Drilling Hinge Holes in Kitchen Cupboard Doors

adzyp · 22 Feb 2019

Hi,

Ive ordered some new doors for the kitchen to replace the ones we already have.

They dont come pre drilled so will need to do them myself. They are laminate doors so have got the TCT drill bit.

Any tips on how to get them drilled perfectly? They will obviously need to match existing holes/positions as per the current doors

Notch7 · 22 Feb 2019

adzyp said:
Hi,

Ive ordered some new doors for the kitchen to replace the ones we already have.

They dont come pre drilled so will need to do them myself. They are laminate doors so have got the TCT drill bit.

Any tips on how to get them drilled perfectly? They will obviously need to match existing holes/positions as per the current doors

Make yourself a rod -a piece of wood a bit longer than the height of the door with the hinge positions marked on them

To get the position take off an existing door. use a square to mark the top and bottom of each hinge, then measure and mark the mid point (hinges will be 35mm dia so mid point will be 17.5mm

line up your rod so it overhangs the bottom of the door, then strike a pencil mark to :

1) bottom of door
2) lower hinge
3) top hinge

oh and write 'bottom' at the the bottom of your rod so you dont put it the wrong way up!

marking the distance in from the edge is also critical -best done with a marking gauge if you have one. Usually the edge of the hole is 3mm or 4mm away so 3+17.5mm to hole centre.

be careful with drilling depth!

adzyp · 22 Feb 2019

Notch7 said:
Make yourself a rod -a piece of wood a bit longer than the height of the door with the hinge positions marked on them

To get the position take off an existing door. use a square to mark the top and bottom of each hinge, then measure and mark the mid point (hinges will be 35mm dia so mid point will be 17.5mm

line up your rod so it overhangs the bottom of the door, then strike a pencil mark to :

1) bottom of door
2) lower hinge
3) top hinge

oh and write 'bottom' at the the bottom of your rod so you dont put it the wrong way up!

marking the distance in from the edge is also critical -best done with a marking gauge if you have one. Usually the edge of the hole is 3mm or 4mm away so 3+17.5mm to hole centre.

be careful with drilling depth!

Thanks for the detail, let me just try and get my head round this!

Sounds similar to an idea i had which was getting a plank of wood the same height as the doors (i think they are all the same height) then drill the holes in the right place through that piece and then use it as template on them all....assuming all hinges are in the same position

foxhole · 22 Feb 2019

adzyp said:
Thanks for the detail, let me just try and get my head round this!

Sounds similar to an idea i had which was getting a plank of wood the same height as the doors (i think they are all the same height) then drill the holes in the right place through that piece and then use it as template on them all....assuming all hinges are in the same position

That will work for any vertical doors but any horizontal hanging doors will need another template .

Notch7 · 22 Feb 2019

adzyp said:
Thanks for the detail, let me just try and get my head round this!

Sounds similar to an idea i had which was getting a plank of wood the same height as the doors (i think they are all the same height) then drill the holes in the right place through that piece and then use it as template on them all....assuming all hinges are in the same position

I would only use it for marking out not a drilling guide -that could end in tears!

footprints · 22 Feb 2019

If you do as above with a strip of timber you can drill holes in it as a template to drill through. A bit of tape around the drill bit at the combined depth of the template and hole required will stop you going too far

Diver Fred · 22 Feb 2019

Kreg make a suitable jig.
To drill the hole it is a 'Forstener' bit you need. You probably find that the thickness of the bit will be the right depth of the hole for the hinge cup; when the top of the drilling part of the bit is level with the material you are drilling into that should be right.

Harry Bloomfield · 22 Feb 2019

If the old doors are scrap, just lay the old on top of the new, lining up the edges, then drill straight through to new doors enough to mark them.

adzyp · 22 Feb 2019

Hi all, thanks for your replies. Luckily i had a call from the supplier today about the delivery and whilst i was on the phone i asked if they would be able to drill them for me and they obliged. Do hopefully the only drilling i will be doing is inside the carcass for any that dont line up with the current screw holes

Deleted member 174758 · 22 Feb 2019

It can be difficult to gauge the depth of the hole unless a pedestal drill or a drill press/drill/depth stop arrangement is used. The marking is easy enough as you normally have a few millimetres leeway in the hinges themselves in both height or inset to play with. The depth, especially when you are drilling a 12.5mm deep hole in a 15mm thick door (the thinnest I've ever drilled) can be critical, as can the type of drill bit used (ideally centreless or nearly so)

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Drilling Hinge Holes in Kitchen Cupboard Doors

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