A few weeks ago Mark Carew and MaryD put forth a challenge to several of the resident builders to identify possible uses for the adjustable hinges that have been recently added to the OpenBuilds Parts Store. Here are a few that I've come up with... Primarily I like their ability to provide bracing for frames that need to be held square. A good example would be CO2 lasers where even a little bit of flex could misalign the mirrors. The rotational adjustability of the hinges eliminates the need for awkward angle end cuts on the members. They also fit neatly within the framework which is far cleaner than using face plates. They are also good for when you need odd angles in a framework. The best example of that would be vertices of a sloped front cabinet as shown below. And when the hinge screw is tightened they hold position reasonably well. (Should additional rotational resistance be needed additional suggestions are provided below.) And finally, just some basic thoughts on actually using them as hinges include a folding lap desk, folding legs for a small lightweight camera slider, and self stowing/self locking shop table extension supports. Modifications: The hinges use an M5 screw which can easily be replaced with a similarly sized star knob or three arm knob with a 20mm exposed thread length. This allows for quick adjustability with no tools. The knobs shown were $1.17 each from Amazon but after I purchased two of the four available, Amazon jacked the price of the remaining two to $11.30 each thus I would suggest any US shoppers consider Zoro instead. Edit: Since the time of the original posting these knobs have been added to the shop Star Grip Knob Another possible modification involves replacing the screw with a cam clamp quick release. This makes for an extremely rigid joint but with one caveat, the stiffer you make the joint the harder it is to clamp down. Overall though it was very usable if kept in a reasonable range. The cam clamp is actually made for quick release bicycle hubs. And as luck would have it, the tension rod has an M5 thread on it which is threaded up into the steel hinge pin in the clamp. Additional parts required include a 10mm spacer and a 40mm long M5 screw. Assembly of the system is fairly simple. Start by unscrewing the original shaft from the clamp. It takes a bit of effort as the manufacturer spikes the threads but clamp a pair of vise grips on the shaft and give it a good spin. (Note: you may need to do a bit of rethreading on the nut end to clean up the spiked threads.) Remove the existing screw from the hinge and drill out the existing threads in the back side with a 5mm bit. After you've mounted the hinge pieces on the ends of V-slot (think 25mm screws here), reassemble the hinge adding the 10mm spacer in the middle and run the 40mm bolt in through the back side and into the threaded hole in the hinge pin. Tighten as needed for the rigidity you seek. The purpose of the spacer is to prevent crushing of the cast aluminum hinge prongs. These spacers can also be used with the star knobs above to increase the amount of force applied to the hinge. The quick release bicycle skewers are readily available through ebay and a number of other sources. The seller I purchased from is no longer active but this listing appears to be selling units of the same manufacture (no guarantees though). Attached below are the Sketchup files for the examples shown above. Please note that these are conceptual concepts only and may not be deadly accurate. If you wish to use them please keep this in mind. Anyway, that's all I've got for now. If you have anything thoughts or ideas you'd like to add please feel to do so.
In most cases you don't need to tighten the screw that much to achieve the necessary friction in the hinge.
Great examples! @Rick 2.0 I am sure these will spark some creative future ideas.Thank you for taking the time to share.
Hi guys, lots of great examples here - thanks! I'm running into a little problem when using these trying to connect 2020 rails end to end - so like in this picture (but without the fancy handle thingy you added) Anyway - when I try to screw in a self tapping screw into the smaller side of the adjustable hinge it seems the head is too big to fit inside the hinge-half! Am I missing something? Or do we have to use a proper tap first and then use a regular M5 cap head screw?
Not sure where the problems is. Maybe a different batch on the STS screws or the hinges? Do you have a digital caliper to where you can check the diameter of the head of the screw. All the ones I have measure 9.44mm and they fit readily. I also get 9.93mm between the forks on the smaller end.
Hi Rick, Thanks very much for your response. Don't have a caliper, but hopefully these photos adequately illustrate the relative sizes
Of course we're supposed to be putting the screw the other way through the hinge (so it will go into the end of a 2020 rail); I just positioned it this way to show how the head doesn't seem to fit. Those are supposed to be the SKU 720 (Self Tapping Screw) screws which I believe are intended for this purpose? At least that's what we ordered and they look like the correct parts by basic visual inspection.
And I did try multiple screws and multiple hinges - the interference is consistent. I'd guess the screws are at least 0.5 mm too wide, probably even 1 mm to fit comfortably.
The only real suggestion I can offer is to contact the part store for resolution. Either email Contact Us Form or use the part store contact page Contact Us. It should be noted that I used the regular M5 screws for the project shown above as it didn't even occur to me to try the STS screws. I also didn't tap the holes. I drill out the hole to 3/16", put a little oil on the tip of the M5x15 screw and then run it in letting it form its own threads but not everyone is comfortable with this method. It's also not good where you intend to remove and replace the screw a number of times.
Self tappers have larger diameter heads. Use the M5 Tap Drill Taps and standard M5 Flathead Screws: Low Profile Screws M5 (10 Pack)
