ORIGINAL: opjose
ORIGINAL: Gray Beard
Not many folks pin a CA hinge. It's usually something done to hinges like the flat Dubro hinges. Works very well. I have a special burr I use to do the drilling that is a tight fit for a cut down tooth pick. I drill from the botton through the wood and the hinge and about mid way through the wood on the top so the pin doesn't show. I use a drop of thick CA in the hole then force in the pin. It lamanates the pin into the wood very well. I went back to using Pacer hinge glue and the stuff holds so well I gave up the pins.
A bit of speculative nit-picking no offense intended:
With the flat hinged inserts, I find it hard to imagine that the toothpick will do a lot for the bond over the epoxy that you may be using.
In effect the only thing you are adding is a very small segment of somewhat soft wood. Unless that is you are adding multiple toothpicks, e.g. four per hinge at the least.
A single metal pin aids things greatly and contributs to the strength of the entire area.
But I'm still confused as to where any additional strength would come from with a single toothpick?
That is it may help, but I'd imagine only a small amount and maybe not worth the effort.
You may get a better result doing as you do now, drilling a very fine hole, and wicking CA in to harden the surrounding wood, where the Epoxy may not permeate and even leaving the toothpick out of all of this.... as the wood should expand to fill the hole if the hole is fine bored. That would also let the CA seep in more completely.
Just for fun try installing a hinge, a flat Dubro, in a piece of scrap TE stock and only pin it, just the pin itself, don't even add glue. Get the pin in the hinge center. Now try to pull it out. Then you will see the light. It's only something we used to do as a safety feature on our big planes, it works but nothing is as good as doing a proper hinge job.