Marking cabinets in situ for hinge plates?

[bugbear]

Following my eventual success in finding new hinges that are a drop in replacement for the broken old one in my cabinet doors, I'm not out of the woods yet.

The new hinges use cruciform plates, and the existing screw holes for the old inline plates are obviously no good.

Can anyone think of a process (or point me at the standard process) for marking out/drilling the hinge plate holes?

I'm guessing kitchen makers/installers do this all the time, so I'm happy to learn from the experience of others.

BugBear

 

[petermillard]

Unless they're oddball cruciform plates** they'll be on 32mm centres, set back 37mm from the carcass face. You can use a combi square to set the depth, but if you have a few to do then one of these jigs will be well worth the couple of quid they cost.

** just had a look at the salice hinges & plates and that are a little unusual (depth adjustment on the plate, not the hinge) but not in a way that would affect installation.

HTH Peter

 

[Myfordman]

When doing something similar I made a jig with sharp pointed screws just sticking through a piece of ply with stops in the right places, offered it up, sharp clout with a rubber persuader gave centre hole marks ready for drilling.

hth

Bob

 

[bugbear]

Unless they're oddball cruciform plates** they'll be on 32mm centres, set back 37mm from the carcass face. You can use a combi square to set the depth, but if you have a few to do then one of these jigs will be well worth the couple of quid they cost.

** just had a look at the salice hinges & plates and that are a little unusual (depth adjustment on the plate, not the hinge) but not in a way that would affect installation.

HTH Peter

Yes, the Salice plates are 37 mm in, 32 mm centres, so that little piece of plastic looks like £1.99 well spent; thanks for the pointer.

Is it usual to chock/wedge/clamp up the door in place to transfer the hinge positions, or is transfer by measurement usual?

BugBear

 

[RobinBHM]

Unless they're oddball cruciform plates** they'll be on 32mm centres, set back 37mm from the carcass face. You can use a combi square to set the depth, but if you have a few to do then one of these jigs will be well worth the couple of quid they cost.

** just had a look at the salice hinges & plates and that are a little unusual (depth adjustment on the plate, not the hinge) but not in a way that would affect installation.

HTH Peter

Yes, the Salice plates are 37 mm in, 32 mm centres, so that little piece of plastic looks like £1.99 well spent; thanks for the pointer.

Is it usual to chock/wedge/clamp up the door in place to transfer the hinge positions, or is transfer by measurement usual?

BugBear

I find a strip of mdf or batten is easiest. Cut a length a bit shorter than the internal carcase height. Put a mark on the door bottom a distance up the same as the door overlay amount. Line up batten with that and transfer the hinge centre lines over.

A plastic template or knock up a timber one in 3mm ply works for plate screw holes.

 

[skipdiver]

I've had one of those jigs for years but it is metal. Never seen a plastic one.

 

[novocaine]

was going to say you can make your own jig, but for that price, I'm not going to bother.

 

[petermillard]

Is it usual to chock/wedge/clamp up the door in place to transfer the hinge positions, or is transfer by measurement usual...

As others have said, either will suffice; you do seem keen to make work for yourself though - surely you already have the centres for the hinge plates already marked from "...the existing screw holes for the old inline plates..."??

Assuming the old inline hinge plates were in the correct position, of course!

HTH P

 

[Setch]

Yep, I'd just draw it out once on a piece of scrap, holes for new hinge plate, holes for old, pilot bit through the marks, voila - a jig.

Use the old screw holes to fix the jig in place, mark or drill the new holes and then proceed to the next one.

 

[bugbear]

Yep, I'd just draw it out once on a piece of scrap, holes for new hinge plate, holes for old, pilot bit through the marks, voila - a jig.

Use the old screw holes to fix the jig in place, mark or drill the new holes and then proceed to the next one.

Looks like I just wasted £1.99 on a plastic jig. This is (in hindsight) clearly the way to go; a (trivial) custom made relative-hole-position-transfer template.

BugBear

 

[bugbear]

Will I have to replace all my Euro hinges? :lol: :lol: :lol:

BugBear