Blum inset hinges

[RSM]

Hey all, This is my first post on NC Woodworker. I've really enjoyed reading the forums and have learned quite a bit from the many helpful members. So, I finally have a general question here.... I'm making a small cabinet and am using Blum inset hinges for the doors (I found a really good deal on amazon). I've gotten a 35mm bit, and plan to make a mock-up before the real install, but are there any tips tricks, I've heard they can be a bit of a pain.

One more question, anyone used the Blumotion, soft close add-ons? They seem to work great in the store, but I wonder how well they work in real life and if they hold-up.

Thanks for the help.

[TracyP]

Welcome aboard, I cannot offer you any advise on the hinges,however, I want to invite you to go over to the Who We Are Forum from the main page and give us an intro. It is great to have you here, Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

[George]

Welcome aboard and be sure to introduce yourself. I've had a little experience with Blum hinges. In order to get it right, I bought a jig that helps locate the correct position for the 35 mm hole and another jig to properly place the handle. I've seen several types of these jigs, some more expensive than others, in different woodworking magazines. If you plan to use this type of hinge in future projects the cost might be worth it.

[DaveO]

Hey Ryan, I am glad to see you posting. You'll be amazed at what you can learn here. I am a huge fan of 35mm euro styled hinges. The adjustably makes them almost fool proof. I have a very simple "L" shaped plastic jig that help align the 35mm hole and attachment screws on a center line, once you have the center line established mounting the bracket to the cab carcass is a breeze. You are more than welcome to borrow it if you would like. I haven't found hinges easier to mount the the 35mm euro style. I'll take them over mortise hinges any day.
I haven't used the soft close Blumotion yet, but Blum makes high quality stuff (usually greater than my woodworking that it might go on) so I am sure that they will preform well for you in "real-life"

Dave

[Splinter]

Ryan,

This is the jig I made to use when I am drilling the 35mm holes in the doors for the euro style hinges. There are other photos of it in my gallery under jigs. Euro hinges are great for cabinet doors.

[Travis Porter]

I generally just use my drill press with a 1 3/8" forstner bit and a fence adjusted to the correct distance. Getting the distance right can be challenging so making some trial pieces is a must IMO. The distance can also vary depending on stock thickness and hinge style (half overlay, full overlay, etc). When you make your trial pieces make sure they are the same thickness as your doors. My only word of warning is to be careful of the depth you drill for the cup. If too deep and you want to round over the door edges you may get an unpleasant surprise. DAMHIKT.

I haven't used the blumotion, but they seem overkill to me. I buy the self closing hinges anyway and use rubber bumpers. Seems like something else that will go wrong to me. JMTCW

[RSM]

Thanks for all the responses, this is great help! So, it seems that the jig is aligning the offset of the 35mm holes from the side, and then aligning the attachment screws to ensure that the hinge is perpindicular to the door, is that correct? So DaveO, you said that mounting to the carcass is easy, do you just hold it up and mark it in place and then use the adjustments to get it just right, or does the jig help you with the clip portion as well?

My wife liked the BluMotion feature, beacause the euro hinges really "snap" closed, and with a one year old crawling around getting into everything that could result in some tears.

[Travis Porter]

Getting the hinge perpendicular to the door is easy. Just use a board longer than the length of the door and hold it against the flat side of the hinges and voila.

As for the 1 year old, we put plastic ties on all the doors. Ours only smacked her fingers once before she learned, but we had to do something to keep the doors shut to keep her from dragging everything in the cabinets out. The blumotion will work like you are thinking, and Blum makes excellent stuff IMO.

[RSM]

Travis,

Two questions: I don't follow your last post about holding the longer board against the door to set the hinge? I'm a little slow sometimes so you may need to spell it out for me! And how does the 1 3/8" bit work? Is it a big advantage to have the 35mm for a tighter fit, or does it not matter? I'll happily return my 35mm bit and just use the forstner 1 3/8" I already have.

[Travis Porter]

One:
You have the hinges inserted into the door, but they are not parallel to the door edge. To get them parallel, get you a 1.5" wide board by the length of the door and hold it next to the edge of the hinge. It will show you if you are off and give an edge as the edge of the hinge that is facing the far side is straight and when you put the board against both it gets them straight.

1 3/8 inches equates to 34.925 millimeters. I have never used a 35mm bit. I have always used a 1 3/8 forstner bit with no issues.

[DaveO]

Originally Posted by RSM

So DaveO, you said that mounting to the carcass is easy, do you just hold it up and mark it in place and then use the adjustments to get it just right, or does the jig help you with the clip portion as well?

Ryan, all the Euro styled hinges I have used have been on framed cabs. They all have some sort of locating tabs or clips that orient them straight on the face frame. You have a lot of vertical movement to adjust with in the carcass clip, and usually 3 different modes of adjustment on the door piece. The jig I have is as simple as it can be. You measure in from the edges of the doors and make a center line. Transfer that same center line measurement to the carcass/door frame plus what ever gap you have built into your door (usually about 1/16" on all sides). The jig helps to locate the 35mm hole offset from the edge of the door and the mounting screw locations. I use the actual carcass/face-frame clip to locate it's mounting holes by using the center of it on the previously marked center lines, and shooting for the center of the elongated mounting slots.

I hope that make some sense


Dave

[RSM]

Travis and DaveO, thanks, the suggestions and explanations make sense. I'm looking forward to trying the hinges out.