The Unfolding Apartment: Think of it as Cabinetry Origami

We stumbled across something cool this week, and even though we don’t know if there is any Häfele hardware in this project, it doesn’t really matter because it could.

The video below is a tour of a small Manhattan apartment that was transformed into an amazing living space by the creative use of sliding and hinged panels on a large built-in “cabinet”.  The cabinet contains a fold away bed, a closet complete with hidden compartments, book shelves, storage for kitchen appliances and even a desk.  The architectural firm that designed the “Unfolding Apartment” was Normal Projects and their goal was to maximize the functionality of a 450 square foot studio apartment.  By the looks of the results we believe that they’ve done just that.

According to the architect’s site:

“The challenge is to incorporate all of the aspects of a larger space for work and entertaining within a compact studio apartment. The strategy is one of extreme density.“

This is a spectacular blend of beauty and functionality, and we are rightfully impressed.

Read the entire story here

 

Boring! Not one, but two deco drilling jigs.

Did you ever notice that Häfele America Co has two jigs for drilling for decorative hardware? We used to have only the red one, then both the red and black ones, then just the black one, and now both again.

What’s going on?

I decided that inquiring minds, like yours, had a right to know, so I put on my investigative reporters hat and went in search of the truth. Here’s what my investigation uncovered:

First, I turned my eyes to the packaging and instructions. The black jig comes in a cardboard box, and the red jig comes in a plastic bag. Both jigs come with black and white photocopied instructions. The red jig was fully assembled and ready to go, while the black jig needed a few minutes of assembly. I noticed that while the red jig is red, the black jig is, in fact, mostly a dark, smoked-gray. This gives the red jig a slight edge, as it would be easier to find and use in a dark kitchen. You think I’m joking? Try asking a cabinet installer if the power is always on or if the light fixtures are always installed when the cabinets are being installed during new construction.

For setting the distance that the holes are drilled from the edge, both jigs have a Ledge, or Top Stop, that the user rests on the top of the drawer front or the edge of the door. Both jigs have steel guide bushings where the user inserts a 3/16″ drill bit. The red jig’s bushings move, and the Top Stop is fixed. The jig formerly known as “black” has a Top Stop that moves, while its bushings are fixed. In use the black jig can be a bit “tipsy”, due to its greater length, and shorter Top Stop length.

Both jigs have silk screened measurements, so they can be adjusted quickly, but both of the units I measured were a bit off, so I would suggest using the on-board scale to get close, and use a trusted rule for the final measurement.

The black jig has the red one beat hands-down when it comes to onboard measurements, as its rules are measured down to the mm. The red jig has markings for the most common CTC (center to center) lengths, which is handy.

The black jig’s Top Stop features a 45º notch that allows the jig to be easily used to mount deco at an angle. (45º angle to be exact.)

Both jigs have an adjustable Side Stop that allows you to set the distance the holes are from the edge. The black jig has a knob that gets in the way when drilling wide drawers or tall doors, but this stop is quickly removable and it stores conveniently onboard a storage hole in the Top Stop.

You’d think everything has been said, but wait, there’s more!

With that said, I think it’s time for a little break before we dig into the really nerdy stuff.

Question: Which one of the following photos best illustrates drilling? Study the photos carefully before looking at the answer.

 

Answer: You might have guessed the Drill team on the bottom left, or perhaps the Drill Sergeant, but you would be wrong. It’s the guy with the Magic 8-ball on the bottom center.  Why? I really wish I had time to explain, but it’s time to get back to business:

The Red jig (001.31.233):

• Smaller than a license plate, it’s easier to carry in a toolbox.

• Tool-less adjustments. The black one needs a screwdriver.

• The center line marking is being held away from the door surface making it somewhat difficult to use.  I used a square and an awe to scratch this center line marking onto the edges of the jig, and highlighted the mark with Liquid Paper.  Much better.

The Black jig (001.35.001):

• Has knobs for quick adjustments, but uses a screwdriver for setting drill guides. This could prevent accidental movement, and miss-drilled holes.

• Allows the drilling for longer handles, such as the popular stainless steel appliance-style pulls.

• Made of polycarbonate, the stuff they us to make crash helmets and fighter jet windshields. It’s virtually indestructible.

Here’s the balance of the details:

So, which jig should you recommend?  They both have useful and unique features and benefits that fit different needs. Who knows, perhaps you need both, but either way you’ll benefit from these tips:

• Use masking tape on the face of doors and drawer fronts for a temporary marking surface for marking center measurements.
• When possible back-up the exit side with a piece of scrap wood to prevent tear-out.  True, it may be covered by the head of the screw, but then again, it may not.
• Use sharp drill bits.  Yes, it really does matter.
• Pay close attention to drawer widths, as drawers that appear to be the same width may vary, and off-center deco will ruin your day and perhaps even your reputation.

Who are you? (I really wanna know)

Scott here… One of the things that attract salespeople to Häfele America is the fact that our products and our “customers” are so diverse.

Hafele sales rep visiting a reseller's showroom

I tossed in the quotes around the word customers because many of the people that we do business with will never cut a check to Häfele.  For example, specifiers, such as Architects, Designers and others might develop plans and specifications using our products but the actual purchase decision is left to others within the supply chain.  Still we view our relationship with them in much the same way as with our other customers…it’s a partnership.  We know that we need you as much if not more than you need us, and we hope that you see that in our support of your efforts.

Others of our customers are resellers.  Resellers may have a showroom where they display products in a way that make a kitchen more functional.  Many of our resellers actually offer regular cooking classes or even host local cooking shows right from their showroom.  Our relationship is very close with our resellers as many of them rely on our brand name and our reputation to help them differentiate themselves from the showroom down the road.

The traditional view of our average customer (at least if you ask the folks wandering our halls here in Archdale, NC) is a cabinetmaker or furniture maker who is chiseling away at a wooden European work bench on a piece of quarter sawn white oak that will someday become a beautiful Stickley-inspired writing desk.  This craftsperson may consult with our salespeople on how to ingeniously conceal modern touches, such as LED lighting and electronic access control, and if we’ve done our job correctly they are also aware that they can get their glue, drawer slides, hinges, sandpaper and decorative hardware from us as well!

Then there are the O.E.M.’s  These are the folks who many years ago started in a garage shop building onesie-twosie cabinets, but due to their reputation for quality and reliability, they’ve grown into the brand names that we see on the side of semi-trucks all over the country.  When an O.E.M. decides to incorporate Häfele hardware into their product it may mean we’ll have to open a new addition onto our warehouse, increase production in one of our factories or for me personally, hit the road to provide training at dozens of showrooms.

Not really lastly, but lastly for now is that we view your client as our customer.  Take my folks, for example.  My mom may never know that the doors on her kitchen cabinets are swinging on Häfele hinges, but boy does she ever like to brag about how cool her pull-out swinging pantry unit is!  Dad is more of the nerd in the family, so he likes to point-out how their new revolving corner unit has overlay doors with no massive gaps like the old one.

So here’s my question: Who are you?  You probably don’t fit neatly into any one of my examples above, but we’d love to know more about you.  If you’ve never commented on a blog post we’d be honored to be your first.  I promise it won’t hurt, and in fact it will give us some valuable insight into the direction we take our blog.