door hinge positioning

larry merlau

Member
Messages
18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
What do you use to determine the position of your hinges on various door heights and widths..
the style enters in as well.. for instance take the door from my display cabinet..
if there is a proper formula i dont know what it is. i go by looks and use the structure to lead me in the right direction for me.
door only.jpg
 
Looks count for a lot.

Otherwise, ¼ of the way up/down for two hinges, or center and 1/6 way up/down for three. That's what an old cabinet maker told me about 40 years ago.
 
Anther take. First, the Blum catalog is biased to the 35mm system, where function of construction trumps esthetic considerations. What we taught when I was teaching was the top edge of the top hinge (or hinge pin finial) aligned horizontally with the bottom edge of the top rail. The bottom edge of the hinge aligned horizontally with the top edge of the bottom rail. Your door would also required a third hinge to help control racking. The middle of the middle hinge is half way between the other two hinges. That is esthetically pleasing to the eye and provides sufficient structural integrity to the door as well.

My two cents.
 
I have developed a habit of starting my hinge placement relative to the rails which is just what Carol is saying. The top of the top hinge leaf will be even with the bottom of the top rail. The bottom of the bottom hinge leaf will be even with the top of the bottom rail.

--- That sounds confusing when you say it but, its really not ;-)

I do not count the ball tips or finals, I use the leaf as the reference point. This usually gets me close to where the hinges end up although I am not hesitant to move them a smidgen if I think it looks better.


You can see me doing this on the following three pieces made for my own home:

http://familywoodworking.org/forums/...3&d=1425227079


http://familywoodworking.org/forums/...4&d=1377443496


http://familywoodworking.org/forums/...1&d=1401636212
 
Last edited:
For the normal Euro style hinges, a few years ago I built a drill press jig to align the big 1 3/8" (35mm ?) hole - center 7/8" in from the edge of the door, 3 inches from the top/bottom of the door. Then I found that jig worked fine for the next ... and the next... and since then for all my doors requiring Euro style hinges. I don't know if that is ideal but using it is easy, and leaves room for a profile if required on the edge of the door, and leaves room for shelf pin holes in the cabinet (which I do not run all the way to the top/bottom).
 
I have to admit I've never given this much though. I've always put visible hinges where I thought they looked best, and that was always different. For euro hinges I put them where it's handy. For example, on some medicine cabinets i built recently I ptu them where they wouldn't be in the way of where I thought the shelves would likely be. I do like that guideline that Jim Delaney mentioned.
 
Top