need help mounting hinges on box/cabinet

[James Baker SD]

I made a large box to store my drill bits etc. The sides are 1/2" Oak and the door is a floating panel with 3/4" rails and stiles. The rails and stiles have a 1/4" rabbet on the outside edge that allows the door to sit slightly inside the box, hopefully to make it more dust resistant. When closed, the door also appears to be 1/2" thick, same as the sides.

Problem I am having is how to mount the hinges. I have the smallest Brusso butt hinges made and they are just a little over 1/2" wide. I am also concerned that if I choose the wrong mounting method, the recessed part of the door may interfere with opening and closing.

I can imagine mounting them flat (180 degree between plates) on the outside of the box, mounting them closed (0 degrees) by mortising the side and the door, or something in between.

It doesn't have to be real pretty as it is for the workshop, but it should be strong and especially not interfere with the door opening and closing.

James

[David DeCristoforo]

Butt hinges may not be the best choice for your application. You might want to look at a "partial wraparound" hinge like the ones shown here...

http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_ViewCatLevel3.asp?Cat=234

[Orion Henderson]

Seems like the partial wrap hinges are a good idea-but if I understand correctly they are all made for a 3/8" offset. The 1/4" rabbit here is too small for that offset. A face mounted butt hinge seems to make the most sense to me.

[Joe Scharle]

Could you use strap hinges?

[David DeCristoforo]

I don't see any good way to mount a butt hinge in a 1/4" wide rabbet. I know I'm going to sound like I'm "lecturing" here but this is something that should have been factored in at the planning stage of the project. Anyway, what's to stop you from adding a thin strip to the outside edge of each door stile to build the rabbet out to 3/8". Then you could use the partial wrap hinges. Or (probably the "best" thing) you could just "suck it up" and make another door.

[Peter Quinn]

I don't see an issue with butt hinges for your application. I am confused as to what exactly is going on with your door geometry. Are you familiar with the terms inset and overlay? Sounds like you have a 1/4" inset on a 3/4" door with a full overlay? If so, you mortise the hinges into the frame, mortise the hinges into the rabbit on the door, done. If your door is the same size as the outside of the frame, that is a full overlay.

If you have a 1/4" inset, 1/4" overlay, then you are pretty screwed unless there is a mini cup hinge that might work with the stiles width. Of course as David noted you could use a wrap around.You CAN mount a 3/8" inset/ 3/8" overlay wrap around to such a door by adding a 1/8" shim to the back of the door behind the hinge and leaving 1/8" of dead space between the door stile edge and the hinge (possibly setting this gap with a spacer that can later be pulled out). All these options are moving in the direction of what a good friend calls "Frankenstein wood working" though. I'd probably remake the door to work with the hinges of my choice if the door I had made would not work with any hardware available.

[James Baker SD]

Hi Peter:

I think your first assumptions are correct. Problem is I forgot what I had made. The sides are NOT 1/2" as stated above, but 3/8" as I resawed a single long piece of 3/4" Oak to try to get the grain pattern to flow around the edge of the box. It is a fairly big box (23"H x 15"W x 5"D) which is why I sometimes call it a cabinet.

The door exactly covers the 3/8" thick sides of the box/cabinet so it seems to be a full overlay. The rails and stiles are made from 3/4" stock with a 3/8" wide (same as side thickness) and 1/4" deep rabbet (so most of door set 1/4" into the volume of the box. This sounds like 1/4 inset, but I am not sure.

My hinges (I am not determined to use these, I can get another style) are 1/2" plates, so they would "stick into" the box a bit if I mortise them into the sides. Mortise into the door would have to cut 1/8" into the thick part of the stile.

I guess I have two fears: that the 3/8" thickness cannot support the screws to hold the hinge to the sides, and that the inset portion opposite the hinges will catch as I open/close the door. I can bevel that if necessary.

I agree with earlier posts that the box is not well designed, but I just want it to keep my drill bits and forstner bits relatively dust free on the wall near the drill press. The box was the final project in a hand joinery woodworking class (everything except the resaw was done with hand tools) and the instructor saw my plans and hinges and did not warn me to change something.

[David DeCristoforo]

Sorry... I completely misunderstood what you were describing. If you have a 3/8" thick door and the cabinet sides are also 3/8" thick and the door covers them completely (full overlay) then you can use "mini piano hinges"

http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_ViewProducts.asp?Cat=1130

with very short screws. Attach one leaf to the face of the cabinet side and the other to the back of the door frame. You may have to grind the tips off the screws to keep them from poking through the face of the door frame. But there will be several screws and that door can't be too heavy so it should not be a problem.

[Peter Quinn]

James, I like David's mini piano hinge idea the best, hadn't even though of that, and I hung a door on a new shaper cutter cabinet this past Friday using piano hinges! We had a piece left from a job ages ago, a beautiful antique copper hinge that looked a little out of place on the rough and ready box I made. They sure are strong once attached.

I don't think most wrap around hinges could be made to work after thinking about it. If you go with the mini butt hinges you have I would probably run the hinge leaf flush with the inside of the case on the frame edge and let the extra 1/8" hang to the outside rather than mortise into the inset portion of the door and have the hinge protruding into the case. That should work with a full overlay situation. Make sure you leave clearance for a 1/16" gap for the inset portion of the door, just as if it were a full inset door, or at least check the gap on the side knob side of the door. You will need room for expansion all around and clearance for the door swing on the lock or knob side.

If you want to keep the hand tool theme going this is the perfect opportunity to break out the rabbit plane!