wooden hinge timber help

[marcros]

I want to have a go at making some wooden hinges. I have found a great set of plans, that look like just what i want to achieve. They are Australian, though and so the timber suggestions are either unobtainable (easily) or very expensive (ie not good for a first attempt)

The author suggests "Timbers I have used successfully for these hinges include: Ebony, Hornbeam, Satin Box, Jarrah and Rosewood. I have used softer timbers like Red Cedar and Mahogany successfully, but they may not wear as well as the harder timbers. Thickness your wood to 6 mm, trying to get as clean a finish as possible on both sides." as well as saying that it should be quarter sawn.

Any suggestions for anything native or easily sourcable that is reasonably hard, straight grained, close grained, resistant to splitting as soon as you look at it etc? Ideally a light and a dark timber, but that might be stretching the request a bit.

I have a bandsaw to take slices off "normal" sized boards, so the 6mm element isnt important for the sourcing!

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Hornbeam is native to the UK - I'd look for some of that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpinus_betulus

Regards Mick

 

[SteveF]

rosewood should be easy

buy a cheap jali \sheesham coffee table from ebay

they normally go for a tenner


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Large-coffee- ... 3f2e9749e1


Steve

 

[carlb40]

Rosewood is easy
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rose-wood-par ... 1c3a263189

Jarrah is available on ebay. However a sleeper might be a bit too much just for hinges :lol:

There was a seller last year who had cut up jarrah sleepers into turning blanks etc.

 

[Glynne]

Hi Mark,
I have a set of plans from Gifkins and I'm guessing that you may have the same? I have plans for single and double hinges but Peter Lloyd also has instructions for wooden hinges in his book Heirloom Boxes.
I did start to build a set but life took over before I could do too much so I'd be really interested to see some w.i.p pictures. Rather than machine exact sized dowels which could get damaged as I built the hinges, I "acquired" some knitting needles from herself which I had started to use in assembling the hinge as these are an exact diameter.
Glynne
PS hope you've sorted your RAS out.

 

[marcros]

yes, they were the plans. I was typing a message on here to see if anybody had a copy because i couldnt find them anywhere and the Gifkins site had changed. Then i thought of the way back machine, and up they popped. I thought it was so remote, the chance of somebody having a copy, that it was hardly worth posting. It is the double that I really like, because it looks quite delicate compared to some/most other wooden hinges. I was planning on using bamboo skewers as pins, and sizing through a hole in a piece of steel. that is the idea on paper anyway.

I am wondering about some quarter sawn sycamore. It would be really useful if i had a 4- 6" wide board of something, so that i could thickness 1 board and have plenty of raw material. Much easier than thicknessing half a dozen 1" strips. I do have some lacewood, i m not sure how that stacks up property wise, must have a look.

RAS- well, I know what needs doing, have 2 sets of instructions to do it, but left the print out at work. That is probably tomorrows night's job.

 

[bugbear]

Flowering dogwood was used for the shuttles of power looms - that's very hard stuff. Don't know about sourcing.

BugBear

 

[marcros]

Flowering dogwood was used for the shuttles of power looms - that's very hard stuff. Don't know about sourcing.

BugBear

Problematic I would think. But useful bit of info there stored away for a future time! =D>

 

[MMUK]

Flowering dogwood was used for the shuttles of power looms - that's very hard stuff. Don't know about sourcing.

BugBear

Problematic I would think. But useful bit of info there stored away for a future time! =D>

Not necessarily I have a wall of it at the top of the garden :wink: It's not mature enough yet to be of much use, it's only 18 months old and the stems are only around 1/4" with one exception, that being about 3/8".

 

[Glynne]

Mark,

I've just checked Peter Lloyd's Heirloom boxes and he has also used Elm to add to your list.
As well as the Roger Gifkins notes, I found another one from my notes: -
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?7938-My-Take-on-Wood-Hinges
and the fitted hinges can be seen in the gallery on
http://mokkou.jp/?page_id=20
Glynne

 

[marcros]

Thanks Glynne. Elm is one of my favourites, and i have a quarter sawn board at home actually. I need to locate some more elm!

Think I prefer the Gifkin one, but i note in that link he is using black walnut. Might have a look for some of that as an option.

 

[chipmunk]

If hornbeam is no-go then what about Beech, Robinia psuedo-acacia or laburnum if you want something hard wearing and closer grained than elm?

Not cheap but you could rip these into the right thickness on the bandsaw...

http://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/product.php/section/6274/sn/BEESB_MST
http://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/product.php/section/6277/sn/FALSB_MST

Sycamore or lacewood would be too soft and not hard wearing enough IMHO.
HTH
Jon

 

[marcros]

I should be able to get a bit of beech easily enough and if I search through the pack, there should be a QS one.

I assume that maple will be a bit soft too? Trying to think what else Lavers have. Sapele any good? I know that it isn't native, but it is readily available.

Spindle blanks, of course are a good option.

 

[Glynne]

Mark,
I was just wondering what use the hinges were going to be subjected to?
Mine (when I get around to making them) will be for boxes so they shouldn't get too much of a hammering. Equally if they are for say a cabinet, again they shouldn't be getting that much use. So essentially I would have thought that most close and straight grained hardwoods should be OK. I'll probably at least make a prototype out of something like sycamore as a starter before I risk anything too expensive as I'm guessing that unless you get something like an Incra jig, the hole boring might be a bit challenging.
Glynne

 

[marcros]

just jewellery boxes so probably not joing to wear out!

i looked at the incra, but would be tempted to make something. it is a lot of money for a drilling jig.

 

[xy mosian]

How about the Hard Maple, or as I know it Rock Maple. Beloved of squash court floors.
xy

 

[marcros]

If I bought maple from a merchant, would it likely be hard or soft? I have heard of both but only ever seen "maple" on price lists.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

If I bought maple from a merchant, would it likely be hard or soft? I have heard of both but only ever seen "maple" on price lists.

It will be hard maple as we really just don't see soft maple in this country, except on very rare occasions. Pretty much anything hard will do for hinges, but obviously for small ones you really want something with a tight grain and to avoid woods that tends to split easily.

Elm, as someone else mentioned, might be good because it frequently has an interlocked grain. Oak, for example could cause you more problems, especially if it's got widely separated growth rings and has a tendency to split radially with relative ease, one reason of course for it's widespread use centuries ago because boards could be rived or cleaved out of a log when saw technology to handle such a task wasn't always readily available. Slainte.