Hanging Doors with Butt Hinges

[dchallender]

Well here goes a dumb question .....

I've fitted a number of cabinet / cupboard doors over the years but have always struggled to make sure that the gaps are equal when using butt hinges, I've just finished a welsh dresser and it was a painful task, where I ended up resorting to fitting the doors and then planing back to get an equal finish. I can never seem to get the hinges in exactly the right spot :?

I'm now toying with the idea of building a traditional farmhouse solid wood kitchen but the thought of fitting many tens of butt hinges is off putting.

Has anyone got a numpty proof way of doing it? I was thinking of maybe jigging it up as I would do for the drawers.....

hope you can help

Darren

 

[jasonB]

Make a simple jig and cut the recesses with a small router or laminate trimmer, just square the corners up with a sprung corner chisel or by hand. This will at least ensure that all the hinges are cut in by the same depth so you should get a consistant gap.

Jason

 

[jonbikebod]

Darren,
If you wanted to do this without all the noise and stress of a powered router, the hand tool way to do this would be to mark out with a (delightfully named) butt gauge. This keeps all your marking out constant. They are only available second hand as far as I know (Stanley #95, although other people made them as well).
To achieve flat bottoms to your hinge mortises a router plane will do the job (Stanley and Record #71 or new from Lie-Nielsen and Veritas). There is also a dedicated tool for this task called a butt mortise plane (never made by Stanley) now made by Lie-Nielsen. I cut a lot of hinge mortises with one of these and could never get consistent results ‘by eye’ but then whenever I have taken old hinges off doors and frames, it seems the old hands were not necessarily as consistent as they would like to be believed.
One final aid to accuracy is to use the hinge drills sold by Axminster and Screwfix etc. These centre the screw pilot holes using the countersink in the hinge. This not only secures the hinge better, all the screw heads sit dead flush as well.
Jon.

 

[Digit]

I've struggled over the years as well Darren so you're not alone. When I completed my workshop recently I decided that I'd had enough and took Jason's route. Three 4 inch butts and a perfect fit first blooody time. When I think of all the times I've struggled and sworn---.

Roy.

 

[Rich]

I've struggled and sworn since I was 15, but it's had nothing to do with woodworking! :lol:

Rich.

 

[Digit]

Naughty!

Roy.

 

[dennis]

Darren

Butt gauges are good I have been using an eclipse one for over 40 years
I had a stanley one as well but let my mate have it. You sometimes see them on ebay and I would recommend getting one.

Dennis

 

[dchallender]

Thanks Folks

I'll go down the jig route and do it that way, I'll also get the tools you mentioned as well.

One final question though if I jig the hinges would you then finish the cupboard door before you fit it, I'm assuming with the better accuracy you would, or would you still finish the door afterwards?

rgds

Darren

 

[jasonB]

If you can make the face frames and doors perfectly square and to size then you can go straight to hanging the door.

It would be better to make the doors say 2mm larger than needed, offer them into the frame and shoot as required to get the gaps equal, then cut out for & fit the hinges.

Jason

 

[BradNaylor]

I agree with Jason here.

A simple jig and router is the way to go.

I would fit each door in its cabinet and frame before finishing, that way any adjustments can be made at that stage. Remember to mark in the hinge mortices which door goes with which frame!

Also remember when fitting the doors in the workshop to level the cabinet perfectly first. The slightest discrepency can throw the frame out of square and you can end up sizing a door to an out of square cabinet. Then when you fit the kitchen the door doesn't fit!

DAMHIK!!!

Cheers
Dan

 

[dchallender]

Thanks fellas

I'm going to have a play with knocking a jig up and you never know in about 3 years I may well upload some pictures of a kitchen :lol:

Darren

 

[Digit]

A piece of ply and some double sided tape will suffice unless you wish to make an all singing and dancing version.

Roy.