Thread: best hinge practices

Welcome to the forum. Always plenty of room for another boxmaker

These days I mainly use side rail hinges and cut the rebates on a router table. But if you're using traditional butt hinges you might want to consider a jig like this:

IMG_3234.JPG

It is just a piece of MDF with a second guide piece fixed at 90 degrees underneath. A hinge-size rebate is cut in the front edge of the mdf - in this case it is 25mm from the side guide - simply because that suits my sort of boxes. The hinge rebate should be exactly the size of the hinge leaf measured to the centre of the pin. It sits on top of the open box with the front edge aligned along the front of the box and the 90 degree guide piece hard up against the end. It is then clamped down as shown. A small bearing guided router bit is then used in a handheld router, set to the thickness of the hinge leaf plus the thickness of the MDF.

Once the hinge rebate is routed the corners need to be squared up. Leave the jig in place and use it as a guide to pare away the corns with a chisel.

Since the left and right need different jigs I made two, but you could make one jig with an adjustable fence.

This jig can also be used to mark hinge positions if you decide to cut by hand. It's only one of many ways to fit hinges - I'm sure others will have suggestions.

By the way, there is a box-making section of the forum which is probably the best place for a discussion like this.

Happy hingeing,


Brian

Hi and welcome to the Forum

I mainly use butt hinges (20 to 25mm long)... brass hinges with brass screws.

The sides of my boxes are usually between 10 and 13mm thick. I use hinges with leaves that give me at least 1mm gap between the hing and the inner side of the box.

You may want to go down the path of jigs and routers to do the rebate for the hinge .... I did this for a while and then found that the best outcomes were to use the knife and chisel approach.

Normally I would set the hinge in from the side of the box by the widthe of the hinge.... mark the start with a knife cut in the wood and with the hinge as a giude ... use the knife to mark the other edge. Run the knife along the front of the hinge and then use these score marks to get the chisel involved.

I do the box body first .... then place the lid on ... clamp it down ... and use the chiselled out body to mark where the lid needs to be also chiselled. This method ensures a good fit and well aligned sides.

Use every outcome as a teacher and you will be a better crafts person as time goes by

Regaqrds

Rob