# Interesting Hinge for small boxes



## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

I don't know if people have seen this before. This was new to me though. I'm going to give it a shot. The cool thing is you can use exotic wood dowels for the hinges for a pretty cool accent.

Tips and Techiques #2: The Somewhat Invisible Hinge Tutorial - by Jerry @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Great idea. Thanks for posting.

Herb


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## chessnut2 (Sep 15, 2011)

Thanks, Phil.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Nice idea. Not sure you could get it to plane down flat without having the rod show. If you offset the hole, I don't think it would open. I think this is a job for a barrel hinge.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

PhilBa said:


> I don't know if people have seen this before. This was new to me though. I'm going to give it a shot. The cool thing is you can use exotic wood dowels for the hinges for a pretty cool accent.
> 
> Tips and Techiques #2: The Somewhat Invisible Hinge Tutorial - by Jerry @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community


I cant make out whats holding the lid to the box. Is that router bit cutting more than a half circle? if so, how does the lid open?

More pictures needed.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

@Bob, There is a metal pin (10ish gauge) down the middle of the dowel segments. The odd dowel segments are glued to the bottom, the even ones are glued to the top (or maybe the other way around). He then planes off the part of the dowels that protrude from the back. Rather clever. I can see a number of variants on this. For example maple dowels for the bottom and walnut for the top for contrast.
@tom. I agree that offsetting the pin won't work but think you can make it work by simply cutting the cove channels for the hinges a little bit farther towards the front of the box. That's why the 1/16" more comment. He shows another box on a different site with no pin exposed. The trade off is how far the lid can open. In fact, with cut location just right the lid would have a natural stop at 90+ degrees. Thinking of doing a sketchup model to figure it out.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

PhilBa said:


> @Bob, There is a metal pin (10ish gauge) down the middle of the dowel segments. The odd dowel segments are glued to the bottom, the even ones are glued to the top (or maybe the other way around). He then planes off the part of the dowels that protrude from the back. Rather clever. I can see a number of variants on this. For example maple dowels for the bottom and walnut for the top for contrast.
> @tom. I agree that offsetting the pin won't work but think you can make it work by simply cutting the cove channels for the hinges a little bit farther towards the front of the box. That's why the 1/16" more comment. He shows another box on a different site with no pin exposed. The trade off is how far the lid can open. In fact, with cut location just right the lid would have a natural stop at 90+ degrees. Thinking of doing a sketchup model to figure it out.


hah, got it thanks. I didnt see the glue bit. I like it, When I get more proficient, I shall try that.
Of course by the time I get more proficient there wont be any trees left.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Your on the right track Phil, I have been doing this for years on my boxes instead of metal hinges. It is easy and cheap. Just recently Rob Corson , Canadian woodworker did the planing on the back technique. 
I found that how far in or out you route the cove for the dowel determines the amount of opening of the lid. If the pin is centered on the back edge of the box you can get a 180 deg. opening. moving the pin inward cuts down on the opening. 
The hard part is drilling the pin holes exactly centered in the dowel. 
The risky part is not letting any glue squeeze into the adjacent dowel and glue the lid down. here are some of the pictures of mine.

Herb


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Really nice boxes Herb!! I am in "like" with this technique - may fall in love.

I followed through with my threat to model this. Here are the pix. I did a quick job on the boxes as the hinge was most important. It looks like you can control the opening with placement of the hinge axis but also with some chamfering of the edges.

edit: by the way, I think the outer pins should attach to the base, not the lid. The second picture looks kind of goofy.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

clearly there is an insufficient quantity of like buttons here too for your boxes and hinge..


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Herb, how do you drill the dowels? I assume you use a jig. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This would probably a job for CNC Man but he doesn't live at my house!

I'm thinking that I could use smaller dowels than stock width but that probably makes drilling all the more tricky.

Also, in the long walnut and maple box, did you do anything special to drill the long maple pins?


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

PhilBa said:


> @Bob, There is a metal pin (10ish gauge) down the middle of the dowel segments. The odd dowel segments are glued to the bottom, the even ones are glued to the top (or maybe the other way around).


I was wondering the same thing about how the lid opened.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

PhilBa said:


> Herb, how do you drill the dowels? I assume you use a jig. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This would probably a job for CNC Man but he doesn't live at my house!
> 
> I'm thinking that I could use smaller dowels than stock width but that probably makes drilling all the more tricky.
> 
> Also, in the long walnut and maple box, did you do anything special to drill the long maple pins?


In that box it has one walnut dowel,a bunch of short maple dowels and a walnut dowel. I used to make all my dowels out of the same material as the project.

I have tried many ways to drill the hole accurately in the dowels, first you have to use a drill press that is a must. 

The latest way is to: Clamp a 2X block on the drill press table . With a pilot bit drill a pilot hole in the 2x block. 

Drill a snug hole in the block the size of the dowel.

cut the segments of dowel to length, and stand the segment upright in the hole in the block.
Put a drill bit in the chuck that is the size of the pin for the hinge. 
Drill half way down into the dowel. Turn the dowel over and drill down half way again.
I cut my pins just shorter than the dowel segments so they are half inside the adjacent segment, so the hole does not have to go all the way thru the dowel. 
So if you have 5 dowel segments you have 4 short pins. I use brass brazing rod,welding rod sans coating,finish/box nails w/ heads cut off, anything even small wooden dowels and round tooth picks for pins.
I also buy the pencil blanks (no lead) from Lee Valley, they are 5/16" diam.and the hole is already drilled.

They are listed with that tapered reamer they sell to plug and repair stripped hinge screws. You ream out the hole and sharpen the pencil blank in a pencil sharpener and plug the hole then cut it off and put a new screw in.

When you install the hinge, you assemble the whole length and before you set it in its slot you mark the segments and put a dab of glue in the center of between the marks on the BOX side. No glue on the lid side yet. Then you carefully place the hinge assembly into the slot. carefully lay the lid on top and clamp it down. 

When the glue is dry, remove the lid and spin the lid dowels to make sure everything id free and clean. Then mark on the lid the position of these dowels and dab a bit of glue in the center of the dowel space. Carefully set the the lid on and clamp it down.

After the glue drys, cross your fingers and slowly lift the lid. If it lifts, you did good. if it doesn't your glue squeezed into the next dowel space and you have a problem.

Love your drawings too.

Herb


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

Herb Stoops said:


> I also buy the pencil blanks (no lead) from Lee Valley, they are 5/16" diam.and the hole is already drilled.
> 
> They are listed with that tapered reamer they sell to plug and repair stripped hinge screws. You ream out the hole and sharpen the pencil blank in a pencil sharpener and plug the hole then cut it off and put a new screw in.
> 
> ...


I tried Lee Valleys search box with 10 variations to find the pencil blanks... a little help over here!


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Marco said:


> I tried Lee Valleys search box with 10 variations to find the pencil blanks... a little help over here!


Check here Marcos it is called "The Plugger- Veritas", they also have the plugger in the garden section for attaching small twigs to trees,and it doesn't had the blanks.
The Plugger® by Veritas® - Lee Valley Tools

Phil, another thought if you want to use a long dowel W/2 short ones at the ends just use short pins in each end. You can either glue the long piece down to the box , or the 2 short dowels at the ends, your choice.

I cut my own dowels on the router table using a half round bit.
The way to do it is to rip a square strip the size of the dowel you want and long enough so you have a couple of inches of waste on each end. Start the cut ( on the router Table) a couple of inches from the end and stop a couple of inches from the other end. Then rotate 180 deg. and repeat and you have the dowel. cut off the pieces the lengths you want.

Herb


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Definitely interesting. Thanks for the tutorial and pictures.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

@herb. Wow, thanks! that is a lot great info. I was thinking that smaller dowels would make for a cleaner look.

Love the cross your fingers part. I have a hunch this is from experience...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

PhilBa said:


> @herb. Wow, thanks! that is a lot great info. I was thinking that smaller dowels would make for a cleaner look.
> 
> Love the cross your fingers part. I have a hunch this is from experience...


Yep, not all has worked out like planned, But I remember my first one did and I was so excited that I just kept doing it. 

Giving away all my secrets here. There are more pitfalls, but don't want to overload your mind to start.

One thing that will help you are those excellent drawings you do you can head off some of the problems by adjusting the hinge in and out,up and down in the drawings to get different effects.


Good luck,
Herb


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