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Unusual Door Designs from Brazil, Part 1: The Boxtail Hinge

Installing this thing must be a nightmare

By Rain Noe - September 17, 2015

in Interior/Exhibition Design

Here's a door with a rather unusual hinge design:

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Because this exact photo has been so passed around on social media with no attribution, I am sadly unable to determine whom the original designer, or even the fabricator, are. But it appears that the door came from Brazil, and poking around on various Brazilian designer's and fabricator's websites reveals doors of this design are readily available for purchase there.

In this shot of a similar design, we get a slightly better look at the hinge. Notice that the boxtails affixed to the frame have their grain running north-south, in contrast to the east-west grain orientation of the door:

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This variant of the design appears to be made from reclaimed lumber, or has convincingly had the wood distressed. It's also got much shorter tails, though ones affixed to the frame contain both the odd- and even-numbered members:

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These two below have super long tails, and the grain of the frame-mounted fingers running in the same direction as the grain of the door:

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Here I got excited thinking there was a double-door version, but alas, it appears the one on the left does not open, judging by the lack of a handle:

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If any of our Portugese-speaking readers have any idea who designed this—Google Translator has failed me, I'm afraid—please do let us know in the comments, so that we may properly credit them.

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Jackie Wyant

9 years ago

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I did a search on the 4th door you posted, as the entryway looks VERY similar to traditional ones here in SP (a narrow hallway leading to the back of the house, barbed wire on top of the walls, traditional tiled floors). I came across this site, which seems pretty legit: http://www.viafer.com.br/detalhes-produto/962/Porta-Passione/subcategoria/35

They even say on the site that it is a pivot pin hinge.

If you Google the name they give this door "Porta Passione", you can find several makers of this style, including elarca.com.br - and their price for the door seems more inline with what I believe one of those things would cost here in Brazil. Elarca also seems to have MANY styles of pivot doors, and they claim they are the first to start fabricating this particular style. So while these sots of claims are dubious at best, I'm inclined to believe they are being at least partially honest, considering all the rest of it.

If you are dying to know, I can ask around and see if I have any friends of friends who might know better.

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Mike Loveless

9 years ago

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I agree that it's very much a doing something different solely for the reason of doing something different. It's neat and all but I don't really see the usefulness of it.

My first thought when I saw it was those are some serious finger crushers!

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Pan Wanqing

9 years ago

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Omg what a heaven for dust!

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Tango omr

9 years ago

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more info. is needed I think

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Tango omr

9 years ago

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Niceeeeeeeeeeeeee

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Luiz Roberto Meira

9 years ago

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Dear Friends. I searched by the picture and managed to find out also several distributors of similar doors. I found out just one fabricator in Brazil state of São Paulo: http://www.serradospinhos.com.br/madeireira/produtos/esquadrias-portas-janelas/

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- Jackie Wyant
  
  Luiz Roberto Meira
  
  9 years ago
  
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  It's a shame Serra dos Pinhos doesn't give more details on their door models - just "visit our showroom!" Funny, because both them and Elarca both claim to have been in business for over 35 years. Elarca is located in Curitiba, PR.
  
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Mark Thomas

9 years ago

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I stand corrected. I first thought it was just a top and bottom pivot hinge, but the very first photo show that can't be the case -- the top door rail can't have a pivot. And as Nick says, in some photos you can see what looks like a pin.

So perhaps there's a rod the full height. But if so, the whole door+frame has to be "pre-hung" and installed as a unit, and the door can't be removed in situ -- there's no way to pull the rod out.

Personally, it seems like a lot or work, bound to be problematic over time (as wood moves, etc), very difficult to service, and yields a "look at me I'm clever" look but not one that I find very attractive.

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Mark Thomas

9 years ago

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I believe the hinges are standard pivot hinges, top and bottom. The interleaving wood pieces are just decorative.

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- Rain Noe
  
  Mark Thomas
  
  9 years ago
  
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  Obviously.
  
  How do you reckon they install it, do you think it's constructed off-site within the frame, then the whole assembly is trucked in?
  
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  - Nick Scott
    
    Rain Noe
    
    9 years ago
    
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    If you look at the examples second and third from the bottom, you can see that there is a "pin" that extends the height of the door.
    
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Marcio Henrique Vieira

9 years ago

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I found the company at Facebook and blogspot, and they're from Aracaju - SE - Brazil. Seems a great wood work!
They call Madeireira Passos.
Blogspot: http://passosportasejanelas.blogspot.com.br/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadeireiraPassos

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- Rain Noe
  
  Marcio Henrique Vieira
  
  9 years ago
  
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  Marcio, I saw that company/site, but I was suspicious because they had a stretched/altered version of the top photo and watermarked their name across it. I'd seen that practice before when someone was trying to pass someone else's work off as their own, so I wasn't convinced. Thanks for looking though!
  
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