Furniture hinges. Varieties and species
Without such an element as a furniture hinge, we will not be able to open or close the cabinet doors. This is an important component of furniture. Whether it is a wardrobe, a bedside table, a cupboard or a table, with the help of hinges we can open the doors up, down, to the sides at a certain angle. Now there are many types of furniture fittings, her choice is simply huge.
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What it is and how it works
What are the furniture hinges? This is a mechanism that is attached to the wall and facade of the furniture, with the help of which the sash can open at a specific angle. Such loops differ in a structure, system of fixture, they carry out functions different.
To date, four-hinged hinges are common. This design is quite unpretentious and durable, easy to assemble. This mechanism is so thorough that the doors of furniture can be opened and closed indefinitely. Its adjustment is allowed in three planes. The four-hinge loop includes such elements as:
- mounting plate
- a cup,
- shoulder.
The hinges are mounted to the facade with a cup, and the mounting plate is attached to the furniture box. The whole mechanism is fixed on the screws. The shoulder serves as a kind of handle and a link between the mounting plate and the cup. All elements are interconnected by a four-hinged mechanism. There is a adjusting screw in the bar; it allows to correct the facade regarding the base.
Types of furniture hinges
This type of furniture, such as the furniture hinges produced at the moment, used in assembling furniture and which can be bought at any hardware store, is divided into the groups presented in the table.
Types of loops | Description |
Overhead. | This type allows you to thoroughly connect the door to the base at an angle of 90 degrees. It is applied everywhere, in many pieces of furniture.
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Semi-folded. | Such loops, in comparison with the consignment notes, differ in that they have a slight bend in structure. As a rule, they are used if it is necessary to mount several facades on one wall of furniture.
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Internal or, as they are called, supplementary. | They are quite similar in appearance with semi-laid, but with their help, the doors are mounted inside the base.
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Corner. | Installed on the angular types of furniture, doors are attached to the base at a certain angle. Such hinges allow you to open the sash at 30, 45, 90, 135, 175 degrees.
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Galleries. | This kind of hinges fastens the door with a false panel.Basically they are used in the assembly of kitchen sets, namely - cabinets under the sink. They are also mounted to the base, located directly on the wall.
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Inverse. | Allow to swing the sash at an angle of 180 degrees.
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Piano | This type of hinge was produced long ago - during the times of the Soviet Union. Now they are rarely where you can see, except in the old interior. They were considered the most durable.
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Card. | They resemble pianos, the mechanism consists of two plates synchronously mounted on a hinge. They are used when you need to make furniture in retro style.
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Entresol. | Entresol. This type of hinge is used for facades that open vertically, that is, vertically. Mainly mounted on kitchen cabinets.
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Secret | They look like a card or piano. They are used in such types of furniture, where the door is located horizontally and should open downwards.
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Lombardy. | Mainly used in the manufacture of folding tables. In this case, the sash can open 180 degrees. |
There are many types of furniture loops. This element of fittings, produced at the moment, is divided into types that differ from each other in some ways:
- first, the place where the loops should be mounted;
- secondly, raw materials intended for production;
- thirdly, the separability of the design;
- fourth, the fixation method;
- fifthly, a distinctive feature of the mechanism.
According to the category they can be divided into overhead and mortise, have a card structure, fixed to the base and to the facade. The difference is that for the mortise hinges you need to make a slight recess where the plate should be placed. In addition, they are divided into detachable and universal, differ in strength. The universal view of the hinges can withstand a substantial load, which means that the probability of door sedimentation will significantly decrease in the future. Detachable are divided into left and right - that they differ from the universal, which are fixed on the facade, opening in any direction.
Screw loops consist of two proportional parts, which are cylinders, with holes for self-tapping screws. Such hinges are installed on any doors. But they have a drawback - the doors attached to the screw hinges cannot be removed. The most common option is hidden loops. When the doors are closed, they are invisible. Mounted on any facade and have a universal mechanism - three rotary axes. Installation of them is quite complicated, it is better if the installation will conduct a specialist. You can also find double-sided type of loops. It gives the opportunity to open the doors and out, and inward.
Whatever type of hinges may be, they must be strong and durable - these are the main qualities that must be kept in mind when choosing furniture hinges.
How to choose furniture hinges
Many manufacturers of furniture hinges produce low quality fittings, as they want to save on production. To purchase a quality product, it is worth looking at how thick the metal is. If it is thin, it is better to refuse the purchase. It is worth paying attention to the price equivalent - it is better not to buy cheap accessories. The number of products based on what size has a facade and what is its mass. Loops must be strong, it depends on how long they can last.
To choose furniture hinges, you must consider how you will mount them. Many people pay attention to where they were made. After all, most of the furniture produced in China, and there, as you know, it is made under different brands, including well-known. It is important to pay attention to the product certificate, whether the head office controls production, since most of the popular companies open branches in the Middle Kingdom.
Typically, furniture manufacturers carefully choose the furniture, prefer brands that have characterized themselves on the positive side.
How to use furniture hinges
In order to smoothly close and open the doors, there were no gaps between the base and the facade, and the sash was attached quite evenly, you need to correctly assemble the furniture hinges. As you know, the loops have different cups in diameter - it is this part of the design that is inserted into the recess drilled on wood. The most popular have a diameter of 35 millimeters.
To properly install, you will need a tape measure, an awl, a drill, a screwdriver or screwdriver, Forstner’s drill, and self-tapping screws. But the first thing to do is markup and define the center of the future deepening. It is necessary that from the cup to the edge of the door be 5 mm or from the edge to the middle of the notch - 23 mm. Now we drill the opening to such a depth that the cup completely enters there, the main thing is not to drill through the material. In the prepared facade we place the hinges and, if necessary, we equal the plank. When everything is aligned, the bar sits like a glove, we attach it to the screws using a screwdriver or a screwdriver.
As you can see, the types of furniture hinges can be different, and their installation does not present any difficulties, all the work can be done at home. In such cases, when there is a misalignment of the doors, they begin to creak, you can easily replace the old furniture with a new one, and the furniture will last for a long time.
VIDEO: Furniture hinges, review, adjustment