modern laser can be utilized for many elements of a woodworking project. Ultimately, we are only limited by our own creativity. There are some purists who may not agree with this tool being used in the wood shop, but it still takes a craftsman to make art!

Peace!
Really nice work. Pretty darn creative too.
 

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