Linkage hinge and Niagara woodcarving show
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a box I came across on the internet that reminded me of one I had made previously.
My box had a lid supported by four brass pins, and to remove the lid one end had to be pressed downward so the other end of the lid could be grasped. I also put out a call for examples of other box lids that used a slightly different approach to removing them. (You can read the post here.)
I got an email from Mike C., who sent me some images of a wine gift box he made a few years ago using a linkage hinge. Mike got the idea from a Carl Holmgren video he watched on YouTube while doing some research on retractable castors for moving machinery around the shop. A linkage hinge is both simple and ingenious. Two pieces of wood are attached to each side of the box. Because they’re different lengths and attached at different points, the lid rotates behind the box when opened. This approach to hinges could also be used to store a shelf up against the underside of a cabinet, but have it drop downward, allowing the user to access its contents. It’s certainly not rocket science, but it’s a cool idea, nonetheless.
Opened Up
The hinged box in its open position. The lid sits neatly behind the box and rests on the table surface.
Closed Position
The pair of wood pieces on either side of the box position the lid perfectly over the box when the lid is in the closed position.
Niagara Woodcarvers Show and Competition
One of the things that’s been missing from the woodworking world over the past few years are in-person shows and competitions. Thankfully, the Niagara Woodcarvers Association is bringing back its annual “Wonders of Wood” show and competition. First organized in 1978, the show will take place May 20 and 21. All forms of wood carving and wood art are welcomed into the competition, from songbirds, waterfowl and birds of prey to human figures, walking sticks and relief carving and much more. There are even pyrography, turning, marquetry, intarsia and scroll sawing categories to enter. Within these categories are youth, un-classed, novice, intermediate and open levels of competition.
If all goes according to plan, I’ll include a few of the images of the show’s winners in a future issue of Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement. You can learn more about the show at NiagaraWoodcarvers.com. And even if you don’t have anything to enter into the competition, mark that weekend on your calendar and check out some fantastic carving and wood art if you’re in the southern Ontario area in mid-May.
Shop Ideas
A tray that sits under an upper cabinet, and has a similar hinge mechanism, is a great way to store tools up and away yet be able to access them easily when needed.
Previous Shows
Here's a collection of images from a few recent wood carving and wood art shows.
Rob is a studio furniture maker and the editor at Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement.
Are there plans available for a linkage hinge box ?
April 21/2023, Winnipeg, Manitoba, snow everywhere, wind gusts up to 70k. Your pictures of the Niagra woodcarving exhibition have put my thoughts of suicide to rest for a little while. I want to get into my garage and make sawdust!!! I need some warm weather like yesterday!
I would also be interested in a plan for the wine box. I make many things strictly from a picture but am thinking there would be lot of testing and adjustments to get the hinge lengths the correct length and how far in from the back and front and below and above the opening.
Photos and layout info are now posted on the Canadian Woodworking Forum in the Woodworking section, thanks
Thanks Mike, greatly appreciated.
Referring to the tray that sits under an upper cabinet what keeps the shelf up and out of the way when in the closed position?
The drop down tray uses an elbow latch – aka an elbow catch.