by Jon Elvrum
Q.
Have you any information on a cabinet door hinge machine? I've been told that such a machine exists for mounting hinges on cabinet doors.
A.
There are indeed such machines readily available from major European hinge manufacturers, such as Blum and Grass and several others.
These machines drill doors with a three hole pattern matching the hinge detail and they incorporate a plunging insertion mechanism (either manual or pneumatic) with which the hinge is set in the door. Cycle times run from 10 to 30 seconds per hinge.
American hardware manufacturer, Amerock, has such a machine for their version of the Euro-style hinges. These machines are readily available from most cabinet hardware distributors who sell them to match the hinge make that they offer.
If you are not thinking of Euro-style hinges, you still have some possibilities.
The Amerock line offers a system of de-mountable hinges with which frame and door parts are slotted with special router-table systems. These hinges are then manually dropped into the slotted doors and similarly slip-fitted into the frame members. Using an internal clamp mechanism, the hinges are quickly fitted and easily adjusted. These also are available through Amerock hardware dealers.
Jon Elvrum, Director of Distribution and Sales at Ritter Manufacturing in Antioch California, is also a well known author and consultant to the cabinetmaking industry. He has written numerous articles on the 32mm cabinetmaking system and production woodworking in general.
