Help with hinges for small boxes

[Jim Colombo]

What type of hinge is used on small boxes so the lid lays flat on the body of the box?

I bought some butt hinges aligned and mortised both the lid and box but when I installed the hinge the back of the lid was raised when it was closed. So I took a closer look at the uninstalled hinge and saw that the two halves did not come together flush.

What type of hinge should I get?

Thanks,
Jim

[Richard Coers]

If you use a stamped butt hinge, the leaf is not thick enough to be near the pin center and you have to mortise it in deeper. If you use a milled butt hinge the leaf is thicker and the face is near the center of the pin. You really never want the lid to sit tight all the way back. You need just the slightest clearance. If you make it fit tight, you will feel the friction as it closes and it may actually not sit tight in the front. A supplier like WhiteChapel has the thick ones. Be prepared for sticker shock!

[William Adams]

I bought Windsor Brass hinges from my local Woodcraft a while back and they were reasonable in price for something I expect to carry a load for essentially forever. Not seeing them listed on their site at the moment though.

[richard poitras]

Smart hinges from Andrew Crawford

https://www.smartboxmaker.com/

[Bill Sutherland]

I’m going to be using the barbed slot hinges. They are tiny and fairly strong and embedded in a slot cut into the top and bottoms so the only thing showing is the barrel. WWGOA has a video on how they work and how to install.

[Phil Mueller]

Jim, yes, the thicker quality hinges will leave a small gap at the back if set perfectly flush to the surface. The visual effect of that can be minimized by chamfering the outside corners where the box lid meets the box. You can also set the hinges just very slightly deeper. Not sure you can tell from the picture, but these brusso hingles were set just below the surface and gives a more flush fit. If you go too deep, the box won’t close in the front. If that happens, you can add a piece of paper under the hinge as a thin shim until it fits flush.

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[Ted Phillips]

Jim, yes, the thicker quality hinges will leave a small gap at the back if set perfectly flush to the surface. The visual effect of that can be minimized by chamfering the outside corners where the box lid meets the box. You can also set the hinges just very slightly deeper. Not sure you can tell from the picture, but these brusso hingles were set just below the surface and gives a more flush fit. If you go too deep, the box won’t close in the front. If that happens, you can add a piece of paper under the hinge as a thin shim until it fits flush.

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I agree with Phil. The quality hinges like Brusso are marvelous to work with and are very precisely machined. Well worth the money in my book. He's also correct that you can tweak the mounting of these butt and stop hinges to get the exact right fit. Practice makes perfect.

[Warren Lake]

Ive used the barbed ones and they work fine. have a friend who has done likely 1000 boxes over the years using those and never had a failure im aware of. Old carpenter I knew always put his hinges in a vice and compressed them flat so the space between the two halves was gone they were flush. Not sure if you can do that with a the hinge you have to try. He used a vice with crisp jaws.

[Jim Colombo]

Ive used the barbed ones and they work fine. have a friend who has done likely 1000 boxes over the years using those and never had a failure im aware of. Old carpenter I knew always put his hinges in a vice and compressed them flat so the space between the two halves was gone they were flush. Not sure if you can do that with a the hinge you have to try. He used a vice with crisp jaws.

That is exactly what I ended up doing and it worked great.

JIm