What kind of hinges do I need for this wood project
January 17, 2019 4:10 PM   Subscribe

I want to make a drop down type shelf...thing.

Basically I want something like this Except I'd like it to go all the way down 90 Degrees so that the wood base ends up flush against the wall. My purpose is not for a cookbook so I don't need this crazy hinge that juts out of the cabinet at 60 degrees.

I could just use regular door hinges to make the thing swing all the way back to the wall, but ideally I'd also like it to automatically lock in place when I lift it back up without my having to attach an external latch just like in the video above. Regular door hinges don't do that.

So basically I'd like something that has the movement of a door hinge, but will also lock in place. Where can I find this and what's it called and does it exist?
posted by fantasticness to Home & Garden (5 answers total)
 
For projects like this where you need the Weird/Specific Hardware™, cruising through McMaster Carr's Hinges section might get you to where you need to go. The list on the lefthand menu side is more specific than the picture categories. Lever Lock hinges are close, but not quite...maybe drop leaf hinges would work?
posted by furnace.heart at 4:20 PM on January 17, 2019


Amazon [and others] search for Clear Solutions Under Cabinet Mounted Cookbook Holder - Wood
posted by Freedomboy at 4:23 PM on January 17, 2019


Unless you want the top/rear edge of your hinged panel to end up some distance below the cabinet bottom, some variant of basic butt hinges are what you want. How about a magnetic catch at the top of the travel so you don’t have to mess with extra hand movements to hold it in place?
posted by jon1270 at 4:26 PM on January 17, 2019 [4 favorites]


There are self-closing door hinges (spring loaded), but they don’t need to work against gravity or the full weight of the door. A lightweight shelf may still ‘close’ snugly up under the cabinet, and there are several options to hold it ‘open’ against the wall. Do you also want it to stop as a tilted shelf when partly open?
posted by TDIpod at 11:47 PM on January 17, 2019


These are designed to attach the other way around (to the wall rather than the underside of the cabinet) but might work for you: 4-Position Folding Brackets or Ratchet Folding Brackets. In any case, Lee Valley is an endless mine of cool weird hardware.
posted by bethnull at 12:26 PM on January 18, 2019


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