Help!! Door square and flat, cabinet square, door not closing properly!

[Wilson joinery]

Hi everyone, I’ve never come across this before but I’ve made some cabinet carcasses (all square to nearest mm) and inset cabinet doors, also square and flat. When I come to close one of the doors it sits flush with the top of the frame (using a small stop inside) but at the bottom of the door it goes past flush and finishes inside the frame. Any ideas?? Scratching my head with this one!

 

[Droogs]

Either the wood is warped or the hinges are not in the same plane

 

[rogxwhit]

Test both door and carcase for wind.

 

[Bingy man]

Possible damaged/ twisted hinge .

 

[Wilson joinery]

Thanks all. The hinges are definitely in the same plane and the doors are perfectly flat with no warp. Good shout about the hinge I’ll try swapping that. It’s the first time I’ve used the hinge mounting plates with the cam adjustment on them so I wonder if anyone has any experience of that? Is it just to move the mounting up and down a small bit to allow for a bit of movement in the vertical position? Ie it won’t affect the angle of the door or how far either end closes?

 

[pulleyt]

Hi everyone, I’ve never come across this before but I’ve made some cabinet carcasses (all square to nearest mm) and inset cabinet doors, also square and flat. When I come to close one of the doors it sits flush with the top of the frame (using a small stop inside) but at the bottom of the door it goes past flush and finishes inside the frame. Any ideas?? Scratching my head with this one!

If I've understood correctly there is only a stop at the top of the door. Could it be that the force of the bottom hinge is pulling the bottom in a little further and twisting the door slightly?

 

[baldkev]

If you are using kitchen style hinges, it is possible to gain a twist through incorrect adjustment. Firstly, check the door for winding whilst it is open, then shut it and check again using winding sticks or 2 box section levels etc.
Sometimes if you extend a hinge fully outwards for instance ( to project the door past the end panel ) it causes a 'bounce' at the shut position. Adjusting it back a touch allows it to close properly.

The next thing to do is cut a batten from the back panel to the back of where the door should be when closed and put it in the bottom of the carcass to hold the bottom from going inwards too far. Does the top protrude now?

 

[Bingy man]

Nothing to lose by adjusting to see if it corrects the issue , if cabinet is square then both cams should be in a similar position. Some kitchen cabinet hinges allow adjustment up and down + in and out.

 

[Wilson joinery]

If I've understood correctly there is only a stop at the top of the door. Could it be that the force of the bottom hinge is pulling the bottom in a little further and twisting the door slightly?

Hi pulleyt that’s correct.but I’ve tried putting a stop and the bottom and then the top doesn’t fully close.

 

[Wilson joinery]

If you are using kitchen style hinges, it is possible to gain a twist through incorrect adjustment. Firstly, check the door for winding whilst it is open, then shut it and check again using winding sticks or 2 box section levels etc.
Sometimes if you extend a hinge fully outwards for instance ( to project the door past the end panel ) it causes a 'bounce' at the shut position. Adjusting it back a touch allows it to close properly.

The next thing to do is cut a batten from the back panel to the back of where the door should be when closed and put it in the bottom of the carcass to hold the bottom from going inwards too far. Does the top protrude now?

Hi baldkev yes I’ve tried that and the top protrudes now. What do you mean by “adjust it back a touch”?. Cheers.

 

[baldkev]

Hi baldkev yes I’ve tried that and the top protrudes now. What do you mean by “adjust it back a touch”?. Cheers.

Great, so now, you must check to see if the top and bottom of the door are parallel when closed or if it becomes twisted once closed.
On those hinges, Instead of having full adjustment pushing the door forwards, if you adjust the front of the door back towards the cab just a bit instead of being pushed fully out it stops the 'bounce' effect i described. I'm not saying thats your problem, but was saying that one hinge set incorrectly can certainly cause issues.

If the top and bottom of the carcass are definitely parallel, and the door starts flat, then it must be getting twisted when it shuts

 

[John Hall]

If as you say everything is flat and square, logically it can only be the hinge adjustment…some of them take a while to get your head round.
if you remove the hinges, can you then position the door correctly?

 

[Kayen]

If the hinged edge of the door is flush with your frame top and bottom, it can only be that the door or cabinet are in wind (twist).

Have you tried packing the front right (or back left) corner of the cabinet with a small wedge?

You can cheat it a bit by adjusting the top hinge in a little and the bottom out a little - but you can't achieve much more than a couple of mill correction.

 

[Citracal]

If as you say everything is flat and square, logically it can only be the hinge adjustment…some of them take a while to get your head round.
if you remove the hinges, can you then position the door correctly?

Second this. How does the door sit without hinges.

 

[Wilson joinery]

If as you say everything is flat and square, logically it can only be the hinge adjustment…some of them take a while to get your head round.
if you remove the hinges, can you then position the door correctly?

Good idea, I’ll check!

 

[recipio]

Sounds like the door is in wind. Have you a machine bed like a tablesaw to see if it rocks even a little. ?

 

[Wilson joinery]

Is there any way of correcting other than making another door?

 

[John Hall]

It sounds like you have found the problem…do tell…

 

[Wilson joinery]

I’m still not actually sure! Everything was square but I adjusted the hinge slightly and fitted a little catch magnet and closes a treat now, thanks everyone!

 

[John Hall]

They can be a bit tricky…glad it’s sorted..