# Euro 35mm or 1 3/8" concealed hinge jig



## woodnthings

Occasionally I have to drill and locate the recessed 1 3/8" hole for 
face frame overlay hinges. I made this self seating and easy to locate jig from plexi and oak to fit on 3/4 frame stock without clamps.
It's a snug fit! I just locate the center lines, line up the jig and use a drill press to control the depth of the Forstner bit. It could be done in the field if need be I suppose. :blink: bill
BTW This was my first attempt at a corner cabinet for a vanity, lot's of wingin' it and no drawings. Hickory wood on the frames, Birch ply on the sidewalls and door panels. Pickled white Min Wax finish with Polycylic top coat. Brushed on 4 coats.


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## ash123

Looks like ya got it dialed in.


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## jlhaslip

Perfect jig. I particularly like the two screw holes for attaching the hinge cup. Excellent jig. 

Mind if I copy that one???


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## woodnthings

*Be my guest*

That's what we're here for so far as I can can tell.:thumbsup: bill
I'll try to post a better picture of the underside.


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## Leo G

Because I use many different Euro hinges and different overlays and inset I have many different hole offsets. I just drill my 'template board' with the appropriate offset and write on the inside of the hole what it is for. I have many holes in this template board for the different applications. When I need it I chuck up the 35mm bit and then put the appropriate hole under the drill and lower it in. Then I lock the quill and snug the fence up to the board and lock it in place. I can set the depth stop at this point also. To drill the holes I use the hinge itself as a template with a VIX bit.


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## woodnthings

Leo G said:


> Because I use many different Euro hinges and different overlays and inset I have many different hole offsets. I just drill my 'template board' with the appropriate offset and write on the inside of the hole what it is for. I have many holes in this template board for the different applications. When I need it I chuck up the 35mm bit and then put the appropriate hole under the drill and lower it in. Then I lock the quill and snug the fence up to the board and lock it in place. I can set the depth stop at this point also. To drill the holes I use the hinge itself as a template with a VIX bit.


Leo, when you get a chance can you post a photo of the 'template board" ? Thanks, bill


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## Leo G

You want me to post a board with holes in it? OK.


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## woodnthings

*Yup*



Leo G said:


> You want me to post a board with holes in it? OK.


But not just any holy board, the holy template board. Happy Easter! 
We (I) might be able to learn a thing or two.:blink: bill


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## Leo G

Here ya go. A board with holes. My 35mm Jig


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## cabinetman

That's a fancy jig Bill. I'm diggin' the holey boards too. My method is a simple one because I'm just a simple guy.

I have a 3/4" plywood piece about 12" wide about 3' long with a straight edge (about 1 1/2" x 3/4") glued to the top on the long side, which I'll call the fence. It is 3/4" higher than the board. I have a center line on top of the fence that follows down the front edge of the fence. To the left and right of that center line, I make a mark at 3".

The 3" mark is to set the edge of the door (for top and bottom). On the center line I do a cross hatch mark at 13/16" which is the center mark for the spur on the forstner bit, and it gives me 1/8" spacing from the edge of the door.

The board is placed on the drill press table and the cross hatch is lined up with the spur, and is held in place with two "C" clamps at the top of the fence to the table. There...see how simple it is. I'm almost ashamed to tell ya-all how I do it.


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## Joe Lyddon

Mike,

Possible to show a picture of it? :thumbsup: :yes:

My brain gets lost real easy... 

I've always stayed away from this type of hinge because of this... possible mounting screwups and *high cost *of "Jigs to make it easier"!

Thank you.


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## cabinetman

Joe Lyddon said:


> Mike,
> 
> Possible to show a picture of it? :thumbsup: :yes:
> 
> My brain gets lost real easy...


Joe...you gotta be kidding. It's too simple. Picture a 1'x3' piece of 3/4" ply sittin' on the DP table (left to right). Picture on top on the back is a piece of 3/4" x 1.5" ply flat going the 3' length. The 3/4" edge is the guide for the door edge. 












 







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## Leo G

I have come to realize that what we as cabinetmakers do every day, seems like a no brainer but it is actually pretty elaborate for someone with little or no experience. We are in this field because we can picture in our minds what others can only see on paper or worst case, in full view. 

As simple as it may seem to you, me and others, some people just cannot grasp the concept until they are shown a picture or representation of it. It is just the way the mind works and is nearly impossible to teach. It is like trying to teach someone to have a photographic memory. Either you got it, or you don't.


Show him the jig.


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## cabinetman

Joe Lyddon said:


> Possible to show a picture of it? :thumbsup: :yes:
> Thank you.


Joe...Easier for me to do a drawing, than go fetch and photo. So, here is the board. It just gets clamped to the DP table. It gets lined up with the spur point of the forstner however close to the edge you want the hole.












 







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## Woodtick

Man why didn't I read this last week I just mounted a pair of Blum soft close on a desk I'm working on to try them before butchering my kitchen cabinets. All I did was route a channel for the hinge was very hap-hazard and looked sloppy. Today I build this jig and do a sample. Maybe the cabinets will be Re-Juvinated after all.


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## woodnthings

*More jig photos*

This shows how simple the jig is, adjustable for different offsets, and a wedge fit for 3/4" thick stock :


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## Joe Lyddon

Woodnthings:

Isn't the critical point the Center of that hole?

Do you measure from the edge to the Hole Center or the edge to edge of hole?

I take it that the plastic part is adjusted for the various type of overlay, etc. (yes?)

That 9/16... is that from the bottom of the plastic to the bottom of the wood?

Is it That distance you adjust for the different overlays, etc.?
How do you know what the distances should be?
(sorry to be so dumb on the subject)

Sure looks simple...


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## Leo G

Most Euro hinge makers will tell you the distance away from the edge to put the hole, not to the center. Most of the time you will put the center of the drill 4" up from the bottom and down from top edges to get standard placement of the hole.


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## Joe Lyddon

I have some of that type of hinges in my junk box... a friend was throwing them away while moving... I got'em... No documentation...

I'm not even sure about what overlay, etc. they are for... I just have'em and have never used them before... ever...

How would you do it?


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## jschaben

Joe Lyddon said:


> Woodnthings:
> 
> Isn't the critical point the Center of that hole?
> 
> Do you measure from the edge to the Hole Center or the edge to edge of hole?
> 
> I take it that the plastic part is adjusted for the various type of overlay, etc. (yes?)
> 
> That 9/16... is that from the bottom of the plastic to the bottom of the wood?
> 
> Is it That distance you adjust for the different overlays, etc.?
> How do you know what the distances should be?
> (sorry to be so dumb on the subject)
> 
> Sure looks simple...


Pretty good questions Joe. I just installed some of these for the first time so I didn't have a jig. No jig so was trying to set up the drill press, instructions said 1/8" from the edge. So for the center I took 1/8" plus 1/2 of the 1-3/8" hole and came up with 13/16". Set up for that. Test pieces were a bit tight so ended up with 7/8". Mine were Liberty hinges so am not sure if that makes a difference. Got 11 more doors to do and I'm planning on staying with 7/8" and Liberty hinges. 
From the looks of the design, I don't think placement of the cup has anything to do with the overlay (Inset doors excepted). The overlay looks to me like that is accomplished with the length of the arm and the pivot point. Placement of the cup, looks to me like, would affect the clearance between the door edge and the face frame when the door is opened.
Anyway, those are the perceptions or mis-conceptions I've been working with. :blink:


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## cabinetman

Too many people to quote, so I'll just ramble and hope I touch on some points in question. Bill's jig took some planning, but it's too involved for me. I'm just a simple guy. The only critical drilling point is the distance from the edge of the door, and the distance from the top or bottom of the door. 

From the edge, I also figure half of 35mm (1.375")(1 3/8), which is 11/16". To that I add what is needed from the edge of the hole to the edge of the door. Most of the hinges will work with 3/16". So, if you add 3/16" to 11/16, you get 14/16" or *7/8"*. That is the distance from the edge of the door to the point of the forstner bit. Don't need a jig for that.

With a simple loose table that can be placed on the drill press, like this:
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All that is necessary is to mark one door for the 7/8". Set the board on top of the DP table and place the door against the fence. Line up the point of the bit to the 7/8" mark, and clamp down the board. That's all that is needed. If a hinge needs 1/4", or less than 3/16", use one door and mark it either 13/16", or 15/16". Simple...no elaborate jigs with writing all over them.

I place the center of the hinge at 3" from the bottom and 3" from the top. That dimension works pretty good for all doors and short doors, like over the fridge, microwave, and stove. So, on top of the fence on either side of the centerline for drilling I have a line for the edge of the door. I just place the door edge on the line. Or, you could make a spring loaded stop block with using a hinge like this. Simply mount the hinge on top of the fence and mount a narrow block on the door side of the hinge. It will flip up and down as a stop.

I wind up using just a full overlay hinge, and changing the overlay with mounting plates. That makes it pretty easy. For frameless cabinets, the overlay is determined by full, half, and partial. This terminology also has a range in mm, but it's easier to understand with how far the hinge side sits on a 5/8" or 3/4" edge of a cabinet.

For you guys that use face frames, it's a whole different bag of worms, because the hinges are set up for *inches* of overlay. So, you need to do a layout for the doors to know. You may have several different types of hinges in one kitchen. I suggest you lay out the cabinets as they go (or the face frames) and mark off the doors to get the correct hinges.

So, how do you tell from looking at a hinge what the overlay is? What I do is put a mounting plate on it and close the hinge. From that you can see how far the door edge is from the mounting plate (where the plate mounts)...just measure it with a tape measure. That distance is the overlay.












 







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## JimRich

Really nice, sure looks like it beats what I have been using:


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