soss hinges in flake board?

[Roger Benton]

i'm making a veneered table top with 3/4 flake board as the main substrate, and there is a leaf that folds in half; the plan was to use soss hinges (the # 204 model, 3 hinges with 2 screws each along a 36" width) for the leaf and this would require mortising and screwing the hinges into the end 'grain' of the flake board. I can get some epoxy in the screw holes, and the entire mortise for that matter.

Think they will hold?

I know the rule about 'if you have to ask...'
i'm hoping someone out there has done this dozens of times with great success.

Thank in advance...

-Roger Benton

[David DeCristoforo]

Maybe. For a while anyway. BTW, If you get any of that epoxy in the hinge mechanism, you will have a real mess on your hands....

[sean m. titmas]

First thing, get or make the template for the hinges. the tolerances for the two different depths is tight and it needs to be accurate.

second thing. screws into the edge of "flake board" (the professionals call it particle board or PB core) is a big no-no, especially if it will be subjected to stress from a hinge. if you must use the PB core (i recommend stave core plywood) than i suggest adding a .75"x2" hardwood edge to the leaf, attaching it to the PB with a tongue and groove joint and glue. than route the Soss mortise into the hardwood.

[Michael Pyron]

I've used these a couple of times before and would suggest you use the #103 hinges. The 200 series are 1/2 wide which would leave very minimal support for flake board (or wood for that matter). I'm not sure I'd even suggest their use in the material you desire at all to be honest. I've used them in a couple of flip tops for a bar pass throughs and testing showed that accidentally dropping the top down created a LOT of stress. These hinges are rather hard to install because of working on a ~3/4" ledge which makes holding a router difficult and when using a drill for hogging out the majority of material one has to be very careful to be square to the surface.

[Frank Drew]

Except for lumber core, most of the man-made sheet goods don't have particularly good screw holding strength in their edges.

[sean m. titmas]

These hinges are rather hard to install because of working on a ~3/4" ledge which makes holding a router difficult and when using a drill for hogging out the majority of material one has to be very careful to be square to the surface.

That is why it it wise to use the template or make one yourself so you can use a router to bore all the holes for the hinge with a large flat surface to support the router.

The 103, 203, and 204 hinges are all speced for use in material with a minim thickness of 3/4".

Check out the section on "Choosing the right hinge for the job" (http://www.soss.com/catalog/soss/) section under the Online Catalog tab.

[Roger Benton]

a couple hours after posting this question i got tired of wondering and went ahead and did hardwood edging. whether the screws held or not, the 203 and 204 do indeed only leave 1/8" of material on either side of the mortise; that is the part that was really freaking me out.

interesting thing about this job is that the guy doing the layup for me, probably the best guy in the new york area, specified using flake board. I assumed a good quality baltic birch or even mdf would be best but he tells me the flake responds better to the glues they use and to the large presses they use. go figure.

thanks for the opinions guys.

-roger benton

[sean m. titmas]

interesting thing about this job is that the guy doing the layup for me specified using flake board. I assumed a good quality baltic birch or even mdf would be best but he tells me the flake responds better to the glues they use and to the large presses they use.

even after telling him that you were using Soss hinges he recommended that you use flake board? Not a good call in my experience but you did the right thing by using the hardwood edging. How many hinges and how wide is the leaf?

[Michael Pyron]

That is why it it wise to use the template or make one yourself so you can use a router to bore all the holes for the hinge with a large flat surface to support the router.

The 103, 203, and 204 hinges are all speced for use in material with a minim thickness of 3/4".

Check out the section on "Choosing the right hinge for the job" (http://www.soss.com/catalog/soss/) section under the Online Catalog tab.

yep...stupid me...I should have said #101, which is for minimum 1/2" material (though I'd be really freaked out at only having 1/16" on each side when used on 1/2")

also the times I've used them I replaced the supplied screws with much longer ones as when I performed the 'accidental' drop test the supplied ones didn't take the abuse (they simply pulled out of the plywood)....longer ones did....

[Frank Drew]

interesting thing about this job is that the guy doing the layup for me, probably the best guy in the new york area, specified using flake board. I assumed a good quality baltic birch or even mdf would be best but he tells me the flake responds better to the glues they use and to the large presses they use. go figure.

The guy might be an excellent craftsman at veneer layups, but he's apparently not a furniture maker and was telling you to do what would make his life easier, not what would be best for the job. (And the client wouldn't be yelling at him over the phone if the hinges fail. :rolleyes:)

[Steve Jenkins]

something to keep in mind for the next time.Since you are having the panels custom veneered I would edgband the core with solid stock prior to putting the veneer on. Make the edgband wide enough that the screws for the hinges would stay in the solid wood.