Weight capacity for piano hinges? Entertainment center ???

[Darl Bundren]

I am planning on building an entertainment center, and rather than using flipper doors I'd like to build two bookcases half the width of the the television cavity and mount them on piano hinges. I'd swing them out of the way to view and close them back up when done. I would probably put CDs, DVDs, and decorative items on the swinging bookcases so the load would not be too immense.

Do you think piano hinges would support a reasonable amount of weight? Any reasons as to why this wouldn't work? And, any ideas on how to hide the TV without using flipper doors?

[Jamie Buxton]

Piano hinges are lightweight hinges. Typically they're made of metal which is only 1/32" thick, and they're held in place with tiny #4 screws. Why not use regular hinges?

As to other ways to cover a flatscreen TV, you could use a tambor door, opening either sideways or up/down. Or you could use curtains -- y'know, like on a theater stage. Or you could use blinds like on your windows.

[Darl Bundren]

Piano hinges are lightweight hinges. Typically they're made of metal which is only 1/32" thick, and they're held in place with tiny #4 screws. Why not use regular hinges?

As to other ways to cover a flatscreen TV, you could use a tambor door, opening either sideways or up/down. Or you could use curtains -- y'know, like on a theater stage. Or you could use blinds like on your windows.

I like the bookcase idea as it will allow for more storage--the clutter around here gets crazy sometimes and if I can stash it out of sight, then good. Unfortunately, the television I'll be covering won't be too large, so were I to use the curtain idea, it'd look like I had a puppet stage in my living room...

Any recommendation on hinges that would allow the bookcases to swing back flush with the front?

[Jamie Buxton]

Any recommendation on hinges that would allow the bookcases to swing back flush with the front?

Standard knuckle hinges open through the same angle as the piano hinge you were considering. If I understand what you're planning, 180 degrees is all you need, and knuckle hinges will do that. When I'm saying knuckle hinges, here's what I mean: http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=40606&cat=3,41241,41249&ap=1

[Art Mann]

Piano hinges are lightweight hinges. Typically they're made of metal which is only 1/32" thick, and they're held in place with tiny #4 screws. Why not use regular hinges?

As to other ways to cover a flatscreen TV, you could use a tambor door, opening either sideways or up/down. Or you could use curtains -- y'know, like on a theater stage. Or you could use blinds like on your windows.

Not all piano hinges are light or weak. The church where I go has a grand piano, the top to which is supported by a piano hinge. That top probably weighs in excess of 150 pounds. It is difficult for a single person to raise it. If you buy the right piano hinge, it is the strongest type of hinge available because the weight support is continuous. 30 small screws distributed over the length of the opening is superior to a few larger screws located in 2 or three places.

A quality piano hinge is exactly the right type of hinge for this application, IMHO.

[Jamie Buxton]

[QUOTE=Art Mann;617135] ...The church where I go has a grand piano, the top to which is supported by a piano hinge. That top probably weighs in excess of 150 pounds... QUOTE]

That's not the same kind of loading on the hinge. The load in that grand piano is simple sheer. The load in the OP's design is a twist, which is quite different. Look at the hinges in the doors in your house. They get the same kind of loading as the OP's design. They are made of thicker metal, and use bigger screws, than the piano hinge, because that better resists the forces in this application.

[Art Mann]

Perhaps my previous example wasn't the best so I will offer another one. I used to work at a place called Welborn's Cabinet shop in Ashland, AL. They are said to be the largest cabinet shop in the US East of the Mississippi river. They have over 2 million square feet under roof. They manufacture cabinets for the big box stores and apartment complexes. Their profitability depends on building stuff that won't fall apart. They make a pantry cabinet with interior doors that has 6" deep shelves for holding canned goods. My guess is you can load over 100 pounds of canned goods on each door. They use piano hinges to hang these doors because individual hinges are too weak to support the load. Their engineering must be sound because my MIL has such a cabinet that was built in the late 1970's and the doors are still working well.

I would advise the OP to not take my word for it or that of Mr. Buxton either. Go on line and look at what is available from all the big hardware vendors and see if you can find appropriate hinges. I just did and found what I consider to be several good alternatives. Not all piano hinges are the thin cheap flimsy kind that mister Buxton must be referring to.

[Phil Thien]

Lots of people use what appear to be full-length piano hinges on tool cabinets where the doors hold lots of weight in chisels, etc. I don't know if those hinges are normal piano hinges or not, though.

I imagine that while the piano hinge is made with lightweight materials and small screws, that it is the length and overall number of screws which provide the holding power.

[Andrew Williams]

I have worked with very many pianos. A 9 foot grand has a very heavy lid and is well supported by the hinges, however.....

The main lid is always attached to the case using large knuckle hinges. The "piano hinge" is just used to attach the folding front of the lid to the main lid body. This part folds so that you can attach the music rack to the piano without having to open the lid. If you do choose to open the lid, you MUST fold the front first, or the shearing forces will damage the front.

How this affects your project, I havent the foggiest ;) but perhaps it might be useful, or confusing, or both .....

[Ron Brese]

There are all kinds of piano hinges available that would work for this application, however one thing that may require some thought is whether the weight of the bookcase doors will make the cabinet want to tip forward when they are in the 90 degree position. You may well have to attach the cabinet to the wall to offset the extra weight when swinging these doors on the front of the entertainment center, especially if you are going to put in a pullout/swivel platform for the television.

Ron

[Darl Bundren]

There are all kinds of piano hinges available that would work for this application, however one thing that may require some thought is whether the weight of the bookcase doors will make the cabinet want to tip forward when they are in the 90 degree position. You may well have to attach the cabinet to the wall to offset the extra weight when swinging these doors on the front of the entertainment center, especially if you are going to put in a pullout/swivel platform for the television.

Ron

I've thought about that, too. The bookcases will end up flat again on the front as I am planning on having them swing all the way around, so the greatest pull would be temporary as each door/bookcase swung past the 90 degree point. Also, the base that supports the TV and swinging bookcases will be deeper than the swing bookcases to offset potential tippiness. However, I may tether it or even mount the center section to the wall if tippiness occurs.

[Greg Funk]

I'll offer a slightly different opinion. Do you really want the hassle of opening and closing loaded bookcases everytime you want to turn on the television? And with a 70" widescreen your shelves will be quite big.:)

[Darl Bundren]

I'll offer a slightly different opinion. Do you really want the hassle of opening and closing loaded bookcases everytime you want to turn on the television? And with a 70" widescreen your shelves will be quite big.:)

You probably cannot imagine the amount of cackling that my wife would do were I to suggest a 70" television. I'm thinking that when (and it'll be about a year or so of "when"--we're keeping the 27" TV for a while yet) I manage to get a flatscreen TV, it'll be more in the 37" to 40" range.

If I get the thing designed and built right, the shelves will not look open when they are open, so I can leave them open all the time if I want. They will just look like part of the other sections that they will swing in front of.

And, if my wife tires of looking at the TV screen in the living room, well, she can close 'em up, right?:)

[Ron Brese]

One thing you should consider is that in reality, the bookshelf/doors won't be closed very often. People have a tendancy to just leave the doors open after closing them for about a week. So you really should ask youself if it's worth it to build doors for the entertainment center, especially ones as elaborate as you are proposing.

Ron Brese

[Darl Bundren]

One thing you should consider is that in reality, the bookshelf/doors won't be closed very often. People have a tendancy to just leave the doors open after closing them for about a week. So you really should ask youself if it's worth it to build doors for the entertainment center, especially ones as elaborate as you are proposing.

Ron Brese

Oh, how I've asked. :( Wife still wants the option of covering the TV screen (for what? when we entertain the high society friends we've yet to make?!). Also, if left open all the time, the door/bookcases should still blend in with the other bookcases so they'll look okay.

[Greg Funk]

Oh, how I've asked. :( Wife still wants the option of covering the TV screen (for what? when we entertain the high society friends we've yet to make?!). Also, if left open all the time, the door/bookcases should still blend in with the other bookcases so they'll look okay.
Just buy a DVD with one of those fireplace scenes and you can put that on when you have a party...

[Darl Bundren]

Just buy a DVD with one of those fireplace scenes and you can put that on when you have a party...

This is genius. Pure, evil genius;) My problems may be solved!

[Lori Kleinberg]

Built this center almost a year ago. Used piano hinges from home depot. No problems (sagging) so far.

[Darl Bundren]

Built this center almost a year ago. Used piano hinges from home depot. No problems (sagging) so far.

That looks good. What do you keep in the doors? Anything very heavy? And, how thick is the plywood you used for the doors?

[Lori Kleinberg]

The doors are 3/4" red oak ply and used (sized) to hold dvd's, cd's, videos etc. The cabinet was for my son. Though it is not full, he has everything spaced apart. Design from Wood magazine.

[David Sharp]

http://www.tacomarine.com/cat--Continuous-Hinges--cat_piano_hinge.htmlTaco marine makes heavy piano hinges for the marine/yacht industry. I don't know the price- may be too high due to stainless construction.

[Charles Grosjean]

Two other potential options are SOSS & Rixson hinges. The latter are especially suited for hidden bookshelf applications. Depending on the weight of the loaded bookshelf, you can probably find a suitable SOSS hinge and it may lend itself to "invisible" mounting.