How Do Door Hinges Work

I ve been unable to find a clear explanation of the design principle behind a ball bearing door hinge.

How do door hinges work.

If you ve got sagging or sticking doors watch this video for tips on how to fix them. Butt hinges or mortise hinges are commonly found on residential doors. Here s what to do. A hinged door works on a force being applied to the free outer edge of the door pushing or pulling the door open allowing it to swing on its hinges up to 180 degrees to create an opening and allow people to pass through the doorway.

Pivot hinges are different than butt hinges which are attached at the side of a door and have a pin. In the image below the casing for a ball bearing assembly is highlighted. The other to the cabinet. Ball bearings are engineered to throw the knuckle weight against specially hardened steel raceways which ride on the bearing surfaces.

Butt hinges sometimes require a mortise in the door and or the cabinet to prevent an excessive gap. This requires clearance space behind the door to allow it to swing open freely. Trace the outline of the hinge on the doorframe. The bearings in ball bearing hinges also called ball bearing butt hinges reduce friction which is especially helpful on heavier doors like those at an entry or with an automatic closer.

Mark the doorframe where you want the hinges to go. This spring uncoils as the door is opened and when you let go the spring closes the door by pulling back to its natural state. The quintessential traditional hinge it s composed of two pivoting plates whose interlocking fingers form a barrel and are held together by a pin. Pivot hinges are attached to the top and bottom of a door and to the head of the frame and the floor.

Decide where you would like to install the hinges. Visit your local hardware store and discuss the best hinges to purchase with a sales associate. Door hinges contains two plates or leaves joined by a pin about which both plates are liberal to turn. One specific model of self closing door hinges uses the friction caused by opening the door to pull a spring.

Generally used in sets of threes or fours they are mortised into both the door and frame and joined together with a pin. Use a tap to thread the hole with a thread to match the setscrews that you have purchased. Here s is a nifty squeaky clean hinge fix. Open the door and make a mark on the inside of the standard hinge parts that hold the hinge pins and cannot be seen from the outside when the door is in the closed position.

Take the hinges off the door and drill a hole in the spot you marked. A pivot hinge allows a door to pivot from a single point at the top and bottom of the door. And pivot hinges allow a door to swing in either direction.