Wooden Hinges and Clasps 

Hi Kevin! Sorry for the delay in replying. Many thanks for your several kind comments! I hope that your work with these hinges turns out well. Contact me if you have any problems.

oxcart19 Hi oxcart19! Thanks for the question (not dumb!) and kind comments. The short answer is yes, the glue joint is sufficient. The glued area of the hinge, assuming the glue joint is made properly flat and clean, is enough to hold up just fine under ordinary use. Under rough treatment conditions I would be more worried about the hinge pin tearing out. It has been proven numerous times that, with most woods and with modern wood glues, a well-made glue joint under stress-testing conditions fails by tearing of the wood, not failure of the glue joint. In the case of these wooden hinges, they should be big enough to have a reasonably large wood-to-wood bonding area. To answer your second set of questions, In an application where I knew there would be heavy twisting or other serious stresses, I would use metal hinges, with bolts, because wood simply isn't as tough as metal. However, for most purposes, I think wooden hinges would do just fine.

Many thanks for your comments, Coomanboo! Glad to hear of your successful variation using a table saw; good idea!

Hi Rupert! Thanks for the kind words and for watching my video! Give the hinges a try. They're not very difficult and a lot of fun to use!

+nella417 Thanks for the generous words and pertinent comments! Good luck with the hinges! Sounds like you make very cool boxes; I'd love to see a photo, via my web site, if you are ever in the mood to send one.

jarhead4GodThanks much! I'm glad that you enjoyed the video! The lid and body of the box were assembled as one piece and then band-sawed apart. This is the same method used with making the two napkin holders in my previous video. For making a box with lid this technique has the advantage that the resulting box and lid parts are perfectly matched as to grain and fit.

Pete holloway Kind words indeed, Pete! Thanks!

Roger K Comments much appreciated, Roger. Thanks! Helps a guy keep going!

Jared English Thanks, Jared! You are very kind! It's incredibly enjoyable to be able to be able to reach out to the whole world of woodworkers via video!

+homegrowntomatoes1 Many thanks for your kind remarks! I'm glad you found the hinges useful. I hope that the sun sets on your shop with some beautiful utility boxes completed!

+LUIS CARLOS MEJIA DIAZ Hola Luis! ¡Gracias por las amables palabras! Me alegro de que haya encontrado mi video útil.

+fgriffintx Smith Thanks for the nice comments, fgriffenx! The scroll saw blade was a Flying Dutchman (brand name) #4 two-way cut, not a rasp. A friend recommended this brand and I bought a collection of blade types. This blade seemed to give the best balance of speed and sharp curve cutting with a little experimentation. I am very much an amateur with the scroll saw and I'm sure there are better choices.

PeriodWoodworker Thanks, Steve!

michaelnew1962 Thank you, Michael! Several others have been as perceptive as you, and suggested the same good idea, or indicated they might try it. I do plan to try it but it remains to be seen who gets there first! Applying the idea to the hinge seems straightforward, but the clasp might create some complexity.

davidhenry32 Yes, it'll be more complex, it seems you are the man for the job. I love how precise and beautiful your work is. Thank you for sharing it with us.

notsunkyet Thanks! I will try it one day soon; I've got an idea about how to handle the clasp problem without too much hassle.

Thanks, Mike! I'm glad that you found the video useful. I hope that the hinge works well for you; any questions, just ask!

Dave McCracken Thanks, Dave! You are far too kind. Your point, that you want to know why and how before you start a project, really resonates with me. Good luck with your future projects; if any questions arise where I might help, please ask.

Thanks for the comment and suggestion! I like the idea of getting rid of the last metal part, even though it is invisible.

Thanks! I feel pretty good about these wooden hinges; i haven't used any brass ones since I figured them out. I know what you mean about "awful experience" with a broken screw. Not easy to recover from; I hope you didn't say any bad words!

davidhenry32 I refrained myself. It's a prototype box anyways.

Thanks for your kind comments, Sunshine!

+BlankBrain Guys learn beginner to advance level woodworking at *TopFineWoodworking .Com* more then 16000 woodworking plans available to learn......'''

Thanks for your kind comment and interest! I'd be pleased to hear how it works for you.

woodstoney Those are kind comments, woodstoney! Thanks! I'm with you on the frills; I've never quite understood why music should enhance the transfer of woodworking information.

+John Robinson Thanks, John! I like the idea of using bamboo; tough and rigid and non-metallic. I'll give it a try. You were very busy opening and closing a box for several days! Or perhaps you automated the process? But very helpful having the test information in any case.

Thanks, Bill! I especially appreciate such generous comments coming from a teacher! I wish that I could satisfy my need for thoroughness with shorter videos; hope this thing didn't slow you down too much!

Thanks, Fuzzy! I hope it turns out well!

Thanks, Jim! I'm delighted that you found it enjoyable.

Odlično, čestitamo i hvala! S'poštovanjem!

Thanks, Paul! Good luck with your hinges!

Very perceptive, MRrwmac! A built-in hinge has been on my list for some time, but I've not yet tried it. (That list only gets longer, never shorter!) However, a built-in clasp seems a little less straightforward than the hinge; any thoughts? Many thanks for your kind comments!

+Lee Fuller Hi Lee! Thanks for the kind words and for looking at my video. I hope the toy box turns out beautifully!

+bm3823 Glad you enjoyed it!

Kevin Gardner Many thanks, Kev! Glad you liked it.

Hi Arnold! Thank you for your very generous comments!

Hi Mike! Sounds like you have a great adventure planned; good luck with it! Wooden hinges sound perfect in the context of a vardo (a word I had to look up!)

Sorry, Chewning! I'm not affiliated with woodprix.

cool , great work btw mate

Allen W Thanks for the kind comments, Allen! Regarding the thickness of the hinges, I responded to a similar comment several months ago and this is what I said. "The video example is the thinnest I've tried, 1/8" pin embedded in 1/2" stock. Technically I don't see a problem in fabricating a thinner hinge but I begin to worry about its strength if mistreated, as in twisted too hard or dropped. The generality I've applied, without really testing it, is to have the hinge pin surrounded with at least 3/16-1/4" of wood. I would expect the grain structure of the wood to affect hinge strength; perhaps hinges made from dense, fine-grained woods could be made much thinner? Interesting idea." Also relevant, at least two viewers have suggested incorporating the hinge into the box structure itself, completely bypassing the external, add-on hinges that I've used. I've not tried it yet, but I plan to try it. I believe that box construction would have to be modified to do this, but it is doable. Also, thanks for the scroll saw tip; I will try to get the tension right next time!

You can always use a quite hard and self-oiling wood like most rosewoods and lignum vitae. Lignum vitae was forested extremely heavily prior to reliable bearings and phosphor bronze bushings/bearing surfaces. It is the predecessor to proper metal hardware, and a fantastic mechanism. The box will fall apart prior to the wear/failure of the bearing surfaces due to wear.

Thanks for the kind words, Atif! I somehow missed your comments when you posted them a year ago. You cite one of the prime reasons why I like this hinge technique; routing a hinge pin groove is easy, flexible and reliable while drilling deep, accurate pin holes is very difficult for most of us. I hope that you had a chance to try the technique over the past year.

Thanks for your interesting observations regarding wooden bearings, Thor214! I've not tried either a rosewood or lignum vitae for my hinges but I'm sure they would be extremely durable. I've worked with lignum vitae for another purpose and was amazed at how hard and resinous it was. Very hard to shape!

+Green Kitty Many thanks for your kind remarks!

Glad you enjoyed it! Kind comments from folks like you make it all worthwhile!

Thanks, David!

+Lou Barchey Hi Lou! Thanks for the nice comments! Regarding a video on the decorative boxes, no, I've never made one. However, and this is one of the big advantages of bird mouth joinery, the method for the decorative boxes is very similar to that used for my tool box, about which I have made a video. I see no reason why the hinges can't be incorporated into the box sides themselves, and therefore won't require that a hinge be glued on. Several other viewers have also made that suggestion. I have thought about it and, while possible, the procedure looks more complicated than with the glue-on variety. I'm going to try but haven't gotten around to it yet. If you try I'd be delighted to hear how it all works out. Good luck with your hinged Xmas gifts next year!

Hankshaw Thanks, Hank!

Many thanks, Loyal176!

What a generous comment! Thanks, Stewart!

+David Johnston I was thinking the exact same thoughts... plus, using brass rod OR a wooden dowel for the pin as IF the box is ever stored in a damp location, rust and rust staining would be an issue at the joints (or could be anyway). I'm going to be making a wedding box for our daughter and I believe THIS process is the one she's going to be getting... Thank YOU for taking the time to show us all DavidHenry... Much Appreciated.

+David Johnston Thanks for the kind words, David! I like your ideas for modifying and /or improving the latch closure. Sorry for the delay in responding; I usually try to reply at the time a comment is made.

+Ernie Zimmer Hi Ernie! I would probably have used brass rod for hinge pins at the time I did this video but couldn't find it locally. I agree rust could be a problem, and brass is easier to cut as well. I'm very flattered that you would consider using this type of wooden hinge for your daughter's wedding box. If you are ever in the mood I would greatly enjoy seeing a photo of the box (send via my website, above). Thanks for your thoughtful and generous comments.

Glad you enjoyed it, Richard! I wish that I could figure out how to do it with shorter videos, though!

+Jeff Forbes Thanks Jeff! I've not done a video on a 180 degree hinge but it is a very simple extension of making the 90 degree hinge. Before assembling the hinge, fully round over all of the hinge fingers rather than leaving the fingers on the three-finger piece half rounded. This may lead to a bit more sanding and adjusting to get smooth hinge action but it is straightforward.

Thanks for the kind comment, Case K! The hinge comes together faster than you might think, especially if you can cut a straight line on a scroll saw, something I'm not too good at!

Well you made it work!

Jeff Miller Thank you, Jeff!

Thanks for the kind words, Thomas, and for looking at my video!

9 provides

+gary gibbs Thanks, Gary! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks, Stew!

Thanks, David!

Ryszard Trunk Thank you, Ryszard! Please use the information in this video for whatever you want to build. The video is public and I'm delighted when a viewer finds it useful. If you have questions, ask me; if Google can translate it, I will try to answer it. Dziękuję, Ryszard! Aby skorzystać z informacji zawartych w tym filmie cokolwiek chcesz zbudować.Film wideo jest publiczny i jestem zachwycony, kiedy widz znajdzie się przydatne. Jeśli masz pytania, pytaj; jeśli Google może to tłumaczyć, postaram się na nie odpowiedzieć.

Glad to hear, Jonathon! Thanks!

+Mystipaoniz Thanks!

Carlo Astone Grazie, Carlo!

Hi Don! Thanks for watching the video. All three techniques work just fine for removing most of the wood. I often use a block plane. However, because high precision in positioning the hinge pin is difficult (for me at least), it will probably be necessary to fine tune the rounding with sandpaper to get smooth operation of the hinge.

Thanks for the comment! Sounds interesting; I'd like to know more!

I feel thoroughly complimented, Willy: thank you!

turtle racer Thank you! I appreciate both your viewing and your comment!

Glad to be of help, Joe!

Thanks for the kind words, Julien!

Thanks, Greg!

Thanks for your comment and question, Robert. The video example is the thinnest I've tried, 1/8" pin embedded in 1/2" stock. Technically I don't see a problem in fabricating a thinner hinge but I begin to worry about its strength if mistreated, as in twisted too hard or dropped. The generality I've applied, without really testing it, is to have the hinge pin surrounded with at least 3/16-1/4" of wood. I would expect the grain structure of the wood to affect hinge strength; perhaps hinges made from dense, fine-grained woods could be made much thinner? Interesting idea.

Thanks, Howard! Glad you enjoyed them!

Thanks for the tip, Randall! I hadn't really used a scroll saw before this project!

Hola, Pepe! La parte más difícil de hacer estas bisagras de madera es tener acceso a una sierra de calar y un enrutador. De lo contrario, es bastante fácil. ¡Darle una oportunidad!

Thanks, John! I'm sure it will work well for you.