Installing the hinges to mount a door to a project is a task I used to approach with apprehension. The fi nal installation can make or break the look of a project. For me, locating and cutting the mortises for the hinges perfectly can be a tedious process with no room for error.
To solve this problem, I often turn to no-mortise hinges. Sure, you won’t have to cut any mortises, but there are still a few tricks to getting the installation to look just right.
The process that follows for installing a no-mortise hinge covers typical installation where the door is inset in a basic cabinet. But you can use a no-mortise hinge for other types of installations.
Since there aren’t any mortises to help align the door and case with each other, you’ll need another method. And that’s where the hinge comes into the installation process. The first step is to locate the hinge on the side of the cabinet. To do this, butt the barrel of the hinge tightly against the edge. There’s no specific rule as to where to mount the hinge on either the door or the cabinet. I make a layout mark based on the size of the hinge and the overall look. Once you’ve located the hinge, drill the holes for the mounting screws in the outer leaf and install the screws using a self-centering bit.
Now you’re ready to position the door in the opening. To create a matching, even gap along the bottom of the door, use another hinge as a spacer. Then with the door in place, mark the location of the hinge on the door.
The next step is to locate the screw holes for the hinge in the door. To do this, remove the door and take the hinge off of the cabinet. You can then use it as a template for locating and drilling the screw holes through the back side of the leaf (Figure 3). The trick here is to flip the hinge and use the barrel as a guide to locate the hinge perfectly, just like you did on the case. With the hinge flipped this way and aligned on the marks you transferred earlier, you can drill pilot holes for the screws with the self-centering bit. Now all you need to do is turn the hinge over and attach it to the door in the correct orientation. Once you have both hinges installed on the door, you can mount the door in the cabinet.
