Cranked hinges or concealed hinges?

Cranked hinges are designed for 18mm MDF so might work but I think the side screws will be in the join, concealed hinges might work on the doors as long as the add on was big enough but not by attaching it to 2x2 as it is both too small and too big.
You need to attach a drawing of exactly what you are trying to achieve.

 

Could you get away with using surface-mounted hinges, y'know like the decorative wrought-iron type? Obviously it would be attached to the 2x1 if the 2x1 is behind the door, but is there a frame surrounding the door it could be attached to?

'Twould be strongest.

 

need to know how they are set up really
are the doors on a face frame where the open doors will be in from the side by around 25mm before opening
or are you hoping the door will be simmilar size to the cabinet ??

is there any room at the sides for the doors to overhang

 

You were right with the first ones. BTW the MDF will be 9mm.
You can achieve what it seems you want which is shaker style doors inside a frame but how you achieve it depends on how you are making the carcass of whatever is behind the doors.

 

No, it will fail, take it back and get a refund.
You need an inset concealed hinge but which one depends on how you are building your carcass and why.

 

Are you trying to go 'shaker' style?

If you can get away with 'surface' mounted hinges, it'll be the strongest option.

Either decorative ones on t'front: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-FINISHE...-X-2-H-/281729860429?var=&hash=item419868834d (LOTS of style options - that's chust one example) or perhaps these type mounted behind: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-Pack-S...-or-Overlay-/321632851183?hash=item4ae2cfd4ef

 

Ok, Clive.

This can be done ok. But you need to take into account that you are going in to the end 'grain' of MDF which ain't ideal.

Chust use your own choice of hinges - flush butts are ok.

These choose the correct screw size for the hinge - prob 6's or 8's.

Make them 'chipboard' screws and not wood screws - ie - they'll have a parallel threaded shank and not tapered.

Then make sure the length of screw is more than adequate - ie longer than you might normally go for smallish cupboard doors like these. I dunno - over an inch certainly.

Then choose yer pilot drill - this should be the thickness of the inner shank so's only the actual thread will be biting in the MDF.

Make out, drill, insert screws to 'cut' thread, remove, insert PVA using a panel pin or similar to get it right in there. Dip t'screw end in PVA for good measure and screw home.

Chances are you'll be fine.

 

Which cranked hinges?

If the two layers have been PVA'd securely, they should be as strong at the rest of the MDF so it shouldn't matter. It all comes down to drilling a decent pilot hole so's there's no sideways splitting force.

(Another trick is to clamp the door edge as you screw in the screws to cut their thread - this way it cannot split. But hopefully you wouldn't have to go to that hassle.)

I did the same with this cupboard, but the leverage was too great - the doors are long and not very tall, so the top hinges had too much force on them (and the kids weren't all that careful about not leaning on them anyways... So I went for cheap cast (I think aluminium) surface-mounted hinges. These are more than up to the job...

 

Those hinges you've got should be fine, if your bothered by the side screw going into the join then don't fit it, just fit the two back screws using 15mm ones if your total depth is 20mm.

 

Another option to add extra surface area, if you are drilling in between the two sheets, is to drill a larger hole and glue in dowels . Then screw into those.

 

Isn't there just one hole on the back ?