The two – dimensional hinges also called cup hinges or hinges “crab” are among the most widely used for furniture hinges melamine. They are invisible from the outside of the furniture, close by themselves from a certain angle and are removable and adjustable. Within this type of hinges, there are many variants depending on how the door fits on the furniture and the opening angle. Following the instructions step by step, you can select and install hinges, make adjustments or change the hinges of furniture in use. We will start this article explaining.
What is a hinge?
A hinge is a mechanism that holds and rotates a (mobile) piece fixed to the side of the furniture. Normally, they have two small metal plates articulated by means of a shaft or pin fastened by screws that facilitate their operation. The hinges are mostly used on doors but they can be used for other uses.
Why use melamine bowl hinges?
The hinge type bowl or also called hinge “crab” is used for the installation and opening of doors in furniture made with melamine and also in the doors with aluminum frames. Its system allows it to be hidden when closing the door. The bowl hinge or retaining hinges are versatile and economical. The material they are made from makes them very durable. The approximate lifetime is ten years depending on the care.
They are also indicated especially for kitchen furniture, bathrooms, cabinets and closets, among others. For its installation, it is required that the blade be machined or perforated in order to accommodate the bowl. It will have a diameter of 26 or 35 mm. depending on the weight of the door. In trade there is a wide range of bowl hinges, it is important to know how to recognize and select the correct one for each project. Most brands include everything necessary for installation.
Advantages of bowl hinges
- They are very economical. The cost per pair puts them within the reach of any budget.
- They allow you to adjust the position of the door, this is very important in the case of kitchen cabinets or cabinets where there are several doors next to each other.
- They are used for doors that are superimposed or on the inside of the furniture.
- It allows opening the door at a great angle (minimum angle 90°).
- They make the door close by itself.
- It allows an easy replacement in case of deterioration.
- It supports large weights due to its system.
Recognizing the parts of the bowl hinges is essential to understand its operation. The installation and regulation of any type of two-dimensional hinge a process as simple as possible.
The dimension of the hinges
The hinge measurement corresponds to the diameter of the bowl or support. The most common and commercially available dimensions are Ø 26 and Ø 35 mm.
26mm: They are small. They are used in light doors, up to 15mm thick, as in the small bathroom or kitchen furniture. There is not much variety of this measure in the market. They are usually installed in retail furniture because they are less expensive.
35mm: They are used on doors 15mm thick or more. They are the most common and easy to find. Our recommendation is to always use this measure.
What types of bowl hinges are the most common?
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The bowl hinges, depending on the shape of your arm, can completely cover the edge of the furniture or only a part. That’s why you’ll find straight, semi-curved and curved hinges, two different bowl diameters, various types of fixings and a variety of opening angles. Next, we will detail some important points that you must master. Depending on the location of the door on the furniture is the type of hinge to select. There is a greater variety of hinges. However, the three most common types are as follows:
Straight Hinge (Exterior): The edge of the furniture or module is covered by the door once it is closed.
Semicurva Hinge (Central): Once the door is closed, it only covers half the thickness of the support board. This type of hinge is more suitable when you have several modules in a row.
Curved Hinge (Interior): This hinge is used when the door is inside the cabinet, preventing it from protruding from the edge and flush with the side edge insight.
How many hinge opening angles are there?
Within the bowl hinges, there are several degrees of opening. Mostly 90º and 110º hinges are used. You can find different angles for corner furniture or inline doors of 45º, 95º, 105º, 110º, 135º and 180º.
The opening angle is another factor, which will be appropriate to take into account according to need, is generally around 110º. This will cause the door to open up to just that angle with respect to the furniture. To achieve a larger opening, special bowl hinges with a larger opening angle must be used.
In addition, there is a hinge cup with brake, which gives a very positive result if you want to not slam when you let the door close. Although it is a little more expensive. In the end, it will be a good investment to avoid mismatches in the doors, by having a progressive closure, thus avoiding an early breakage.
Finally, you can also find many types of special hinges, such as hinges for lifting door, bi-material hinges or invisible hinges without having to make the bowl hole.
How to make the perforations for hinges?
If what you want is to place a hinge from scratch on a door that has no perforations, you must be clear about the necessary measures where you will make the hinge hole. The distance between them and other important factors that we explain below. But first, I list the necessary elements to perform this work:
1. Strawberry for hinge or Forstner drill: You must choose it of the same diameter of the bowl to be placed (26 or 35mm). With it and the help of a drill, as if it were a conventional drill, you will make the hole in the bowl. Approximate cost of the bit in Peruvian currency between S / 35 and S / 40 soles ($ 13 USD).
2. Wood screws: It usually comes in the hinge package if it is not, you will need four per hinge and know what types of screws exist to know which one fits your needs. The recommended screw size is 3.5×15 mm.
3. Bowl hinge: You already know that the hinge must be the straight type if the door is superimposed on the furniture, semi-curved if the side of the furniture has to share space with the opening of a second door and curve if the door is embedded inside the piece of furniture.
4. Flexometer or ruler to take measurements and pencil to mark.
5. Drill or screwdriver, are the other tools you will need.
Drilling measures for hinges
The hinges are installed at a maximum distance of 10cm. from the upper or lower edge of the door. If the doors are small being 30 cm long or less the distance will be less than 10 cm. In the case of more than 2 hinges, they should be equidistant from each other.
For boards 15 and 18mm thick, it is usually left between 3 and 5mm from the edge of the door to the edge of the perforation. Using 4mm is a way to simplify the task. Therefore, the distance from the lateral edge to the center or axis of the perforation will be 16 to 18 mm for hinges of 26 mm and 21 to 23 mm for hinges of 35 mm.
Keep in mind that a door must be 60 cm wide maximum. It is also very important to correctly define the location and the number of perforations. And it will depend on the thickness of the furniture material, the type of door and its dimensions.
Important suggestions for installing hinges:
Ask for the perforations where you bought the board. It is preferable that the perforations are realized where you purchased the board. So, you should avoid wasting time and saving making your task easier. The operators of the stores selling melamine handle the measures and technical issues, just indicate how many perforations you need for each door.
The cost of drilling in Peruvian currency is approximately S/1.00 sol ($0.3) or thirty cents.
How to replace damaged or damaged hinges?
Knowing how to replace a damaged bowl hinge with a new one is very simple. You just have to measure its bowl (usually 26 or 35 mm as we have already said). See if its mechanism is straight, semi-curved or curved. Normally, except for very specific cases, you will not have to make any type of modification on the door of the furniture. The steps are extremely simple. To change hinges on existing furniture, the door must be removed, the hinge removed and a new one installed.
In the event that the location of the screws does not match the old ones, mark the position of the perforations with a punch and then screw.
It is possible that the perforations are rolled, especially those that go on the side of the furniture. You can use a screw of a larger diameter or you can also place a wooden plug or tack with a bit of glue and then screw. You can also use a euro hinge with built-in studs.
Tags: hinge, melamine door
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