270° Hinge Swing

It takes special hinges to get a full 270° swing. September 22, 2005

Question
I have a question that is driving me crazy. I am building a computer cabinet and it has a faceframe that is 1.5". I have not yet made the doors, but I would like to have a 1/2" reveal. I need these doors to open or wrap around the side of the cabinet. I believe that would be a 270 degree opening. Can someone tell me what hinge I would need to use? Any info would be much appreciated.

Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor D:
For a cabinet door to open 270 degrees the pivot point of the hinge must be at the edge of the cabinet. A 1/2" revel will not permit the door to open all the way against the side. You can use a hinge like this and hold it back 1/2" from the face frame edge, but it will not open the full 270 degrees.





From contributor T:
Good analysis Contributor D. Can you tell us how you do drawings like that?


From contributor N:
I could have used that picture a while back when I was looking for the same thing but ended up using pocket doors. Who makes that hinge?



From contributor E:
Hafele did have a 35mm cup hinge that would work for this. I used them on an entertainment unit with the doors folding flat to the outside edge. I did the unit 7-8 years and they are still working well. The doors were 72x22.


From contributor B:
How bad do you want this? I don't know what style door you have in mind, so this is iffy. The door is actually a bifold of sorts. The hinge side is a narrow strip that is hinged with Soss style invisible hinges to the main leaf of the door, and when done right, it can make a nearly invisible joint. This strip is then hinged to the faceframe with your 1/2" reveal using regular butt hinges or piano hinge. As the door opens, the strip swings 180, and throws the main leaf out clear to fold back flat (more or less) to the side.


From contributor D:
Actually that is a drawing I had in my picture folder in my computer that I used to show a customer whom I built an entertainment center for.