Milling cabinet hinges

[boxmaker]

Hi everyone

Would it be possible to mill the below hinges just on a mill?

many thanks

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by boxmaker Hi everyone Would it be possible to mill the below hinges just on a mill? many thanks

Yes

[Geof]

Originally Posted by TOTALLYRC Yes

but it will be expensive.

Using bar stock, a vise for the first operation and an indexable fixture for the second operation you would be able to finish them in just the two operations; without the indexing fixture it would take three.

Then you would have to polish them.

[boxmaker]

Hi Geof

I am very new to milling and was hoping to mill the hinges from brass or stainless steel, these would be for wooden boxes (which I make) and I know it would not be cost effective to produce my own it gives me more control over the sizes.

Would it be possible to talk me through the processes involved, as I said I'm very new to this and any help would be appreciated.

cheers

[Kipper]

Hi, Is there nobody near you who could cast these in brass?

[boxmaker]

I would prefer to make them, that means if a customer wants a certain size of box and hardware in a certain finish I hopefull can do it. I would think casting would be in large quantitys.

[Rob H]

Sounds like a fun project, casting is the way to go and you can have a lot of fun experimenting with different methods. I Have made them with a mill flat then bent then with heat.

[Geof]

Okay I will try to talk you through without resorting to pictures.

I just realised that you do not mention CNC, just milling. These things would be fiddly to make on a manual machine and my procedure is for CNC.

Start with a length of brass, this is much easier to machine than stainless, with a cross section as close as possible as the dimensions over the ears on the hinge.

Cut a length that is enough for one complete hinge plus an extra 6mm or so.

First milling operation is to grip the full length in a vise, you may need to make some custom jaws step jaws long enough to hold the full length. Grip only by a small amount so that you can machine the shanks of the hinge down close to the final thickness. Now mill down the two shanks leaving the material where the ears will be; this material should be left at the ends. Space the hinge parts so that in a later operation you can separate them with a cut using a 4 or 5mm cutter. Drill and countersink the screw holes.

Make a fixture from a length of rectangular cold rolled steel by drilling and tapping two sets of holes at the positions of the screw holes in your hinge blank; one set of holes on the edge the other on the side. This fixture will be gripped in the vise so that the hinge parts can either be screwed to the edge or side.

With the fixture held in the vise screw the hinge blank onto the side; you only need to use two screws to save a bit of time. Now machine as much of the ears as can be reached in this orientation. The clevis end can be almost completed and the slot cutting with a slitting saw; this will probably require a slot in the fixture and the easiest way to do that is often just slow the speed and feed way down on the first part and let the slitting saw cut its own clearance. One side of the tongue can be done at this fixturing.

Keep the fixture in the vise and reposition the part by flipping it over so the other side of the tongue can be done and the pin hole drilled.

Keep the fixture in the vise and reposition the part onto the top using all four screws. Take a cleanup cut round around the perimeter; this cut separates the two parts. Finish off any cuts on the ears that could not be done in the other operations and remove a complete hinge.

If you put a reference hole in the fixture you will be able to re-establish the position of your work zero when it is used again.

[boxmaker]

Thanks Geof

Will give it a go and let you know how it went, I had heard of a adhesive called mitee which works for all those hard to hold items.

Have you tried this before?

cheers

[Geof]

Originally Posted by boxmaker Thanks Geof Will give it a go and let you know how it went, I had heard of a adhesive called mitee which works for all those hard to hold items. Have you tried this before? cheers

I have never used adhesive for holding parts to machine. I much prefer to use existing holes or some other feature mostly because it gives location as well as holding.

And I don't trust adhesives.

[Rob H]

The project can be bone in two ops plus assembly but how does the part hinge please can you show or explain that detail. Plus how many per lot?