What type of hinge to use?

Mark Jede

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I am building an aquarium stand to fit a square aquarium with a 36"x36" base. Part of the design uses 4x4 corners
Here is a rough outline of the bottom structure
Stand Bottom.jpg

My issue is I want the finished look to have doors that run right to the edge so that each side has two doors that then encompass the full face.
This is what I want it to look like but with mine because it is square I would like this look on 3 of the 4 sides.
ADAstyleStand_full.jpg


What kind of hinges can I use that would work for the doors?
 

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Any leaf hinge would work. Or did you also want hidden hinges? Where the barrel of the hinge does not show? Then look at Soss hinges, though you will find they might also be spelled $o$$. :)
 
Mark, Welcome to the forum. I think Carol is correct, any leaf hinge you find at the hardware store should work.
41GEj6vQXBL._SY300_.jpg

For a thinner hinge spacing you could use some of these.
doorhardware06-2.jpg

Can you describe the design a bit more and what kind of weight it will be holding? Is the drawing you have upside down or will the aquarium sit on the posts themselves?
 
Not only are Soss hinges expensive, they are tricky to install, and the use of deck hangers rather than mortises on the legs suggest you are looking for quick and simple. If you are using construction lumber, the moisture content will be very high - 10-20% - rather than the 6% or so we use to make furniture, meaning the legs will twist and warp a little as the piece acclimates to the house. Your hinges need to hold the doors slightly away from the legs so there is less chance that the doors will be pushed out by the legs.

Don't get tempted by door hinges - they tend to have a lot a play in the hinge pin, and won't hold the door as well aligned as you want with a precision fit set of doors like in your picture. The pseudo brass hinges from the Borg will work better, perhaps surface mounted for the spacing away from the legs that I suggest.
 
If you want a pair of doors on three openings, you'll need to use Blum Compact 33 hinges or similar. They face mount on any width of face frame. But, when you have doors on the side, and on the front, the edge of one door would have to show. These hinges are concealed which gives the clean appearance that you are after.


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Thank you so much everyone with your help on this as I am very inexperienced in this field and greatly appreciate your advice. From what I gather a leaf hinge or something like a Blum Compact 33 are my best options. My concern is when I mount the hinge on the inside of the post there is roughly 4” from the hinge to the outside edge of the post and cabinet.
Here is a picture of what I mean. The picture is my little mockup showing one side of the cabinet with the two doors. I made them transparent so we can see how the posts and hinges line up behind. In the bottom left I show an arrow indicating the 4” distance that I am concerned about.
If I open the doors out of the screen (towards you) wouldn’t the far left edge of the door hit the post and not allow the door to open? Or maybe I am not understanding where I should be mounting the hinges.
Aq measurement.jpg
 
Carol is correct, they need to pivot at the edge of the door, so place the hinges between the door and corner post as shown. The barrel part of the hinge should just protrude past the end of the doors.

Aq-measurement.png
 
If the hinges are between my posts and doors wouldn't that cause a gap about the thickness of the hinge? Or would I need to somehow inset them into the posts.


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In response to Darren's idea of having the barrel part protrude just past the end wouldn't that be quite noticeable? I would have a nice flush side that is all dark colors but then the hinges would be exposed on the corners. As well how would that work on the corners where two sides that have opening doors meet? That's a lot of hardware that I would think might detract from the look.


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In response to Darren's idea of having the barrel part protrude just past the end wouldn't that be quite noticeable? I would have a nice flush side that is all dark colors but then the hinges would be exposed on the corners. As well how would that work on the corners where two sides that have opening doors meet? That's a lot of hardware that I would think might detract from the look.

They would at least need to be flush with the edge of the door and recessed into the door and post equal distances to reduce any gap and prevent binding. It would limit the door from opening to about 180 degrees or less. Could go with a color matched hinge as well.
 
Agree with Darren's description, but you need to be using good wood that will stay flat if you are going to inset the hinges. Your use of 4x4 wood suggests that you are using construction grade wood. If so, I think you may appreciate the thickness of the hinges to hold the door slightly away from the leg.
 
Thank you very much for your left on this. I think what I will end up doing is notching out the corner of the post to create a vertical channel. The barrels can then set into this channel so they are not exposed beyond the edge of the post and I will color match the channel and hinges so it blends in.
Thanks again.


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