When making fine objects in timber, such as a jewelery box, it seems a shame to then use a commerical solution for fixtures such as hinges.
The Incra HingeCrafter is one solution for producing elegant, functional wooden hinges.
The core of the system is not the HingeCrafter itself, but the set of router bits. These are used to created the hinge barrels, and cut the individual hinge knuckles. The accurate positioning of the cuts can only be achieved by using a router table. It is not compulsory to have an Incra Positioner / Incra Fence, but it certainly helps.
Once the knuckles have been created, the HingeCrafter unit is then used to accurately drill the holes through the knuckles for the hinge pin. It is not just a matter of accurately aligning the holes (although this is important for good hinge operation), but also providing breakout support for the back of each knuckle as the holes are being drilled.
HingeCrafter System
(I had intended to have some examples of wooden hinges to show here, but I still have some teething issues with my developing router table, nothing serious but still some steps to go before I’m happy with it).
The HingeCrafter and Whiteside Router Bit set shown here comes from Professional Woodworkers Supplies.
Until I can produce some of my own to show (in a future post), here are some images I nicked from Incra of their HingeCrafter at work.
Setting up for the Hinge Pin hole
Drilling the hole
A Wooden Hinge
Filed under: Manufactures and Suppliers, Tools Tagged: | HingeCrafter, Incra, Wooden Hinges
