| Hanging Hinges |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-606 |
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Q: I'm getting ready to hang some doors on cabinets in my workshop, but I've never hung hinges. Can you show me how. A: (Bruce Johnson, DIY woodworking expert) Hanging hinges is an essential skill for woodworking. Ordinary hinges are relatively easy to install, and require only a few simple hand-tools. Here's how you do it.
- Use a vise to steady your work as you install hinges. In our demonstration, we install a simple brass hinge in a piece of hard maple (figure A).
- Hold the hinge in place as a template, and score around it using a utility knife (figure B). Score all the way around three sides of the hinge. This will keep the wood from splitting as you chisel out wood to flush-mount the hinge.
Tip: To hold your hinge temporarily in place as you score around it, apply a drop or two of hot-glue to the back of the hinge using a hot-glue gun. This will steady the hinge, but is not a permanent bond.
- A large hinge might require use of a router, but a small hinge like the one in our demonstration can be installed using just a hammer and sharp chisel. With the scored markings as a guide, chisel out a mortise for the hinge-plate to rest in ( figure C). Chisel out just enough wood so that the hinge can sit flush with the surface of the wood.
- Once the wood is chiseled out, pre-drill holes for the mounting screws that will hold the hinge in place. To ensure that the holes are centered precisely, you may want to use a specialized self-centering bit (figure D). The guide sleeve on the outside of the bit makes sure that the hole is centered.
- With the hinge in place, set the bit over the hole in the hinge and drill the first hole (figure E). Repeat for the other holes.
- Once the guide holes have all been drilled, install the hinge using flat-head wood-screws (figure F).
- Tip: If you ever need to re-drill a guide hole (because of damage or improper placement) very near to a previously drilled hole, you may find it difficult to place the new hole in close proximity to the old one. To relocate a pilot hole just slightly, you can first use a wood dowel to plug the earlier hole. Here's how: Sharpen a point on a thin wood dowel using a knife (or a pencil-sharpener). Place a drop of woodworker's glue in the hole and insert the end of the sharpened dowel into the hole. Then, chisel off the end of the dowel -- leaving the point behind to fill the hole (figure G). Allow the glue to dry before drilling your subsequent hole.
RESOURCES :
The Wood Finisher: How to Finish Everything, From Decks to Floors to Doors
Author: Bruce Johnson
ISBN: 0345372972
Ballantine Books
HGTV's Complete Fix-It
Author: HGTV
Taunton's Build Like a Pro: Windows and Doors: Expert Advice From Start to Finish (Build Like a Pro)
ISBN: 1561584835
Author: Scott McBride
Order this book from Amazon.com.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
Installing and Hanging Doors (For Pros by Pros Series)
ISBN: 1561586358
Author: Gary Katz
Order this book from Amazon.com.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
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