Replies

1. 
   davidwood | Dec 17, 2006 01:13am | #1

    

   http://eurekazone.com/gallery/SRK-in-action

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   david.

    

2. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Dec 17, 2006 03:23am | #2

   I made mine.  It is a piece of MDF with a 1 5/8" hole bored through it, and a stop screwed to it.  The stop gets shoved against the edge of the door. The screws are in slotted holes, so you can adjust the distance from the hole to the edge of the door.   The 35 mm hole is bored with a straight bit in a plunge router which has a template guide that runs around the inside of the hole in the MDF.  Took me about 20 minutes to make, and it has made lots and lots of doors over the years. 

1. 
   10saw | Dec 17, 2006 05:16am | #4

   Hmmmm..OK so the template pretty much aligns on the door, you clamp or secure it somehow. Then with router turned off you align it with the 1 5/8" hole, then turn it on and plunge through the 1 5/8" hole.. Of course the depth is all dialed in etc...Right???I'm getting ideas..Thanks,BTWI've not seen but really haven't looked fot the proper sized router bits. I imagine say Amana makes them and commonly available..??Thanks again,10saw

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Dec 17, 2006 08:57am | #7

   In my shopmade template, I use a 1/2" diameter straight (plunge) router bit and a 3/4" diameter template guide.

2. 
   dondownunder | Dec 17, 2006 08:58am | #8

   I think Jamie actually uses a bit which is substantially smaller than 35mm & uses the template to guide the cutter. This works well as set up is quick especially if a reference mark is made to align from the top or bottom of the door. If I need to drill holes on site I just bore a 35mm hole with TCT bit using a template like the one Jamie described to position the bit. Drill the hole a whisker over 1/2" in depth. These bits are essentialy a forstner bit so they don't tend to damage the template. It's easy to make up a few templates to allow for the various tab measurements to get your door sitting right relative to the cabinet edge without too much adjustment or stuffing around with a bunch of different mount heights.

   (the door gap is affected by two things - firstly the tab or bore measurement which is the distance the hole, & therefore the hinge body is from the edge of the door, & secondly the mount height.)

   Don

3. 
   bigfootnampa | Dec 17, 2006 05:15am | #3

   I got mine from Rockler roughly $80.00 with the top grade carbide bit... it works very well.  It is quite accurate and I have used it on several jobs with no complaints.  They call it JIG IT for concealed hinges.

4. 
   Steve50 | Dec 17, 2006 08:22am | #5

   About 6 years ago, I purchased a hinge boring jig from Woodworkers Supply for a lot less than the item you specified ( I think it was about $40).  It seemed of reasonable quality but I returned it since it required multiple operations to bore the pattern.  I found a deal on a new hinge boring machine from my local hinge supplier that was simply too good to pass up.  The machine was a Gannomat Red Barron that the Salice hinge supplier was offering at about $380 (carbide bits included).  All he asked was that I purchase my hinges from him as he wanted to make his profit on selling hinges rather than machines.  He told me that since the Salice pattern was the same as the Blum pattern, it would keep him "honest" on pricing.  His pricing on hinges was also very competitive. 

   You may want to check out suppliers of cup hinges in your area to see if they offer any similar deals.  If you intend on boring quite a few holes, it may be worth it to you.

   Steve

1. 
   ring | Dec 17, 2006 08:35am | #6

   I have a similar experience, but of course it all depends on where you are and how many hinges you're using. About 3 years ago our shop switched to using Blum hinges. Part of the our deal with the Blum importer was that he give us, on permanent loan, a 5-spindle drilling machine. For a pro shop, even a small one, this is one area where you can exert a lot of pressure and sometimes walk away with a very good bargain.David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

5. 
   81treehouse | Dec 18, 2006 08:29am | #9

   I have the Blum.  It works great!!  Cheap -- no.  But as some other threads have advised, buy the best you can afford and buy only once.  When you are through with it, if ever, sell it!

    

   A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
6. 
   cowtown | Dec 18, 2006 10:30am | #10

   I think I paid just over 200 for my Erojig from Blum,, and my comparison, after drill bits etc factored in equated it pricewise to any European Hinge boring jig on the market.

   It requires no clamps, and I use it sans measurement ,

   It is sooooo sweet.

   I was actually writing an article for FHB, had the editor, making revisions, doing further research at their request etc all on my time and dollars , when along came an article in FWW on exactly the same topic.

   Needless to say , PO'd don't quite describe my feelings, and having emails back from the FHB folks saying "mere coincidence" and " no need to be so upset" really didn't salve my feelings. But I'm over that now.

   The two mags don't talk to each other, even over coffee it seems....

   In my mind the Blum jig is THE only way to go, you just gotta find the right price point, which should be close to 200-250.

   You set yer backset in a second (no half mm's, just round numbers), can adjust yer boring depth, can either drill for 5mm screws, or just touch the bits to mark yer screw locations (no reaching for the square to see if yer hinge is set square.

   It's one-stop hinge boring, not searching for clamps, measuring, and generally fkng arund with OCD problems. All the other jigs just suck in steps and complication compared to the Blum jig.

   There is one drawback, and that is that in it's unmodified form, it likes to clog up with sawdust, great circular shavings.

   Well, cowtown Eric, being the obnoxious butcher of tools, just drilled a large port in the side of the jig with a hole saw to accommodate a shop-vac (dewalt portable) suckitator and a couple of 1/4" holes on the other side to encourage wind flow and dust sucking, and bore hinge holes on site, without much muss and fuss at all.

   If all you get is the 400 dinero price point, let me know. I can run a price request by my wholesaler. Sounds to mee like yer dealing with a retailer with an automatic dubbling of cost.

   As I said, it's got (to my mind) the same price point as ANY other similar contraption, with 3-4X the convenience. Heck, I even run it on a cordless drill.

   Can I be blunt and say that after trying several similar methodologies (done the shop boring thing, hey I even bought a micro drill press to take on site,got the veritas, and a few other jigs in the bottom of the tool tray.... this is in my 20+ years exerience, simply the state of the art ( with my vacuum mods taken into account...)

   You could NOT do better ('cept yer price)

7. 
   10saw | Dec 18, 2006 07:25pm | #11

   Thanks again for all the suggestions.

   I'm leaning towards using a 35mm router bit in a plunge router but so far not seeing this done.

   I have a 2 1/4 hp router which should handle that sort of thing..shouldn't it?

   Come to think of it I've never used a router for such a purpose so I need to research..

   I only have to bore about 30-40 holes this time out so may wait and save for the Blum down the road..

   Thanks,

   10saw

1. 
   polarsea1 | Dec 18, 2006 09:46pm | #12

   I just use a fence on my drill press and set stops at the appropriate distance from the ends of the doors. If you need to drill the dowel holes - Blum has a little jig that references off the 35mm hole, it sell for about  $15.00.

   Sommerfeld sells something that looks identical to the Blum Ecodrill, under his name for $179.00.

    

2. 
   Woodk | Dec 18, 2006 09:50pm | #13

   Would like to see someone else speak on this but I would tell you to be very careful about sticking a drill bit into a router(did I interpret this correctly?)....you could be entering into a dangerous situation.

1. 
   10saw | Dec 19, 2006 03:21am | #14

   "Would like to see someone else speak on this but I would tell you to be very careful about sticking a drill bit into a router(did I interpret this correctly?)....you could be entering into a dangerous situation."Concur!Amana and most likely others make 35mm bits especially for routers. I had to special order and luckily I have a bit of experience as the store stocked the "boring bit" for drill presses in the router display. Not paying attention could have had consequences.Yes scary stuff! I checked the "router accident" thread, very unforgiving.I even invested in the Festool OF1400EQ router for my hand held and left my Bosch in the router table. The Festool is rated for bits that big and bigger. A much more comfortable machine to me.Thanks and don't mess around with routers folks!10saw

   Edited 12/18/2006 7:25 pm ET by 10saw

1. 
   woodbadger | Dec 19, 2006 04:57am | #15

   I've been using a bench top drillpress with a 35mm forstner bit.  i've attached an adjustable  plywood work surface with a fence marked with center line and marks set at 1/2" increments for different spacings from top or bottom of doors.  I have set-up blocks drilled with various set backs  etc. due to variations  of settings for different overlays. I just drop the bit down into the drilled out  spot in the jig, slide the fence/table into place and clamp it down. This has worked well for me. I do alot  of hinge boring in the field when I do a refacing job. We tried using those tools that attach to a drill but they weren't very stable and liked to wander. I've seen those benchtop drillpresses for about $100. I also made an  attachment for sanding drum on an additional  top to attach to the drillpress table.  This could easily be done with a shop/floor model drill press as well.

   I like my field tools to multi-task if possible.

3. 
   dondownunder | Dec 19, 2006 08:48am | #16

   10saw

   If you intend to buy a 35mm bit & have access to a drill press then use that. Set up as descibed above in a drill press is the simplest & probably the safest way to go. Don't bother getting a jig for the dowel holes, just get the hinges without dowels  & put  3/4" 8 guage screws into the door (unless you intend to use the butterfly clip-on type where holes are required).

   Don

4. 
   bigfootnampa | Dec 19, 2006 03:27pm | #17

   30 to 40 holes is a breeze for the Rockler jig I mentioned above.  I just use mine with a 1/2" portable drill.  I find it much more convenient than setting up on a drill press.  I wouldn't use a router because that is even less convenient and more time consuming with greater chances for errors... which can be very costly. 

   I have done some very tricky projects with my jig... like one job where I replaced a whole kitchen of older hinges with new models that had a different setback.  I had to fill the old holes and redrill for the new ones leaving a very thin crescent of the filler on one side of the holes.  The JIG IT and drill handled the task easily... a router would have made it very difficult.

1. 
   10saw | Dec 19, 2006 08:05pm | #18

   Hi and thanks again for the hints.I needed an extra router and figured the cost of the jig into the cost of the router and was able to afford the Festool 1400.I've ordered the Amana 35mm euro hinge bit (for routers as stated).Any advice for this set up? I figure I could even use the edge guide and index it top and bottom and get decent results but feel that if I anchor the router 2 or even 3 sides any movement and a more positive bore will result.I'll let ya all know how it works in the coming weeks as I'll be doing this pasrt after Christmas.Anyone....?10saw