# Show me your hardware please.



## joe_m (Oct 23, 2012)

I'm at the halfway point in a woodworking project - a walnut spice chest - and I've decided that this time since I've got the machines I'm going to make the hardware too.
Traditionally it's just brass knobs, regular hinges, and a half-mortise lock but I'm looking for just about any design ideas and I'm thinking of brass knife hinges for the door (the kind that mount on the top/bottom of the door instead of the stile). A real half-mortise lock is beyond my current abilities or interests, but I'm open to other style door catches too. Metal will be brass or blackened steel. 

So if you've made your own hardware in the past and don't mind me stealing some ideas, please post a few pics.

thanks
Joe


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## wolframore (Nov 2, 2012)

You might want to do a search... does this help at all... not sure exactly what effect you're going for:

http://www.horton-brasses.com/store/hinges/specialtyhinges

The brass knife hinge doesn't look too bad... can't quite picture how it would work on your project... please post pictures.


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## joe_m (Nov 29, 2012)

Sorry for the delay, I got a bit distracted but now I need to finish this project. I'm building another one of these type chests.
I decided to go with standard brass hinges with ball tipped finials, but I still need to make the drawer knobs. I need six 3/8", three at 1/2" and two at 5/8" . The semi-local woodcraft wants $4.99, $6.50, and $6.99 each - an amount you math whizzes will recognize as being slightly more than (ridiculous + asinine) times the square root of its-not-going-to-happen. 

So I'm going to make some as soon as I can figure out the sequence of work. You'd think it would be easy but I can't figure out the workholding. Here's a pic of my 3-jaw lathe holding a 3/8" completed knob. I'd have to lean in so close to see the work that one of those jaws would bat me in the side of the head. My other option is the 5C chuck. 

 I can see holding the 3/8" rod to do the shaping, then I have to cut that little knob off and somehow hold it again BACKWARDS so I can drill and tap the hole in the back for the little screw on the back. That's the part that's bugging me because I don't know how I'd chuck it up straight. Once it's shaped the fattest part is curved, the only square shoulder left to hold it on is the back part of the knob and that's now a smaller diameter than the front. I could also use the mill to drill that hole, but again I don't see how I can consistently clamp that little piece perpendicular to the drill bit. It's a simple job and probably 5 minutes of work with the appropriately sized mini-lathe but with my old Leblond 13" clattering away I feel like it's swatting flies with a sledgehammer. 
Any ideas?


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## Chucketn (Nov 29, 2012)

Joe_m, how about drilling and taping the hole first, screwing the stock on a mandrel, and then shaping the knob? I make ball ends for handles that way.

Chuck


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## PurpLev (Nov 29, 2012)

chucketn said:


> Joe_m, how about drilling and taping the hole first, screwing the stock on a mandrel, and then shaping the knob? I make ball ends for handles that way.
> 
> Chuck



+1 on that

I'd drill, tap, then part off several know blanks as needed.
Then setup a mandrel on the chuck, setup cutter for curved cut, screw on blank #1, feed cutter in, unscrew blank, screw blank #2, feed cutter in... until all the blanks have the curved cut finished
setup ball cutter for end of piece, and swap blanks as before making the cut, keeping the cutter setting the same for all parts and swapping parts would be faster than keeping parts and swapping cutters/configurations.

generally speaking , I try to keep any curved/angled cut to the end. always easier to mount, handle pieces while they are still with square edges.


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