I am making a meditation bench out of 3/4″ plywood that must easily hold a couple hundred pounds with legs that fold flat, so I need:
a) very strong hinges that lay flat (i.e. when open lying flat they dont have a rounded bump where the hinge bolt is).
b) Flat head screws with flat head bolts. I want to have a flush screw head on one side and a flush bolt head on the other side. I dont even know what to call this combination.
Using regular flat-head screws have been a problem in the past; ripping out, not holding the weight. I found that bolting was stronger but the typical bolt head sticking up prevents the hinge from closing completely so the bench doesnt close up as much as I would like. Typical metal hinges bent with the leverage of the bench legs acting on the hinge.
Anybody know a good source for this hardware?
Replies
Do you have an image of what you are trying to accomplish? or an image of how you solve this problem now for reference? I imagine a good solution for the hinge would be to use a good quality butt hinges like you would use for an entry door.
I always see references to "butt hinges" but I am not sure what that means exactly. Attached is a picture of the hinges that I tried. I had to route a channel for the bolt because the hinge doesnt lie flat. It bent under pressure with the leverage caused by the edge of the leg.
I've been happy with the high quality of what I have received from Horton Brasses. I don't know if they have what you need but that is where I would start. If they don't have it, they might be able to direct you to who does.
This is indeed a butt hinges but there are many types of these hinges. You may have to look around in your local big box store or online to find a hinge that has the knuckle mostly protruding to one side. You can see what I mean in the drawing I found online, you'll notice that when the hinge is open the protrusion of the knuckle is minimal and should work for what you are doing. Hope this makes sense, you could also try less of an angle on the legs to reduce the stress on the hinge when open
Thanks for your feedback. The hinge that I used probably had a similar protrusion. The problem with less of an angle for the leges is that when people put their weight on it there is more chance that the legs are not quite open and they collapse. Its sort of a fine line. I am copying a bench that I bought. The hinges on it are very strong but not labeled with the brand.
You don't need a stronger hinge, you need to adjust the design a bit. This leg puts a stress on the hinge that it is not designed to handle and it will pretty much bend any hinge. It will also pull out the screws. You need something to handle the lateral load in the splayed legs. I would recommend a rope stretcher between the folding legs that could be attached with hooks or clips when the bench is open and removed when it is folded. This would take the tension off the hinges. You could also use a much smaller hinge and regular screws.
If you want to continue with this design, I think you are looking for t-nuts which would sit flat on the opposite side of the hinge.
T-nuts! That is what I was envisioning but I didnt know if they existed or what they were called. Still need stronger hinges tho. I know they exist cuz I have them on the bench that I am copying. Same angle on the legs with no problems.
Jake is right. Using the the top end of the leg as a stop causes the hinge to pull out of the wood. This is why most folding legs have a truss or a spreader. The hinge isn't the weak link.
A simple solution would be to add a wedge to the outside top of the legs (at the same miter angle) so when it's opened, it acts as a stop and takes some of the stress off the hinges. You'll need more overhang for that though.
A wedge is a good idea. Thanks.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled