No Bore Glass Door Pivot Hinge

mike marvel

Member
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268
Location
So. Florida
You may want to hang frameless glass doors over a cabinet opening. This type of hinge requires no holes to be drilled in the glass. It's really pretty simple to figure out the size of the glass and where to drill the hole.

It's available in a variety of finishes, like chrome, black and polished brass. A minimum of 3/16" to 1/4" glass is required. The door will be figured as an inset, but can be used with either a face frame, or frameless construction.

To drill for installation, it's best to have the hardware in hand, as they can vary by manufacturer. The hole for the insert grommet should be drilled before the cabinet goes together. Reason being that it's so close to the cabinet/frame side, that if the cabinet is together, you can't get the drill to operate perpendicularly, to seat the grommet straight. In cases with a face frame the rail members should be drilled before the frame is assembled. It's essential that both the upper and lower holes be in alignment as once the glass is tightened, stresses from improper alignment can crack the glass.

There are some right angle optional attachments for a drill that are pretty narrow, if you have one that might work. Another suggestion is to make a mock up corner from two scraps to lay out the spacing for the mounting hole. I usually allow no more than 1/8". If you get the hole too close the edge of the case/frame, the hinge may rub the side of the cabinet when rotating.

You can align the drill hole so the face of the hinge is flush with the front of the cabinet, which in that case the actual glass will be set back about 3/32". When installing the glass into the upper and lower hinge, mount the metal plate with its adhesive back to the glass, and from the inside side of the hinge slowly tighten the screws to fix the glass. Being mounted that way, you have some adjustment to align the glass to the cabinet or to another door.

You may need to do a final adjustment once the cabinet is installed, as any racking can alter the door adjustment. The hinge is a free swinging hinge, so you will need a magnetic catch, or a magnetic touch latch. For those types of hardware a strike plate like this would be needed. There are Plexiglas knobs available with peal and stick mounts that can be used, if just a magnetic catch is used.

There is also a no bore self closing hinge like this, that is screw mount...no drilling for a pivot. A stop would be needed.



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Thank you Captain Marvel its good to see you back posting again. I value your posts very much. Mike when it comes to glass to use on this kind of door does one need special shatterproof glass? Can a woodworker take ordinary glass and use a sander to knock off the sharp edges or is this something best left to the glass guys. ?

I know if Cynthis other half Brian (aka Glassman ) had to read this he would be able to tell us.

I am always weary of glass ever since childhood when a friend of mine put his arm through a glass door while chasing his brother around the house.
 
Thank you Captain Marvel its good to see you back posting again. I value your posts very much. Mike when it comes to glass to use on this kind of door does one need special shatterproof glass? Can a woodworker take ordinary glass and use a sander to knock off the sharp edges or is this something best left to the glass guys. ?

I know if Cynthis other half Brian (aka Glassman ) had to read this he would be able to tell us.

I am always weary of glass ever since childhood when a friend of mine put his arm through a glass door while chasing his brother around the house.


I would recommend if the placement is below knee level to use ¼" tempered glass. That would have to be ordered. You can't (or shouldn't) cut your own and take it to be tempered. There is a shrinkage factor. When ordered for the finished size, the shop doing the process figures in for that, so your finished product comes out to the size you need.

Otherwise, I use ¼" clear plate everywhere else, and cut my own. I do recommend easing the sharp cut edges, as they can be hazardous. You can do it yourself by hand with wet-or-dry silicone carbide sandpaper...the gray stuff, but use it dry on the edge (100x or 120x works good). Or if you have a belt sander, use the same type of belt, and use a slight angle to make a small chamfer on the edge by just bumping the trigger and moving the belt slow.

Even with easing the edges, the cut edge of the glass may look a bit wavy. You could sand it out, and that would leave it like a frosty white. Glass shops call that "seaming". Or you could order it and have the shop do a cork polish, which is that high polish you see on thick table top edges. They charge by the inch.

If you are concerned about safety, you could use Plexiglas. With that you can cut it on your table saw, and do the edge polishing easily. It's on third the weight of glass for the same thickness. Care would have to be taken for cleaning. Or, you could buy an abrasion resistant cast acrylic...like Plexiglas MR, or Acrylite AR, which are used for boat windshields that use wipers.


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thanks mike for this link,, i have drilled glass and its not any fun,,, on another note,, could you take a picture of that plywood you have a source to that has the thick veneers with a ruler next to it i have tried every where and even the major company's that you mentioned up here and cant find anything that has the .0625 thick face veneer..if you can i sure would appreciate it and a company and grade description would be good have tried our large company's and they tell me this is all they have and its not what you are fortunate to have..
 
thanks mike for this link,, i have drilled glass and its not any fun,,, on another note,, could you take a picture of that plywood you have a source to that has the thick veneers with a ruler next to it i have tried every where and even the major company's that you mentioned up here and cant find anything that has the .0625 thick face veneer..if you can i sure would appreciate it and a company and grade description would be good have tried our large company's and they tell me this is all they have and its not what you are fortunate to have..

Sorry you didn't score. Its been a while since I ordered plywood. I've been recovering from knee surgery and other problems. I've been at it for 40 years, and have taken a toll. I've been doing local and online consultation (forum members get it free :D). I can't remember which supplier I used last, but they are local, and don't know their sources. It could have been one of the following...Seafarer Marine, General Hardwoods, Whittelsey Wood Products, or DixiePly. The actual thickness is likely closer to .046 (an RCH thinner than .062). I don't know if they will sell onsey twosey. If you handle veneer faced plywood properly, you shouldn't have a problem even with the thin imported stuff.


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