# Advice for Hinges for a Blanket Chest



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

All,

My grandfather passed away a number of years ago and left an unfinished cherry blanket chest in his basement, which I'm trying to finish. Unfortunately, I'm not a wood worker in the least!

The only thing that's really left (apart from sanding and finishing) is finding the right hinges. He mortised two gaps into the back which look like he intended to hold the hinges, they are 1 1/2" wide and 3/16" deep. For the life of me, I can't find hinges that make sense in that gap though. Here's a picture of it (with the lid twisted a bit so you can see it).










The precision butt and rolled butt hinges I've found are much too thin for the 3/16" gap, and I'm not sure two 1 1/2" hinges would work well anyway? I'm thinking of just leaving the gaps in the back and using a hinge like this but I'd rather follow his vision for the chest if I can figure out how.

If you have any thoughts on what hardware I should use, please chime in. Thanks!

Erik


----------



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

The link I posted for a picture doesn't seem to work -- I put the picture in my photo images on this forum.

Erik


----------



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

The link I posted for a picture doesn't seem to work -- I put the picture in my photo images on this forum.

Erik


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

I would try looking at sites which sell the hardware to give you some inspiration for what is available.

Start with the Lee Valley site.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?cat=3&p=41241

Not easy for us to recommend without seeing a picture.


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Is this the hinge?
.
















 







.


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

That is a humongous hinge which I think would detract.

I would follow Dave's suggestion for looking for hinges.

What is the overall size of the chest? Knowing this would help in suggesting hinges.

George


----------



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

I've looked there, and there wasn't anything obvious to me. I tried posting a picture...Maybe this link will work?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7962635066/


----------



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

I've looked there, and there wasn't anything obvious to me. I tried posting a picture...Maybe this link will work?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7962635066/


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

ewtroan said:


> I've looked there, and there wasn't anything obvious to me.


The mortise your grandfather made is typically for a simple box hinge.

Perhaps you just did not like the look of these.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=40459&cat=3,41241,41243&ap=1


----------



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

In all honesty, I just didn't see that one (in the 10 different sites I looked at I can't say I'm surprised). I'd prefer an antique bronze to brass I think, but I can't say I'm overly picky.

Looking at the dimensions on Brusso's web site, the entire hinge seems to be 3/16" thick, with each plate being half that. So having the entire hinge fit into the mortise is the proper fit? I was thinking I'd want just the plate which is attached to the chest to be mortised and the plate which attaches to the lid to be above the mortise, but I admit that my sense of geometry for a working pivot is weak at best! These are described as wonderful for "small boxes or chests"; will two of them work well for a blanket chest which is about 45" x 22"?

Thanks so much for the help. He actually lived in Eastern PA (near Allentown) so getting advice from the region is welcome!

Erik


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Wow, small world. I live about 20 miles northwest of Allentown almost at the Lehigh county line - 1 mile away.

A box hinge can be mortised into top and side, or just the side. I think your grandfather was considering just the side.

You want the hinge to sit slightly proud of the side so that there is no stress when the chest is closed.

The Brusso hinges are quite thick, so these will take the load. The other consideration is the screws.

The Brusso hinges open to 95 deg. This is good since this should be less load/stress on the hinge. Most of the weight is pressing down onto the side.

Lee Valley does not state the screw size. I would use 1 1/2in long screws. The hinge is likely to use #6 or #8 screws.

If you want to use brass screws, you need to first use a steel screw to cut the threads, remove the steel and then screw in the brass.

A separate thread was about how to centre the screw in the hinge. Not easy. I would recommend a centre punch like this one. Not expensive, but I know the struggles I have had when I did not get all the screws centred.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32201&cat=1,43456


----------



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks for all the advice. I'll drill the holes, steel screw, and then brass screw as you suggest, and I'll get that punch too.

Does "proud of the side" mean the hinges should be slightly raised above the side level so that when the lid is closed there is no force pulling up on the hinge? Hopefully the mitre's will be right.

I'll post back when I get everything assembled. I want to make sure it all fits together before I do the finish work.

Erik


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

ewtroan said:


> Does "proud of the side" mean the hinges should be slightly raised above the side level so that when the lid is closed there is no force pulling up on the hinge?
> Erik


Yes this is what I meant. If the mortise is too deep, then just use some thin pieces of wood. Tongue suppressers are normally around many homes.

If the hinge is too proud, then you may need to carefully par some of the wood with a hand chisel or file with a rasp.


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Dave Paine said:


> Lee Valley does not state the screw size. I would use 1 1/2in long screws.


For clarification, I meant the 1 1/2in long screws for the portion of the hinge screwed to the side.

For the portion hinged to the top, you need to use a screw which will not protrude. I expect 3/4in will be the longest you can use.


----------



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

One last question (for now). I assume the hinged portion of the extends off the back of the chest rather than being flush with it? It doesn't seem like it would open otherwise?


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

ewtroan said:


> One last question (for now). I assume the hinged portion of the extends off the back of the chest rather than being flush with it? It doesn't seem like it would open otherwise?


Yes, with this style of hinge the actual hinge (round) portion will protrude.

Going with your desire to use the mortise as your grandfather may have intended. This style is very common on chests and boxes.


----------



## ewtroan (Sep 9, 2012)

Just a quick update on where things are.

The original hinges I bought were too small; really meant for a jewelry box. I think I misunderstood the depth of the hinges compared to the depth of both hinges. The style was just right though, so I bought these something larger. I mortised out the openings a bit to accommodate them (nerve wracking for this first timer!) and shimmed them to be a bit proud using some 1/8" plywood I had left over from the drawers. It all fits perfectly and looks great!

I had meant to order hinges with stops, but wasn't paying enough attention. That said, this chest is going to be around 6 year old fingers, so using a soft down stay was popular with my wife anyway. I bought one of these, read the instructions which came with it, and just bought another to keep it within spec. It's more than a little ugly, but it got good reviews and should be more reliable than my six year old!

Anyway, the whole thing is sanded and waiting on the first pass of stain (should be this week). Thanks again for all of the help -- I'm really excited to see this come together!


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Thanks, I love to see updates for "how to" threads. We can then see if the advise helped, and the thread is more useful if someone in the future searches and finds the question - and the solution.

The soft close may be ugly, but is stronger than the hinges with stops. :thumbsup:

Looking forward to the final pictures.


----------



## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

"I love it when a plan comes together."
- John "Hannibal" Smith


----------

