In my previous post I had talked about making wooden hinges. I liked how the hinges came out, but when attached to the box the lid alignment became a real issue. I cut the hinges freehand on a scroll saw and if they are not perfectly aligned then the top won't stay aligned with the rest of the box. So that became a bit of a no go.

Next I tried some different surface mount hinges on the back of the boxes. These are nice and simple to put on. However, the normal ones you find are terribly flimsy. That led me to want to put a chain support in the box but that didn't work too we'll with the dividers in the boxes. In the end I found some heavier but nice looking surface hinges that worked out.

No way could I stop there. A while back I happened across a video that showed the usage of linkages to let the lid open and close. I made a new box and figured out how long the arms should be and where to place them. This is mostly trial and error with paper and a compass and then some scraps to mock it up. You want to mock it up because what looks good on paper may bind up in real life. After a few attempts to get the arms right, I put them on the box. I'm really happy with both how they look and work. The box takes on a more mechanical aspect. The arms are strong and there is very little side to side play. Plus the top stands up nice and straight behind the box when opened.

I doubt this will be the end of my hinge odyssey but it sure is fun to try out options.