Hinge Frustration

don’t talk to me about hinges!!

I’d love it if someone did a series on hinges: types, how they work and how you install them.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I would vote for that series also :) . I muddle my way through hinges and am successful but that success comes with a lot of frustration.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

and lots of “re-do” trials.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

There are jigs and instruction on the net. Check out Brusso.com. They sell jigs and have instuctions for a ton of different hinges. Jigs are pricey, but the free instruction is clear.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Beall Tools has a nice Quadrant hinge jig, Digging out the pocket is still a hassle tho.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Darn you Doug!
Now I want more stuff!
That hinge system looks like a killer.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Kindly allow me to add to your avarice! You might also want the 3/32 tapered Dremel router bit (and possibly the precision router base from Stewart-Macdonald Luthier supply or the new Proxxon mini plunge router) or the 1/8 solid carbide endmill bit also from Beall Tool (That J.R. Beall is a bit of a wizard himself). Good for routing out the pocket on the drill press. Mwahahahaha.

I’ll have to borrow back the one quadrant hinge box I’ve made for some photos. My stepson keeps his change in it. Incidentally Beall’s Nonpareil Quads are solid brass, fit the hinge wizard and are cheaper that Brusso’s.

For smaller boxes there are the 5mm barrel hinges I used on MsDebbieP's pen box. I have used them on jewelry boxes as well, and they are as easy as drilling a 4 holes that line up in pairs, and then routing a chamfer on the back of the box lid and body.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Jeff,I cannot give you with any installation tips,but can say that I really hate using brass hinges!
I am always impressed when someone does a tight installation.
Like Don.

-- " Stubborn tenacity substitutes for natural ability" ANDY

The jig looks like it is simple to use Doug. At $69, it is very pricey for someone who might use it once or twice a year. I dug out the pockets roughly with small forstner bits in a drill press and then went your route and used my plunge router attachment on my Dremel XP400 to hollow them exact. The second hinge went better than the first, so maybe I ‘ll get a nack for it over time. I like the barrel hinges, but I don’t like the look quite as much as the quad’s. I think the barrel’s are easier to work with and they do look nice, so maybe I’ll compromise a little.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Jeff,

Check into Brusso's mortised box lid support if you’re concerned about blowing out the sides with a deep mortise. It is a slightly different type of lid support – it uses a sliding mechanism so it doesn’t go down very deep. The mortise you’ll need to make for it is only 1/4” wide by 1/2” deep by 2 7/8” long.

They run $17.50 at Woodcraft. Might be just what you’re looking for.

-- Ethan, http://www.merganserwoodworks.com, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/

Even with the jig things can go awry by a hair or two if your router isn’t perfectly centered over the guide bushings.
I just had to buy the danged thing because I had looked at it for some years and the cash was burning a hole in my pocket, plus I couldn’t figure out how to make a MDF jig on my own.

A buddy of mine had a white Corian-bodied quad hinge jig that was marketed by Woodcraft a few years ago that was idea, even to the point of having retractable brass rods that let you plunge route the pockets. It doesn’t seem to be on the market anymore and my buddy misplaced his in a move some years ago.

For thin wood the barrels are nice, and there is little chance of boogering up a nice box at the final junctures with a bad hinge experience. I am finishing a box this weekend that I had too much time in to let it go south now, so I cheesed out and used the barrels, but the chamfer on the back is a tad incongruous with the rest of the box. My other favorite is the brass pin through the carcase sides, but you have to build the sides higher that the front and the back by the thickness of the lid in order to do that. I am going to study the boxes that Andy is presenting. They are very lovely, and the price is right, when all you are out is a length of brazing rod or hobby brass. I just saw what Brusso is asking for a new line of stainless steel knuckle hinges. The price quickly tempered my enthusiasm for the new Brusso SS offerings (53 bucks for 3/4˝ knuckles, $94 for stainless steel quads. Jiminy Christmas!). Try selling a box at a profitable margin for your time when you have to shell out a hundred bucks a pop just for hinges.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Thanks all. One of the appeals of woodworking for me is problem solving. I was not happy with the damage to around the hardware and really couldn’t fix it with putty or patches effectively. I opted to take an inch off the top and started over. This time I clamped support blocks on each side of the box to reduce the chance of blowing out the sides when drilling for the hardware. In all, I will purchase more expensive hardware next time as it is worth the price in that the installation is much simpler.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Thanks all. One of the appeals of woodworking for me is problem solving. I was not happy with the damage to around the hardware and really couldn’t fix it with putty or patches effectively. I opted to take an inch off the top and started over. This time I clamped support blocks on each side of the box to reduce the chance of blowing out the sides when drilling for the hardware. In all, I will purchase more expensive hardware next time as it is worth the price in that the installation is much simpler.

-- Jeff, South Carolina