# Anyone have experience installing Woodcraft side rail hinges for small boxes?



## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

I'm at the juncture where a box can go bad. Woodcraft suggests a secondary mortise in a mortise to mount its side rail hinge flush to the back of the box.



I have the model without the stays. I'm more inclined to leave the knuckle proud of the back of the box…
Anyone out there tackle one of these hinges?

PDF of install instructions as recommended here


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## dfletcher (Jan 14, 2010)

It seems to me that your box top would sit high at the hinge if you do that. Not sure if that is what you were looking for, but it wouldn't be able to sit flat on the bottom part of the box. IMHO.


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Dennis- Got to thinking about having the pin be that far off the boxes pivot point, you're probably right.
Autumn- This pair has been kicking around in my fittings drawer for upward of 8 years, and I initially mis-remembered that they were Brussos (although the Gold plating should have leyed me away from that). I'm hoping the old ones weren't bad.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Good luck on them Douglas.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

as i understand you ( maybe ) ,
you just want to slide the hinge back a little so you dont have to chamfer the back edges ?
seems to me that that would work ,
it would just open up the space between the lid and the box when it is open .


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Sorry I have no advice, Doug. I'm just here to say "I HATE HINGES!"


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## fredf (Mar 29, 2008)

If you just side the hinges back they will hang out beyond the back of the box when closed. I think you need to do the double mortise. Also note that in step 5 I think the caption is wrong-should be a 5/16 mortise 1/8" deep.


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Have to admit it Charlie, I'm none too fond of 'em myself, especially when you botch it and end up with a much shorter box. I still have a bunch of quads (and yes, the Hinge Wizard), but I just don't want *that* pucker factor at this point.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

If only there was a way to install the hinges first, make sure you've got it right, and *then* finish building the box around them.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

i finally broke down ,
and use surface mount hinges ,
that stop at 95 deg.

hard to miss !


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

You are right, David. This is probably the fanciest box I've made, and I used those "easy" hinges shamelessly!


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

and a beauty it is charlie !

i have foud that if everithing is well done ,

it is accepted that way .

nobody ever said to me ,

" why didn't you do it this other way "


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## BuffaloJim33 (Nov 29, 2012)

I just installed my first set of side rail hinges. Foolishly, i followed the instructions I found at Woodman's and Woodcraft. They were both identical and both fell short of telling the whole story. If one mortises the full 2" as directed, one is left with a box that won't close by the exact depth of the mortise, about 1/8" (pic 1). I suppose if one was to shorten the mortise to 1 15/16" or less, leaving a portion of the barrel protruding from the back, the box would close. As i had already mortised the full 2", and am opposed to filling canyons with filler, I simply planed a small chamfer at the back seam on both the box and the lid (pic 2). Not exactly what I wanted, but one must do what one must do to save a project.


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Yep, I have used The Brusso quadrant hinges and these side rail hinges many times. Have two Brusso jigs and a couple or more shop built jigs for the installations. These realy add a touch of class to a box. Jigs and router guide bushings I feel are very necessary to facilitate hinge installations whenever possible. Spend a lot of time on the setup and you will be rewarded with a wonderful finished product. Build "practice corners' out of equal thinkness scrap as your project and use them to perfect the setup and to build the jigs. The "mortise within a mortise" is no big deal. Just rout both recesses in two passes before relocating the jig to the other side. But I agree with Charlie and the rest of you. Hinge installation is the most stressful part of box building, and I'll be damned if high end hardware hasn't gotten so unreasonably priced that wooden hinges get used more and more in my projects. They really add to the WOW factor from clients too.


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

Sorry I did not read all the responses. I installed the hinges with the second mortise. The top and back of the box is not angle cut so the piviot point is just proud of the back edge. Make a mock up to see where you need to be. That helped me to locate the second mortise. Directions, not so much. I cut the hinge mortise with a router and jig so I could locate in all four locations. (I tend to over complicate things) The second mortise, I drilled with a forstner bit and cleaned with a chisel. Good luck.


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

I just read Woodbum, would have saved me some typing time.


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## RonStewart (Jul 18, 2011)

It's weird replying to a seven-year-old post, but I recently wrote a tutorial blog post about installing these Woodcraft hinges. I thought I'd mention it here in case any LJers do a search and find this thread.


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