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Hi,
I installed Brusso stop hinges on a box I built using their template and instructions. The hinges are flush with the tops of the box and the lid. However, the lid won't close. There is a 1/8" gap across the front of the box. What is the remedy for this?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
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(07-13-2020, 03:00 PM)OBG53 Wrote: Hi,
I installed Brusso stop hinges on a box I built using their template and instructions. The hinges are flush with the tops of the box and the lid. However, the lid won't close. There is a 1/8" gap across the front of the box. What is the remedy for this?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Welcome to the forum!
Does the top sit flush if you remove the hinges? If it does, does it sit flush with the hinges in place, but not screwed in?
Posting a photo might not be a bad idea.What size box are we talking about?
Best,
Aram, always learning
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Web: My woodworking photo site
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Hi Aram, thanks for the welcome. I actually was a member before the software change over and wiped out all my previous posts. Now that I'm retired I'll have more time for WW.
Regarding the hinges, once I removed the screws from the hinge leafs on the box, it sits flush. Do you think that the problem may be on one of the hinges on the box and not the lid? Should I screw one in one and not the other to see which one is the problem. Box is 17-5/8" L x 10-5/8" W.
Won't be able to do much for a bit since I'm having kidney surgery tomorrow. But I can always tinker with it while I recuperate at home. Thanks for the help.
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This trouble has come up for me -- once in a while -- for 40 years now. If the screw-holes in the wood have any *slight* misalignment, then the tighter the screws, the more the hinges will start to bind. Easiest thing is just to go a little less tight on the screws. Root cause thing, I haven't mastered yet, it would deal with perfect hole drilling on all pieces.
Chris
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Thanks Chris. Will try your suggestion when I get back home.
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Best wishes for a successful surgery and complete recovery. Are you sure the hinges aren't set too deep in the lid or box? Doesn't take much.
John
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I have run into this before with humidors. It's not as uncommon as I'd like it to be.
I find that these boxes can be very picky. Alignment is extremely precise, which is why I usually chamfer the mating edges (it helps to hide some misalignment). Basically, what I find is that any stress will cause misalignment - side to side, front to back, failure to close, whatever. Stress comes from hinges being at uneven depth, slightly warped stock, misaligned screw holes, whatever. It really doesn't take much.
Fortunately, I have found that lids failing to close can be fixed by shimming the back side of the hinges a very small amount (1/32" or less). This "tilts" the lid forward, helping it close more cleanly. It obviously just transfers the gap to the back of the box, but that is less likely to be noticed.
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(07-13-2020, 07:25 PM)OBG53 Wrote: Hi Aram, thanks for the welcome. I actually was a member before the software change over and wiped out all my previous posts. Now that I'm retired I'll have more time for WW.
Regarding the hinges, once I removed the screws from the hinge leafs on the box, it sits flush. Do you think that the problem may be on one of the hinges on the box and not the lid? Should I screw one in one and not the other to see which one is the problem. Box is 17-5/8" L x 10-5/8" W.
Won't be able to do much for a bit since I'm having kidney surgery tomorrow. But I can always tinker with it while I recuperate at home. Thanks for the help.
I got back here a bit late -- looks like you are getting the right suggestions from the experts. My experience aligns 1--% with Chris': tiny misalignments magnify like you wouldn't believe. I don't have any suggestions that haven't been made already.
Good luck with the surgery and the box, in whatever order you choose.
Best,
Aram, always learning
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Web: My woodworking photo site
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When the hinges are not installed, and in the closed position, is there a gap between the upper and lower hinge? Sometimes hinges are designed intentionally to have that gap because there's an assumption the lid or door will close onto a bumper of some sort.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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Got home today after surgery. They had to remove my right kidney because of a growth that fortunately was contained within itself and had not progressed.
In terms of the lid, I believe that one of the holes on one of the leaves is misaligned thus the problem of not closing. Will probably drill out the hole and insert a dowel or maybe a small mortise with a piece of maple inserted for the new hole.
Al, there's no gap in the closed position without the hinges.
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