front door mounting - help :P

[specialmoose]

I've searched and searched but cannot find a good solution to mounting the front door onto my cabinet. I'm thinking I might need to rip off the rectangular piece of wood attached on the side since it sticks out too far. I don't just want to screw the front door on but put it on hinges. Problem is, not sure which hinge would work correctly and the only hardware stores in my area are the big boxes who employ people that don't even know where stuff is

Seriously, I'll send you a beer to anyone that can tackle this

[spacies]

You need a partial wrap around overlay hinge or a 270 degree overlay hinge.

You will probably have to take a slice out of the rear of your door but you wont see any hinge.

You also may have to punch out the centre pin on the hinge and reverse the plate.

I found you a website:

http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_ViewProducts.asp?Cat=297

http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_ViewProducts.asp?Cat=1303

Hope this helps.

[WLVRYN]

I struggled with how to mount the cabinet door on mine as well.  I'm sure I made it harder than it needed to be, but I have no skills when it comes to woodworking.  So keep this all in mind when reading below.

I ended up getting European style hinges like these:  http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=1060, but from Home Depot.  The hinges I got were on the door hardware aisle in some bins across from the door locks. 

I also was worried about the weight of the door and it pulling the screws out since the screws that hold the hinge on are pretty small.  I ended up cutting the door into two halves, which actually works just fine.  There's a gap on the front between the doors (maybe 1/2"), but its not a big deal to me. 

As for mounting, I spent a bunch of time trying to get the hinges mounted right, and ended up having to add a couple of pieces of MDF to the sides of the cabinet like you have to get it all sized right so the doors didnt rub (the first piece wasnt wide enough, so I had to add a second smaller piece).  If you go with those type of hinges, you'd actually probably need to extend the sides a bit from what you have so you can open the doors properly. 

Here's a couple of pictures that I took that may give you some more info.  The first is what my doors look like from the outside.  You'll notice a small gap in the middle between the doors, as well as on the outside around the doors.  If you plan to set the doors inside the cabinet like this, I'm not sure there's a way to avoid the outside gap (but I'm also not very handy).



This is what the doors look like when opened.  The MDF coming from the side is nearly 2 inches.  As I said above, I had to add another strip to the piece since the first one wasnt cut wide enough.



Hope this helps.  If you have more questions, just ask.

[ChicagoDave]

I just used 2 sliding door bolts.  I reach in through the coin door to unhook them and then remove the whole front door.  It works out pretty good.

See some pics here:

http://www.davestojak.com/cabinet.htm

[unclet]

I guess I do not understand ..... why would a standard piano hinge not work?   Not sure if "piano hinge" is the real name, however, Home Depot has them usually hanging up in the "hinge" isle.

Here is a picture of the gold hinge I used for the door on my driving cabinet:

[moriartyds]

I used the Euro Style Hinges, albeit with one door (not the two like WLVRN pictured).

If you go this route, you probable could remove one side of your frame (the hinge can set right against the side of the cabinet) and you can use the other side of the frame as a door stop if that makes sense.

[SavannahLion]

I'll have to get into the vault and take a picture of it tomorrow, but this is what I saw.

It's similar to the euro hinges elsewhere but the hardware itself is not as elegant looking. As you open the door, the hinge actually slides the door out. In other words, the hinge moves in a sort of capital "J" shape. The edge of the door is very narrow, probably 1/8" or less. But the door does clear the desk edge.

Problem is, I have no idea who makes it. I think I even found the patent for it or one that's pretty damn close in function, but I have no idea where one can buy a hinge that functions like that.

I'll probably dissassemble the desk for the hinges. I don't think anyone will notice if I just glue it back in or something. 

[SavannahLion]

It's not exact, but I think the no-bore hinges are probably the closest to what I saw. Invisible hinges.

It's likely that is what I will use for my own cabinet when I get to it.