Hinges in mdf

[Prizen]

Hi all

I have seen people avoid mdf say in cabinet doors particularly with butt hinges.

Then you have mdf door linings for interior doors. So is this avoidance of mdf unfounded? Bit confused by this

 

[Doug71]

Basically it's okay to screw in to the face of MDF like you would a door lining but not in to the edge of MDF like you would for a butt hinge.

 

[Prizen]

Got it!

 

[recipio]

You can glue in dowels into the edge of the MDF and then screw into those.

 

[kinverkid]

You can glue in dowels into the edge of the MDF and then screw into those.

The above is a good idea but if you have a plug cutter you can make your own dowel so when you screw into it, it will into the side grain instead of the end grain. But that is possibly being a little over-anal over the above suggestion for most instances unless you don't have any dowels then it's a pretty cool idea.

 

[XTiffy]

Doug71 is correct, MDF is often more akin to a stack of paper glued together. Screwing into the edge forces those layers apart, hence screws don't hold. There are so many kinds of hinges (look up Hafele for instance) available to fix into the face side that it is rarely a problem. Edging with solid timber is another solution where butt hinges are desired.
Incidentally as a furniture restorer, I have often made dowels by drilling a 6mm thick piece of steel the required diameter then roughly trimming a piece of wood to size then hammering through the plate, much easier and quicker than it sounds! This gets over the problem of dowel holes being different size to off the shelf size dowels. I also made small grooves in the dowel using corner of a chisel to give glue a path out.

 

[Spectric]

Was the euro cup hinge not designed to be the hinge of choice for MDF, or was it just because of the simplicity of fitting needed to complement the euro 32 system ?

 

[niall Y]

I remember years back,, along with another carpenter, fitting internal doors made from solid MDF. How the the joiner who had made them, had even managed to man-handle the thick sheets, I'll never know.
The downside of using thick MDF, was that the centre of the door was completely gutless . Drilling out for latches and Perko door closers was a nightmare. in fact my companion started to drill our for the tubular latch, with a spade bit and instantly broke through the face of the door.

There seems to be an optimum thickness for MDF ( about 18mm ) past which the edge is too soft to hold a screw. Using a slightly longer screw does help, but using Blum type hinges, if possible, is a better option

 

[recipio]

The above is a good idea but if you have a plug cutter you can make your own dowel so when you screw into it, it will into the side grain instead of the end grain. But that is possibly being a little over-anal over the above suggestion for most instances unless you don't have any dowels then it's a pretty cool idea.

Yes but the dowels should be at least 25 mm long and plugs that length tend to break. An 8 mm dowel is probably optimum in 18 mm MDF. Careful matching of the screw hole to the screws will prevent splitting of the MDF.

 

[RobinBHM]

Dominos are fantastic for butt hinges on mdf cabinet doors.

 

[xy mosian]

I also made small grooves in the dowel using corner of a chisel to give glue a path out.

I have done exactly the same, then decided to organise a burr/nick in othe edge of the entry hole. That puts a nice groove down the dowel. A little bit less fidly than using some cutting device.
HTH.
geoff

 

[clogs]

all the doors in our house r MDF....3 hinges per door...
serrated pins hamered into the door and frame.....doors and frames were fitted 15 years ago when house was new....
sorry it's the best photo I coud get....note the adjustment screws......

 

[TheTiddles]

Depends on the size of your door, butt hinges can be just fine in MDF.

 

[wurglesnash357]

... Incidentally as a furniture restorer, I have often made dowels by drilling a 6mm thick piece of steel the required diameter then roughly trimming a piece of wood to size then hammering through the plate, much easier and quicker than it sounds! ...

My instructor called this a dowel plate. He told me to leave the hole exactly as it left the drill, and drive the dowel in from the ragged side.

Les

 

[Doug71]

Depends on the size of your door, butt hinges can be just fine in MDF.

I know I said you shouldn't do it but I do occasionally fix things like hinges into the edge of MDF. I generally use MR MDF which is a bit more solid than the normal stuff.

I find it best to use screws longer than you normally would and definitely a good sized full depth pilot hole needed for them so it's just the threads cutting into the MDF.

 

[trvlr]

As in an earlier post/thread, why not use the nice little plastic butt ended plugs as used when screwing in Blum (and other similar) hinges? Just get the correct size plug for the screw you intend to use; drill the plug hole to correct depth with a brad point bit, tap the plug in firmly (maybe even glue it in if not feeling it's secure enuff for your preferences). Then fit/screw in the hinge.

 

[Chris152]

I need to attach butt hinges to the edge of mdf for a cabinet in my van. Is another option to drill for the screws, inject epoxy into the hole and then screw on the hinge before the epoxy sets? Would the epoxy strengthen the mdf where the screw sits?

 

[Chubber]

IMO the weakness is not in the 'holding' ability but in the lack of ability to resist splitting in what would pass as 'grain direction' in wood...

Simply insert (6/8mm?) dowels through the thickness of the door panel in positions that coincides with the hinge screws.

If you want to be fussy, use a brad point drill from the rear, stopping short of the outer face or use a 6/8mm Forstner bit.

Sorry if this repeats any of the above...

 

[spanner48]

How about cutting down some "bedding screws"? Bolts with a steel cross-dowel to screw into? File the bolt-heads flat, or substitute countersunk machine screws

 

[MikeJhn]

Drill a suitable hole for the screws you are going to use, thread them in then remove, drip thin CA into the hole until the MDF will not take anymore then screw fix the hinge's been doing it this way for years, works well.