Advise on hinge options for buffet doors

[houstonjc]

I'm building a buffet out of walnut and bubinga, and i need some help on what kind of hinges to use on the inset cabinet doors.  What makes it challenging is that the left door is inset from the leg by 1/4", whereas the right door is flush with the rest of the front frame of the cabinet.  There is not sufficient interior structure to add european style cabinet hinges.  

I would ideally like to use traditional brass butt hinges (I have other matching furniture in the room that uses these), but the left hinges would need to have the pin mortised into the leg, since the door is inset from the leg.  I think these brusso hinges would work (https://www.brusso.com/jb-107/) since they have a squared off barrel area, but I'd rather not spend over $100 in hardware.

 

Alternatievely, I guess offset knife hinges are an option, but they are really intimidating, and I'm not always the greatest with hardware alignment.  The inability to adjust knife hinges seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

Finally, these soss hinges seem like a potential option; has anybody sued these and have any thoughts?

http://www.leevalley.com/us/hardware/page.aspx?p=62129&cat=3,41241,62129

Any thoughts or alternatives would be greatly appreciated!

[wtnhighlander]

I'm not a hinge expert, but I think those Brusso hinges are not exactly best for this application. The knuckle would be visible, but isn't exactly decorative.

On the other hand, the Sasso hinge is well-hidden when the door is closed, but will allow the door to swing 180*, eventually resulting in damage from swinging into the case.

I would consider how much gap you can tolerate around the doors, as different style hinges have slightly different swing arcs. 

Now that I have muddled things further, I will say this: they may be pricey, but Brusso hardware is nice! If this were my project, I would be leaning toward a butt hinge, so in this case, the Brusso gets my vote.

[G Ragatz]

There are smaller sizes of the Brusso hinge that would reduce the cost (not sure how large/heavy your doors are):

https://www.brusso.com/jb-103/

https://www.brusso.com/jb-101/

But you'll still have the visible knuckle, as wtnhighlander points out.

There are swing restraints available that would help you avoid damage to the case with the Sasso hinge:

https://cabinetdoorrestraint.com/

Not exactly "elegant," but you only see it when the door is open.

[houstonjc]

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas.   I'm not opposed to the square knuckle on the brusso hinges; if anything, a squared off barrel end is going to make for a cleaner mortise and installation.  I fear that with most rounded butt hinges, the design of the hinge may not allow the barrel itself to be partially mortised into the case (or the door may not be opened).  I'm also not confident that it will look good to have a squared mortise with a rounded barrel.

 

I probably don't want to go much lighter.  The doors will be about 22 inches wide and 20 inches tall.  That's not huge, but I want to make sure I don't get sag.

[Jfitz]

My first thought was knife hinges, but only you can know if you're up for installing.  I think with some practice on scrap pieces, and then very careful layout, you'd be able to take them on.

as for the cost - Brusso makes wicked nice stuff.  Please don't build a beautiful piece like that and then go cheap on the hardware....

[Chris208]

I vote knife hinges. Build a mock-up to practice the install. 

[wdwerker]

Sasso ? It’s always been Soss to my knowledge. Not trying to nitpick but Sasso confused me at first. They are tricky to get perfect, but so are the Brusso. Less wiggle in the Brusso hinges. Buy once , cry once, quality lasts !

[houstonjc]

Sorry I did mean soss hinges.  Head wasn't screwed on straight when I posted.  I've edited the post.

[Chet]

Another option if you want to use butt hinges is to add a hinge strip to the left side. I circled it in the photo below.  This gives you the room you need for the door to swing open.  The ones I installed here were the same thickness as the door and 1/4 wide.  Do your hinge mortise work before you install the hinge strip to the leg.  Obviously you will need to adjust your door sizes to allow for the hinge strip.

[houstonjc]

 I think I'm in love with the hinge strip idea, Chet.  Thanks!  That definitely opens up my options for specific hinges.

[wdwerker]

Play with a mock up in scrap. The wider strip may allow wider opening of the door before it binds against the leg. Might not be an issue but smart to understand it before you are committed.  1/16 off all 4 vertical  door edges would give you room for a 1/4" strip. Sounds like a good approach. 

[houstonjc]

Ive built the case, but I actually haven't built the doors yet (I thought it would be good to know my hardware choice first).  So a quick change to dimensions won't be an issue at all.  I think this is the direction I'll go.  Thanks!

[Brendon_t]

I used those brusso 95° on my Glasswares Cabinet in the 2 hole. 

There are super finickey imho and the stop is a very abrupt stop. For something that will be opening with any frequency, I would Not use them again.  I'm in this cabinet daily and where the hinges stop against themselves, the brass does show it. 

[wdwerker]

So not a good choice for the liquor cabinet ?

[Brendon_t]

17 hours ago, wdwerker said:

So not a good choice for the liquor cabinet ?

Or the smoking lamp cabinet. 

[wdwerker]

I can see the advertisements now "Fine Herbal & Acessories Storage " !