When to use piano hinges

[petertay15]

There are lots of sites that advise on how to install continuous hinges, but when and why do you use them. Am making a toy chest (24x36) with a heavy hardwood lid (and lid supports to protect the little fingers). A pair of butt hinges should be sufficient, no?
Thanks for the advice. --Peter

[Phil Thien]

Well a few butt hinges will support an entry door for decades, I image they'll be sturdy enough for your use.

BUT, they may not be the proper choice anyhow, for safety reasons. And don't get me wrong, I'm not a safety nut, but you don't want a kid having a top crash down on their head while they're searching the bottom of the toy chest for their last grenade-launching green plastic army man.

Torsion hinges allow the top to stay where put, you might want to consider those.

I do like piano hinges, I find them straightforward and almost foolproof to install, but the torsion hinges are a safer bet.

[Axehandle]

Im experimenting with gas shocks. Not the cheapest or the prettiest but the things that work best usually aren't either. I think butt hinges will work fine for hinging.

[paulmaine]

Piano hinges have the ability to make a good long lasting attachment for lid screws to stay put in a soft wood like poplar or pine without pulling out. That is my experience from working with them in blanket chests.

[alnandy]

I've used the Rockler safety hinges; not cheap, but all my grandchildren have toy chests with them and they work very well

[Gregory of Sherwood Forest]

Let me 2nd the torsion hinge suggestion. They do a good job and aren't as expensive as some other options.

[Sawdustd]

The torsion hinges are the safetest bet. Order the pair which accomdates the weight of the lid. Installation is straight forward. The last step is laying the chest on its side to drive in screws to attach the hinge plate to the lid. Walla your done.

But then I closed the lid, with the chest still on its side and the lid would NOT stay closed. Drove me nuts. After an hour, I went inside and had a "big orange drink" to calm down. I then decided to turn the chest right side up and call it a day. Holy Stuff, the lid stayed shut!!!! Guess that's why they are called Torsion hinges.

[TomFromStLouis]

As suggested above, use piano hinges when spreading the stress of the screws out over many more points makes engineering sense. Pardon my example, but a hard to repair/replace piano side with a heavy lid is an obvious use. Your situation seems to have other priorities.

[WoodTinker]

Just build it to last.

Use piano hinges and the torsion hinge.

The piano hinges will help to keep little fingers out of the space meant for the hinges as it seals them up. You know when one kid puts them there and the other tries to slam the lid.