Thread: Aligning strap hinges first go

Hey Brian, yes, I was assuming the costs would be similar.

Dengue, you are welcome to come and see/borrow my slitting saw for my router table, it's a 1/16" kerf.
Rgds,
Crocy.

Thanks Richard, I have been meaning to come and see you anyway, so will have a look at your kerf saw, never seen one before.

Old Croc,

Love to see a picture of this.

Brian

By the way, for anyone who uses Smarthinge, you may not be aware that these are not currently available as Andrew is changing manufacturer. At the same time, Ian Hawthorne, who sold off his design for the Neat II hinge (similar to Smarthinge) has announced he is about to recommence selling the brass version of his hinge.

Originally Posted by woodPixel

Good stuff.

Those hinges are THE BEST.

I've an absolute mountain of Brusso, but I do love the SmartHinge. Good news on the NeatHinge.

Did you read the drama with Crawford and Linley. Crikey. What a trauma.

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Wow it seem like Andrew Crawford's hinges are always on back order or a new company making them or somthing going on or happening with them. I have used them and think they are great as well but all the drama to get them is questionable in my book. I might check out the Neat Hinge.....

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Originally Posted by Dengue

You are killing me with suspense, double.d Would you like to share details of the jig and perhaps a photo or two or three? Or even a drawing, whatever
I checked a couple of slots tonight. At the hinge end, they were different in length by only 0.15mm, but it certainly made a difference to the alignment at the front and side of the lid/box

Also, what happened with the 10-20% that did not get perfect alignment? what caused that?

Sorry for the late reply. If you are looking for better than .15mm then i'm afraid my jig will not work for you. If i am that much out i just run it over the belt sander.

Just to take this one a little further, I was just wondering how far others insert the hinge relative to the back of the box? Do you cut the slot so that the back of the hinge is flush with the back of the box and then create a chamfer on the box body and the lid, or only insert the hinge until some part (front, centre, or back) of the pivot pin is level with the back?

Dallas

I prefer to get it close to the edge as it opens, but without a chamfer.

I really dislike chamfers on the back of boxes. I personally feel they unbalance the aesthetic.

Have to admit, Ive never had too much luck with strap hinges. Alignment is a bugger.

It's interesting that people are having so much trouble aligning strap hinges. For me, one thing that makes the high cost of smart hinges worthwhile is the speed of fitting.
I use a digital depth gauge to set the router cutter exactly 3mm above the table, then position the fence the correct distance from the cutter using a piece of scrap.

I made a gauge the size specified by Andrew, which I use to position stops on the router table, first on one side, then the other. Each cut is made in the normal direction. If you make climbing cuts, the box top won't fit properly, as the climbing cuts will tend to push the sides away from the fence, while normal cuts pull them in.

The two arms of the hinges are different. One arm has two eyes that the pin goes through, the other has only one. I always put the one with the single eye in the lid. When fitting the hinges, I mark them 'Left' & Right', then put them in the lid slots, making sure they are all the way home, and mark the centre of one hole in each with an awl. I then do the same on the bottom of the box, and drill the holes.

I next fit the hinges and lid using just one screw in each arm. Do not do the screw up too tight. Sometimes, a very slight adjustment to a side of the box or lid is necessary. It is easier to adjust the component (bottom or lid) that needs to come forward relative to the other. Simply mark the second hole with the awl, but instead of marking it in the centre, mark it towards the back. Remove the lid, drill the hole and replace the lid using both screws in the arm. Usually this will adjust the relative positions correctly, but if necessary you can repeat the procedure with the other screws, marking their holes slightly off centre to make any necessary adjustments.

Originally Posted by woodPixel

I really dislike chamfers on the back of boxes. I personally feel they unbalance the aesthetic.

I agree, but I also don't like the big square head of the hinges sticking out the back either. I guess we just have to compromise.
I just picked up some of the run of the mill hinges today (the ones you can buy from most places) and when I measure the length of the arms there is 0.15mm difference between them so that creates a problem with alignment from the start.

I buy my hinges from Michael at Hardware For Creative Finishes and while being a basic strap hinges they do not vary in length. I set the fence and stops as per my jig and use a scrap piece to run a cut either side and usually just have to make a small adjustment to the height and 9 from 10 times the length is so close i would not be able to adjust the fence stops to make it perfect. I chamfer the back edges and the hinges are set flush.

Dallas,

The smartHinge is designed to make it unnecessary to mess around with chamfers. The critical point of the hinges is the dead centre of the hinge pivot. The hinge gain should be cut so this point aligns exactly with the back of the box AND level with the lid/base join.

Full instructions are here smartBoxmaker smartHinge | box hinge, siderail hinge, stop hinge

From Andrew’s instructions:

The smartHinge measures 42mm from the centre of the pin to the end of the leaf – you will need to make an accurate spacer this value LESS 8mm, so 34mm wide. This will mean that the smartHinge protrudes from the back of your box by the traditional amount, the centre of the pin being in a line vertically with the back.
Set the stop 34mm from the cutter as shown and you’re ready to go.
NB: when positioning the stop using the spacer the cutter must be rotated so that the cutting tips are in a line exactly parallel with the fence, otherwise the postioning will be inaccurate.

I’ve fitted 60 or so pairs of these hinges without any problem. I never (ever) fit hinges without doing test cuts in scrap (right/left cut and left/right cut). It is a small extra step but saves a billion heartaches.

Best regards,

Brian

Originally Posted by Woodtec

Wow it seem like Andrew Crawford's hinges are always on back order or a new company making them or somthing going on or happening with them. I have used them and think they are great as well but all the drama to get them is questionable in my book. I might check out the Neat Hinge.....

Dont be too hard on the dude.

He was viciously screwed over by a bigger company (it ripped him off, there is a thing on his site) and then his manufacturers have been unimpressive.

He is, after all, a small business trying to make a precision product to an astoundingly accurate tolerance. Lots of people have promised him deliveries that simply fall through.

Not having direct control over it is a bit of a bugger, but when he does find a new fab that does generate a great product, they fall over when production cranks up.... it has been a curse.

I like him. We've chatted and emailed many times and the reality is that he does truly care about quality, his customers and his art form. Hes a thoroughly decent chap.