I'm a newbie working on a present for my son - a lift-top desk that will also house his digital piano. I need suggestions for the best hinges to use for this project.
The front panel (in green) needs to fold flat against the inside of the lid (in blue) when the lid is lifted. When the lid is down, the front panel should be at 90 deg relative to the the lid, without the ability to swing forward. (I plan to install small stop blocks so that the front panel cannot swing inside.) What kind of hinges should I use to attach this front panel to the lid? I would like to minimize the gap between the green and blue panels when the lid is down.
Second question: what are the best hinges to use to attach the lid (in blue) to the stationary desktop (in orange)? If I use butt hinges, the barrel of the hinge will show on the desktop (and there will be a small gap between the blue and orange part when lid is closed.) Are there are hinges that will allow me to 1) minimize the gap between the blue and orange parts, and 2) not have any parts protruding at the desk surface?
10-27-2021, 12:45 PM (This post was last modified: 10-27-2021, 02:03 PM by Cooler.)
I just completed a make up vanity with a lift top. It extends all the way to the perimeter. I used Blum Euro style hinges (2). I ordered them from AH Turf
Blum 71B3550
Blum 174H7130E
[font="Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I bought a soft close piston from Amazon, but it was worthless. I will order a Sugatone soft close lid support.[/font]
AFAIK, Blum doesn't have hinges that open 270 degrees, which is what I believe I will need here for the lid itself. Unless I'm not visualizing this properly.
10-27-2021, 03:38 PM (This post was last modified: 10-27-2021, 03:40 PM by Cooler.)
90 degrees will bring it to vertical. So 110 degrees will be fully open. Mine stays open. I will be adding a mirror to the interior of the top.
Installing Blum hinges on your design will be difficult as you have to attach the clip to the underside of the stationary rear panel. Also if you want to mount a mirror on the inside, it will have to be very small.
Oops. I see your's is a desk. Mine is a makeup vanity. You won't need a mirror.
But you definitely want a soft close lid. You don't want this slamming in his fingers.
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(10-27-2021, 02:54 PM)sweetverve Wrote: Thanks, forgot that I'll also need a lid support!
AFAIK, Blum doesn't have hinges that open 270 degrees, which is what I believe I will need here for the lid itself. Unless I'm not visualizing this properly.
It might help a bit to consider that you have the front blue piece in two different locations in the two views of the model. If you want the blue piece to be under the top when in the closed position, the top will prevent it from opening out. A simple continuous hinge would work for that. Soft-close hinges might be a good idea between the fixed and moving tops.
Will there be cables or cords coming out of the back of the desk?
(10-27-2021, 04:01 PM)DaveR1 Wrote: It might help a bit to consider that you have the front blue piece in two different locations in the two views of the model. If you want the blue piece to be under the top when in the closed position, the top will prevent it from opening out. A simple continuous hinge would work for that. Soft-close hinges might be a good idea between the fixed and moving tops.
Will there be cables or cords coming out of the back of the desk?
What are the dimensions of the desk?
The blue piece, in the closed position, will be flush with the orange piece. If I mount some hinges on the underside of the orange stationary piece, they would need to open >270 deg to swing the blue piece into position. Not sure what kind of hinges those would be, though.
If using a continuous hinge, would it need to be mounted on top of the desk surface to work?
Cords and cables will come out through an opening in the back. The dimensions of the desk surface are roughly 55" x 15".
If you want the front flap to be flush with the underside of the top it can't be flush with the edge when in the open position as you show it.
For both hinges you could use continuous hinges, also called piano hinges. If you attach the hinge to the edges of the two top pieces with the knuckle up, the moving part of the top can hinge back 180° if you want it to. Continuous hinges are simple to install and don't require anything but a bunch of screw holes if you don't care about mortising.
I'm wondering about changing the design so the front flap hinges down and the top is a single piece that lifts up and slides down the back a little bit.
(10-27-2021, 05:01 PM)DaveR1 Wrote: If you want the front flap to be flush with the underside of the top it can't be flush with the edge when in the open position as you show it.
For both hinges you could use continuous hinges, also called piano hinges. If you attach the hinge to the edges of the two top pieces with the knuckle up, the moving part of the top can hinge back 180° if you want it to. Continuous hinges are simple to install and don't require anything but a bunch of screw holes if you don't care about mortising.
I'm wondering about changing the design so the front flap hinges down and the top is a single piece that lifts up and slides down the back a little bit.
Ah, I see what you mean about the front flap. I think as long as it's flush when in the closed position, then I don't mind if being slightly off in the open position.
I've gone through multiple design versions already including one where the the top slides back into the stationary piece, one where the entire top lifts up, like a trunk lid, etc. The client (aka my son) has expressed his preference for this version, so I would like to attempt making it.
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including one where the the top slides back into the stationary piece, one where the entire top lifts up, like a trunk lid, etc. The client (aka my son) has expressed his preference for this version, so I would like to attempt making it.