Larry Blanchard said something like:
On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:38:55 +0000, Thomas G. Marshall wrote:


Sorry for this, but this has always mystified me.

Given a small box that I can put a lid on with either a piano hinge
or two smaller hinges, how on earth do I align it so that it closes
perfectly?


I've started using barrel hinges (Soss, etc.) because they're
completely hidden and, at least for me, easier to install and align.

What I do is drive short brads partly into the box, snip off the
heads, and use them to make an impression on the lid. Pull the
brads, drill the holes on the drill press, and I usually get a
perfect fit.

If I'm having troubles driving the brads straight (we all have those
days, don't we?) I use a small bit in the drill press to predrill for
the brads.

I suppose I could also drill the hinge holes in the box and use dowel
centers to mark the lid, but metric dowel centers are, AFAIK, not
available.

But this technique doesn't keep the pins aligned in a straight line (does
it?), unless you're trusting the barrel-again-the-wood technique which I'm
apparently not very good at.