Replies

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Jan 06, 2003 05:33am | #1

   You have a tricky one there.  Imagine for the moment you mount each door with two conventional knuckle hinges.  There are two key things to recognize: 

   1) The hinge pins must be in a straight line.  If they aren't in a line, the hinges or the door must twist when you open the door.  This is very bad.  If extreme, it will eventually pull the hinge screws loose.

   2) The line connecting those hinge pins should be vertical.   If it is not vertical, the door will get higher or lower as it is opened.  That is, gravity will be trying to slam the door shut or flop it opened for you.  You may have encountered the same problem in an older home that has sagged a little: some doors won't stay open.

   You may not be planning on knuckle hinges, but all hinges follow the same principles.   They all have an axis of rotation.   Those axes must line up, and they should be vertical.

   One possibility for you to consider is knife hinges.   The pivot of the top hinge would be close to the stile.  The pivot of the bottom hinge would stick out of the stile so that its pivot is directly underneath the pivot of the top hinge.   Knife hinges normally stick out a little, and everybody's eye accepts that as normal.  Yours might stick out a little extra, but still not be obnoxious.  I suggest Brusso hinges; they're expensive, but very good.

2. 
   ian | Jan 06, 2003 03:29pm | #2

   Mark

   Options that come to mind:
   1    hinge the doors on a centre stile. 
   2    put the doors in the sides, rather than the face of the cabinet
   3    split the doors into two pieces - upper curved section is hinged on top lower, section conventionally hinged

3. 
   LeeGrinding1 | Jan 06, 2003 06:32pm | #3

   Use knife hinges, top and bottom. Then it's up to you to match the curves.

   Lee

   Lee Grindinger

   Furniture Carver

1. 
   LeeGrinding1 | Jan 06, 2003 07:12pm | #4

   Jeez, I should read these more before spewing...

   You need to find two points in a vertical line that the edges of the door and cabinet meet, the farther apart the better. At these points install a single knuckle hinge. I recall single knuckle hinges from Amerock that install in a kerf cut into the back of the door. If there are no such points the door will not open in a plumb line.

   Lee Lee Grindinger

   Furniture Carver