Fine Furniture and Euro Style Hinges -- Yea or Nay?

[Mike King]

I'm finishing up a cabinet that has really stretched my woodworking. I started it last summer in a workshop with Michael Fortune at Anderson Ranch. It has many firsts for me:



Curved sides -- kerfed mdf and bent on a form I built in a vacuum bag
Extensive veneer
RTA knockdown assembly to allow me to transport the cabinet from Anderson Ranch to my shop and back to it's resting place in Snowmass
Marquetry on the cabinet door
Curly maple edging


So, I originally was going to use knife hinges for the cabinet door, but I have since changed the design to be an overlay door. I've got about 80 euro style hinges. What do you think -- am I denigrating the quality of the cabinet if I use them, or should I find some butt hinges to install the door?

Yes, lots of power tools were used in the construction of this cabinet, but also a lot of hand tools...

Here's a photo as it nears completion...

(Not sure why these upload inverted...)

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Mike

[Bill McDermott]

Mike,

Can you show the doors in position (viewed from the front)? Upside down is fine. :)

[David Dalzell]

Just my personal opinion, but I would not use Euro style hinges on fine furniture. To me, this gives it a look of commercial cabinet products, anything from IKEA up to expensive commercial. But the look is still commercial, not hand crafted. I would go with butt hinges, or other standard brass type hinge.

[David Myers]

I second Bill's request to see the doors in position.

Beautiful work, btw. First glance I thought it was hanging from the ceiling. Then realized the pic was upside down.

[glenn bradley]

I think most folks consider euro hinges well suited for kitchen, bath, closet and laundry projects. Undermount slides get a pass since they are out of view. Just to show that there are always exceptions, I used full extension metal slides on my own bedroom dressers for the convenient access to the clothing contents. I make the same units with wooden slides for clients but, when the piece is for you, I would choose what suits you best.

[Patrick Walsh]

Dont do it!

[Brian Holcombe]

I’m with Patrick, don’t do it!

[Robert Engel]

That goes for ball bearing drawer slides, too. ;)

[Jim Koepke]

Use hardware to enhance the piece, never something that focuses attention from the whole.

Here are the images flipped:

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Looks like a great piece of work to push your personal skills.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Oops, looks like there is a small artifact of my editorial attempt tattooed onto the second image.

jtk

[Patrick Walsh]

Same for blumotiom

Just crap by comparison.

Sorry Brian i know you built that beautiful kitchen with hand dovetail drawer boxes and then applied the faces.

Shows your a capable craftsman but still not as nice as traditional drAwers

I know people buying kitchens all want the blumotion..

[Pat Barry]

I'm also in agreement not to use Euro hinges on this project although, I'm not entirely sure where the doors in question will go. Is it just the center section?

[Brian Holcombe]

Same for blumotiom

Just crap by comparison.

Sorry Brian i know you built that beautiful kitchen with hand dovetail drawer boxes and then applied the faces.

Shows your a capable craftsman but still not as nice as traditional drAwers

I know people buying kitchens all want the blumotion..

I think they’re very practical and good for kitchens, they make a very useful drawer rather than one that can only open 3/4 of the depth.

For fine furniture I think they detract from the finished product, which should be a bit more timeless than what metal glides can provide.

[Mike King]

Thanks for your kind comments, everyone. I've ordered some Brusso 403 butt hinges and will go that route. I do not have the cabinet together at the moment to show the door (it only goes over the sub cabinet), but here's a photo of the dimensioned door. My first marquetry in any furniture -- it's kind of crude...

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Mike

[Kees Heiden]

That marquetry looks great from here, crude or not.