No Mortise Hinges
| In almost all our work, we have used no-mortise hinges for all small and
medium sized doors. These hinges are a snap to install. With a thickness of only
1/16" these steel hinges are all fixed pinned. We supply the Belwith-Keeler line and
it has been one of our best sellers for years. The advantage of these hinges is that you
do not have to cut mortises. The downside is, with no mortises, you will need some method
to allign the hinges from the case to the door. To accomplish that, we would like to share
a couple of tips to help with the process. #1 One of the best-kept secrets in our shop is a small 35mm film container that has a select group of small conical shaped index pins. Over the years they have been made to fit many different sizes of hinges. You will need a nail that is larger than the size of the screw hole in the hinge. Using a grinder, shape the end to a point and cut it off with a hacksaw. The hinge is installed into the case, and the index pins are inserted in the loose side of the hinge and the hinge is closed. Test fit the door and a set of playing cards is the best shim material to help align the door correctly. When all is aligned, press the door against the pin and you will end up with a perfect register mark for your first screw. Be sure to use a self-centering drill bit to drill the holes. More hinge jobs are done incorrectly because of the off centered screw holes, so end the frustration and use a proper drill bit. #2 Install the hinge to the case; again be sure to use a self-centering bit to drill the holes. Next, position the door and use the playing cards to even the gap around the door. Mark the location of the top and bottom of the hinges on the door. Now remove the hinge door or use a spare hinge as a template for locating and drilling the screw holes. The trick here is to reverse the hinge so you can use the barrel as a kind of edge guide to position it correctly. With the hinge reversed and aligned on the pencil marks, drill the holes for the screws. Turn the hinge over and attach it to the door in proper position. Once both hinges are installed on the door,mount the door in the cabinet, using the holes that you use to mount the hinge to the case. Brian Murphy |
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