# Cabinet Hinges



## Bean_counter (Mar 30, 2015)

Just wanted to see if there is anyone out there in woodbarter land that can help me with cabinet hinges for an inset door on the built ins im working on. I just want to pick your brain about it, hinges are scary


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## ripjack13 (Mar 30, 2015)

@Mike1950 and @Schroedc come to mind about cabinet work....

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Schroedc (Mar 31, 2015)

Hinges scare me too. I like to stay with classic butterfly ones, much harder to screw up.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Mike1950 (Mar 31, 2015)

do you have a picture of what you are doing? There are so many hinges and applications available.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Bean_counter (Mar 31, 2015)

Mike1950 said:


> do you have a picture of what you are doing? There are so many hinges and applications available.


 
Mike, not yet... That's what I am looking at right now is the hing style. The built in will have a face frame with inset doors (I like to do things the hard way, well Bri does) I am looking at either a partially concealed hinge or a Euro hinge, havent decided yet. That's where you come in to give me pointers lol


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## Mike1950 (Mar 31, 2015)

Sorry I am sorta in the same class as Colin- hinges scare me . Getting the reveal right on inset anything is tough. I have mastered drawers but doors?? Never used European hinges. Maybe Barry or Dave-Mr. Fish

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## barry richardson (Mar 31, 2015)

What's your question? I've hung a few....


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## Bean_counter (Mar 31, 2015)

@barry richardson 

Hey Barry I am just curious of you would go concealed Euros or partially concealed and which would be the easiest. Also on the hinges would they mount to the face frame or would you mount to the carcas?


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## barry richardson (Mar 31, 2015)

If it is a cabinet, such as kitchen or shop cabinets, euro hinges are hard to beat, once installed, they are adjustable in all directions, which is the main reason for their popularity. They come in about every configuration you can think of, but the ones that mount to the face-frame are about the simplest and easiest to install. Study them carefully to make sure you are buying the correct ones for your application, it gets a little confusing. They recommend a 35mm forstner to inset the round part in the door, but a 1 3/8" works perfectly....

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Kevin (Mar 31, 2015)

I built inset doors one time. One time. never again just one time lol. Get it?  

And of course I chose to do it for a remodel job - adding a kitchen and dining room onto a lake house. Instead of subbing the cab work out like I almost always did, inexpelicably I chose to do it myself even though I had plenty of room to spare in the contract. In fact I think I just got greedy. You'll likely have a lot of fiddle factor if you're dead set on inset doors. I got smart about halfway through mine and made the last 5 doors oversized and then trimmed them to the exact shape of the opening. Even though the frames showed square with a framing sqaure, and so did the doors, the every-so-slight out-of-squareness of both translated to less-than-perfect gaps. That's a lot of hyphens. There's almost as many hyphens are there were conniption fits coming from you-know-who, once-upon-a-time. 

I'll let those who have had better success try to help you choose the hinges (something I rarely have trouble with for whatever reason) but if you are bald shortly after you start this hair-pulling do-it-yourself project, don't say I didn't warn you. After all I used up at least two weeks of my allotment of hyphens!

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 1


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## barry richardson (Mar 31, 2015)

Having a perfectly square opening is definitely key, and making the doors a hair oversized, so you can shave to fit with a jointer or hand plane. The goal is for the door to fit in the opening with about 1/16" gap all around, if you achieve that, it's gravy. You can tweak the horizontal/vertical/ and tilt spacing after mounting with the adjustment screws on the euro hinges...


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## sprucegum (Mar 31, 2015)

Rockler has the best hinge and ordering information that I have found for euro style. Not always the best price but if you only need a few it really make little difference. Like Barry & Kevin said the really are nice to use.

Reactions: Thank You! 2


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## Bean_counter (Mar 31, 2015)

Thanks @barry richardson and @Kevin 

For some reason the wife saw the inset doors and really likes them . To be honest I do as well and I am always up for a challenge. I just need a reason to chunk something across the shop . From what I have read it's easier to make the face frame, which I have, and then make each individual door to fit that spot. I think this is the route I am going to take. Also I was debating between the partially concealed and the Euro's because the partially concealed you have to take the space it needs into consideration as well. I think I will go with the Euro's since they can be adjusted as well. Barry once I get the hinges I might tag and pick your brain some more. I am leaning towards Blum Euro's, unless you have a better option.

Ive also seen guys doing it the way Kevin suggests as well. Oh the options, since I am making each one individually I will try both and see what I like best. I do have 5 to make. I guess I will need to learn to use my block planes lol.......


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## Sprung (Mar 31, 2015)

sprucegum said:


> Rockler has the best hinge and ordering information that I have found for euro style.



Thanks for that heads up! Just found their hinge information page and it's very helpful for figuring out which hinge type you need. I'm in the same boat as Michael right now - have an upcoming project (an aquarium stand) and I'll be needing to figure out which type of hinge I'll need to best mount the doors.

Reactions: Like 1


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