# Accordian style hinging



## RHolcomb (Mar 23, 2010)

Hopefully someone here can help me. I need to make a wind breaker to go around a small camping grill to put up when the wind isn't cooperating and causes the two burners to go out. I'm going to make it an accordion style out of luan plywood or some other thin material and need to hinge the pieces together so it can be folded up for easy quick storage. It's not going to be fancy. Just functional that allows access to the grill controls. Each section will be 12"X12". Any ideas on how to attach these pieces together so they lay flat on each other? I thought about cloth tape for book binding but I don't know if that stuff will stick to wood.


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## RHolcomb (Mar 23, 2010)

I guess no one has any ideas


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

Piano hinge


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

It seems to me most any small flat hinges
will work. You could also use duct tape
or glue leather to the wood as a hinge.


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

Any 2" butt hinge. Just make sure you hinge each set of panels properly. A piano hinge is just a real long butt hinge. It will work to, but you might have to cut it to fit your panels unless you can find them in the size you need. ........... Jerry (in Tucson)


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I'd go with piano hinge too. They're cheap and can be easily cut to the desired size. If you need it to lay perfectly flat for some reason, you'll have to mortise the hinge in. But even without doing that, it'll lay pretty darned flat.


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## RHolcomb (Mar 23, 2010)

Thanks for your input everyone


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

I'd use 3 piano hinges. Two going one way and the other the opposite so it folds up.

Jim


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

I made one of those out of sheet aluminum. I bent tabs on the edges that folded over steel rods, about coat hanger gauge (thus forming the hinges; the rods had to be bent at the ends to prevent them from dropping out.) Also crimped the remaining edges all around for stiffness. You could fold the panels either way. Only downside was that it needed bracing in strong winds. I may actually still have that around somewhere, after all these years.

I believe Coleman made (or still makes) them. Though I understand your wanting to make one out of wood, I'm doubtful it is the best material for the job. But, good luck with whatever you try.


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## RHolcomb (Mar 23, 2010)

I tried the piano hinge idea. That didn't work. Screw holes were the same location on both sides of the hinge so it wouldn't lay close to flat. Finally gave up when I saw sheet metal wind shields on Amazon for $8.00 Heck, I had more money in the hinge I bought than that!


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

There are "special" spring loaded, double jointed hinges like the type used on swinging doors that would allow you to fold it up flat and still position it into your curve, but you found a solution that is probably 10x cheaper 8^)


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## Just_Iain (Apr 5, 2017)

Having used aluminum stove screens for years, I'd suggest the aluminum. Wood had the advantage of weight to keep it stable (hence why aluminum screens tend to have overly long hinge pins to push into ground) but will discolour over time due to heat. Plus consider that either could fall into the fire over time which means the wooden one could go up in smoke literally.


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