this project shows how to engrave and drill 3mm basswood to make functional, smooth hinges for doors and windows in ornaments and dollhouses.
The door in this example is first cut using Canvas 1, then the wood is flipped over and Canvas2 is used to score the knob and windows on the other side of the door as well.
There are tiny lines scored on the door that indicate where you have to drill. Use those lines and mark across the bottom and top cut edges. Use a soldering iron or woodburning iron with a very fine tip to mark and pre-burn a dimple into the wood to ensure that when you drill, the bit runs straight and doesn't wander. This is very important.
Next, use a #55 drill (1.32mm) or a 3/64" bit (1.19 mm) and carefully line up the piece with the drill bit. Make sure everything is square and ensure that the drill bit lands squarely in the dimple marked previously. Drill in about 1mm at a time, backing out the drill every millimeter to pull out and clear the shavings. Walk the drill in for 8 to 9 mm total depth.
Put a 1/16" inch drill bit (1.58785mm) into a pin vise. Using your hands only, carefully twist the bit into the previously drilled hole to ream it to the finished size. By drilling the smaller hole first with the drill press then reaming it out by hand, you not only get a cleaner hole but significantly reduce the risk of drill walk causing the drill bit to rip out through the sides of the piece.
I used the 9mm long, 1.5mm diameter watch pins shown in the pictures. The whole set of 460 pins is something like $6 on Amazon. Once the holes are reamed out, the pins will slip easily into the holes. Use the pin vise and/or choose the length of pin you want to use to ensure that the body of the pin drops completely into the hole except for the spring loaded part at the end.
The spring loaded parts have two rings formed into them - the end of the pin is 0.030" diameter but the rings are 0.040". The symbols in the XCS file have deeply engraved matching slots into the main piece just above and below the door.
Align the ends of the pins with the depressions in the main piece. Use the tool provided in the watch pin kit or a tiny nail to pus the pins into the depressions until the door is flush. Use a pick, bamboo skewer or other fine pointed object to put a tiny drop of super glue into each depression. Ensure door swings freely. You may have to do a tiny bit of sanding or scraping to ensure smooth operation.
This technique was used to make a shaker ornament for our tree that has ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ scenes on each half. You can play games with this ornament by shaking it and trying to get some of the figures to be ‘inside’ and others on the ‘outside’, like having ‘Mom’, ‘Dad’ be inside while getting the kids, the dog and the cat on the outside. By tapping the ornament against your palm, the door will swing either way.