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  1. #1
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    Default Help finding hinges for thin wall box 5mm

    Hello all,

    I'm building a box (about shoe box size) from hardwood. The box walls are about 5mm thin.

    I need some ideas for hinges, what style? Where to find hinges that will fit 5mm wall thickness?

    Do I screw with tiny <5mm screws? Do I glue and then have fake screw heads? I'm a bit lost as I'd normally use 9mm or 12mm mdf and scrounge some used hinges.

    Thanks for any help.

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  3. #2
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    5mm walls and shoe box size is a bit out of proportion for any hinge I'm aware of.

    The smallest Brusso butt hinge I can find has 8mm wide leaves
    Brusso Quadrant hinges also have 8mm wide leaves
    a back mount hinge might work, but there's a risk that it would tear through the box side, and even a #0 screw will be over 1mm too long for your box sides

    Lee Valley stock a brass plated steel hinge that is 12mm wide when open (Stock number 00D30.05 or 00D30.03) but they are attached with size #0 screws which I think will be too light weight for your size of box


    Can you modify the design so that the box lid simply lifts off?
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  4. #3
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    fabricate some wooden hinges to suit the box there is lots of help online and the hinges are unique if you make them yourself.

  5. #4
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    Melbourne
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    Default

    Hi,

    I tend to agree with Ian. One thing you might try, is putting a strip of your stock along the back top inside edge of the box. This will give you a larger area in which to place the screws. Make sure you use something like Poly glue because the joint will still be under considerable stress when the lid is open. Tiny little screws won't hold the lid open, they'll rip a divot out of the back of the box

    Regards,

    Rob

  6. #5
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    May 2015
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    Australia
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    Default

    Thanks all

    Making my own hinges sounds like a fun challenge, but I don't think I'm up for that yet.

    Thanks Rob and Ian for pointing out that the stress could rip out the timber. Yep, I need to allow for that.

    A lift off lid is very tempting, that's option 2. I'm starting the lid/base today so won't finish gluing until I've put more thought into it.

    I think option 1 is to put a continuous (piano) hinge along the back, glue it in place (poly glue Rob??), then grind off the thread on the screws and insert the heads as decoration to finish. Is Lee Valley the best place for hinges and screws? I'm new to shopping for hardware online.

    Thanks,

    Jim.

  7. #6
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    Hi Jim,
    The Piano hinge will definitely spread the load that will ht the back panel of the box. I think I'd be happier with something like epoxy (araldite does well, but you may not need any given that the load is spread across the whole of the back panel.

    Regards,

    Rob

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by headingwest View Post
    Thanks all

    Making my own hinges sounds like a fun challenge, but I don't think I'm up for that yet.

    Thanks Rob and Ian for pointing out that the stress could rip out the timber. Yep, I need to allow for that.

    A lift off lid is very tempting, that's option 2. I'm starting the lid/base today so won't finish gluing until I've put more thought into it.

    I think option 1 is to put a continuous (piano) hinge along the back, glue it in place (poly glue Rob??), then grind off the thread on the screws and insert the heads as decoration to finish. Is Lee Valley the best place for hinges and screws? I'm new to shopping for hardware online.

    Thanks,

    Jim.
    a box with 5mm thick sides is a relative delicate object. I'm not sure about using a piano hinge -- it might just cheapen an otherwise great box.
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    Perth W.A
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    My first suggestion if you haven't already cut the timber is don't do it.
    5mm is way too thin and you are just making life difficult.I can't think of any practical reason to make the sides so thin.
    If you screw is even 3mm diameter it doesn't leave much margin.

  10. #9
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    regards,

    Dengy

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by mark david View Post
    5mm is way too thin and you are just making life difficult.I can't think of any practical reason to make the sides so thin.
    I mean, everyone is sort of beating around the bush here, soooo, I will ask the obvious question: Why do the sides have to be 5mm thick? Inquiring minds need to know!

    Cheers

    Doug
    I got sick of sitting around doing nothing - so I took up meditation.

  12. #11
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    If you don't strictly need "hinges" but a means of flipping the lid, you could try for some thick decorative string or woven band (such as a fancy shoelace or paracord). Two holes, a few spots of superglue, push in the lengths...

    I've seen some boxes with hinges made of leather or even a plasticised material, such as laminated paper.

    You could make a hinge out of some fancy woven material from Spotlight/Lincraft.

    If the box isnt complete yet, you could also make a hinge from skewers inserted from the side, such as in the pictures.

    IMG_2257.JPG producttank_livehinge02.jpg 327172.jpg

    As a very last resort, Bunnings do sell tiny itty bitty hinges for dolls houses.... by Zenith, but can't find them on their hopeless site... Lee Valley have some as small as 12mm wide x 9mm deep, which means the leaves are likely to be < 4mm.... http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware...=3,41419,41437

    00d3050s4.jpg

    Worst case scenario, a search for Cigar Box Hinge will get you tiny nailed-in hinges. Some tobacco boxes also use the fabric or paper that lines the box for the hinge. Paper can handle a lot of repetition if you use a linen based paper. This dudes shop is rammed with specialised papers: http://pepespaperie.com.au/

  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by doug3030 View Post
    I mean, everyone is sort of beating around the bush here, soooo, I will ask the obvious question: Why do the sides have to be 5mm thick? Inquiring minds need to know!

    Cheers

    Doug
    l once got myself committed to making a set of nesting boxes, you know the story, pretty lady and a smile, and the 2 smallest boxes had wall thicknesses a poofteenth less than 6 mm. Traditional butt hinges which fit between the lid and box kept breaking out, even those superb magic hinges which fit along the sides were 2 wide? I ended up fitting external hinges which fit across the back of the box and lid and fixed them with tiny countersunk screws with recessed nuts and washers on the inside of the box. This way I was not relying on screws staying firm in such a thin section of timber. I used 'antique' finished brass hinges and had to 'antique' the screw heads to match.
    fletty
    a rock is an obsolete tool ......... until you don’t have a hammer!

  14. #13
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    It is very important that you use good quality hinges, even though they tend to be expensive. Poor, cheap, pressed metal hinges let a project down badly IMHO. The extruded brass hinges, especially the well polished ones as mentioned below, add an extra lustre to your work.

    One great site for hinges in Australia is Goods and Chattels http://www.goodsandchattels.com/Hing...-products.html. They have knife hinges, which may suit, and some very fine small piano hinges. Many very fine antique objects were made with knife hinges and have survived the years well, and can be viewed as an attractive feature.

    Anton Gerner does not seem to have anything suitable for the 5 mm wall boxes but it is also worth knowing about Anton Gerner Hinges in Melbourne http://www.gernerhinges.com/. He has some superb quality hinges at much more affordable prices than the Brusso hinges from the USA (though they are beautifully made too).

    If you do hinge those 5 mm walls I suggest that you also fit some way of stopping the lid fall wide open as that would most likely break out the hinge fixings. The simplest method is a short length of chain inside to stop the top at comfortably open. There are some beautiful brass folding stays available too (see Goods and Chattels site).

    The shoe-box size of your work, coupled with the 5 mm walls is challenging. I have made some boxes in Bluegum lately with 8 mm walls and have chosen the drop-on lid for the first one, but have ordered pin hinges and the narrow piano hinges for the others. My boxes are much smaller though at about 150 by 200 mm. The pin hinges are 5 mm diameter on their own so would not fit in your work. The next boxes I make will have thicker walls!

    Good luck

    David
    Last edited by Xanthorrhoeas; 1st December 2015 at 12:14 PM. Reason: typo

  15. #14
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    Hi Evanism

    this thread seems to have gone a little dead

    So I guess it's not too OT to ask -- what is this ? / what purpose does it serve ?
    Quote Originally Posted by Evanism View Post
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  16. #15
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    I have no idea! I just did an image search for plastic hinges.

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