On Apr 29, 9:38*am, "Thomas G. Marshall"
. com 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 envision using some kind of double sided tape to attach the hinges until
by experimentation it closes right, but I am not quite sure what else to do.

Thanks!

There are many ways to skin a cat.

Usually, I'll just position the hinges, mark out with a sharp knife,
and cut the mortises. Sometimes I'll cut the second set slightly
narrower (not as far across the edge) so that I can trim slightly to
make sure the box body and top line up perfectly front to back.
Usually I'll offset the screws very slightly, so that they pull the
hinge against the edge of the mortise.

Starrett make the best automatic punch for marking screw holes.

The Vix and other self-aligning drill bits are fine, but you want to
make sure the guide is the right size for your hinge holes.
Sometimes, they come to too narrow a point, so that they will hit the
wood before they locate in the hinge - which means that the hole they
drill may not be centered. File or grind back the guide until it fits
the hinge hole countersinks without bottoming on the wood. Or, if you
have a metal lathe, you can make up some differennt sized guides.

I've got one trick of my own. As I do a lot of metalwork, I've made
up some transfer or spotting screws. These are somewhat like dowel
spotters. A large flat head just as thick as the distance between the
hinge leaves when closed, a short shank of the diameter of the hinge
hole, and a short point sticking up past the surface of the hinge.
Soft steel is fine. Mortise and screw the hinges onto the box bottom,
then open the hinges and place the spotters through the holes. Close
the hinges down on the spotters, and you'll now have points sticking
up where the screws need to be, so position the box top and tap it
lightly to mark the screw holes.

John Martin