Mindwarp,
What type of glue did you use? It does sound as though the problem has been caused by not enlarging the outer portion of the holes to clear the hinge point knuckles. This along with possibly some glue in or close around the hinge. Work the surface back and forth by hand 100 times or so and see if it gets better. To answer your question of this being normal for hinge points, no it is not. A surface that is installed correctly with hinge points should fall bevel to bevel under it's own weight. Robart also makes a small jig for drilling the holes which works very well, no drill press needed.