How to tighten an eccentric in furniture: installation instructions

January 9, 2021
Repair Tips
Ivan Gresko

In the production of cabinet furniture, some manufacturers use nails to fasten parts together. Their disadvantage is that they cannot provide repeated assembly and disassembly. In this regard, it is much more convenient to use self-tapping screws. However, they destroy the texture of the workpiece. This is especially noticeable when using fiberboard and chipboard.

Therefore, many craftsmen prefer traditional bolts and nuts. At one time, these furniture fittings provided high strength joints. However, it cannot be called ideal. The fact is that bolts and nuts worsen the appearance of the structure.

According to experts, the furniture eccentric screed is considered the most reliable. Despite the fact that furniture production is a complex technological process, it can be assembled at home. For this reason, many novice craftsmen are interested in the question of how to tighten the eccentric. This fastening method is considered the most reliable. Therefore, many try to use it. How to tighten the eccentric correctly? What are the pros and cons of this type of fastening? The answers to these questions are in the article presented to your attention.

Description of fastening method

Before wondering how to tighten the eccentric, you need to familiarize yourself with the device of the eccentric coupler. In general, it consists of two components. This is an eccentric and a rod. The first is on one piece of furniture, and the second is on another.

The connection of furniture parts is carried out by turning the eccentric in the rod. The sizes of these parts can be very different, for example, 34, 26 or 10 mm. The most common is the 15mm eccentric. The size depends on the dimensions and purpose of the furniture that is assembled. For example, for small shelves a 10mm cam is suitable. To connect parts in cabinet furniture, you will need large parts (34 and 26 mm).

What is this type of fastening?

Minifix is a fastener consisting of several components:

eccentric;
stand or rod;
futorka;
dowel;
sleeve made of plastic or metal;
stub;

The parts are sold in different configurations and may differ from each other in length, diameter, type of fitting and method of fastening, which can be a screw or self-tapping screw.

Components of an eccentric coupler

Advantages of an eccentric coupler

Judging by the reviews, many craftsmen prefer this method of fastening. The high popularity of connecting furniture structural elements using eccentrics is explained by the fact that the parts can be assembled and disassembled repeatedly. It is noteworthy that this is done quickly. Great physical effort is not required. In addition, the craftsman has the opportunity to connect products at a variety of angles.

This is also possible with confirmations. However, after the next disassembly and reassembly, the material loses its rigidity. It is worth noting that this method not only ensures the reliability and strength of the fasteners, but also does not spoil the appearance of the furniture. Euroscrew (as furniture makers also call eccentric) is not very expensive, has a long service life and is able to withstand impressive loads.

Assembling the chest of drawers

To make a chest of drawers correctly, you need to follow the mounting instructions given in the design drawing. Basically, a tie with an eccentric is advisable when attaching a dresser lid, so as not to disturb its appearance with holes.

The procedure for assembling the chest of drawers is as follows:

Fix the drawer guides into the holes on the sides of the chest of drawers with self-tapping screws. The right and left guide are designated by the letters "R" and "L" respectively
To assemble the base of the chest of drawers, you need to insert euroscrews into the holes in the sides to attach the base. Then tighten the sides and base. Close the exit points of the Euroscrews with plugs in the color of the sidewalls.
Turn the chest of drawers over so that the base is at the bottom.
Insert dowels into the upper end part of the sidewalls.
Insert the eccentric rods into the holes on the edges of the dresser lid.
Install the cover so that the rods and dowels occupy their grooves.
Install eccentrics on the inside of the chest of drawers and twist the tie.
Add drawer guides and insert them into the chest of drawers.
Secure the back wall.

Thus, an eccentric tie is the optimal option for fastening the façade parts of cabinet furniture. In home production, its use is somewhat limited due to the difficulty of making grooves for the structural elements of the screed. But if you have specialized, affordable devices (conductor, milling cutter), even a novice master can cope with this task. An eccentric tie is indispensable if it is necessary to ensure the inconspicuousness of fastenings and during frequent disassembly of furniture.

Weak sides

Despite the presence of undeniable advantages, the eccentric coupler is not without some disadvantages. Weaknesses include:

The need for accurate calculations. It is important to correctly mark the holes for mounting hardware. Otherwise, the furniture pieces will be fastened crookedly.
Labor intensity. Due to its complexity, this installation technology is only available to experienced craftsmen.
If we compare eccentrics with confirmed ones, they are somewhat more expensive.

Advantages and disadvantages

Furniture eccentrics are quite popular among both furniture manufacturers and home craftsmen. And there is nothing surprising here. This part has many advantages:

Ability to withstand heavy loads. The fastening has a high level of reliability. It tolerates repeated assembly/disassembly of structures without deterioration in quality;
Long period of operation;
Increasing the rigidity of assembled furniture.
Easy installation of a furniture eccentric. Almost every person without experience or construction skills will be able to carry out the installation independently. This work will not take much time. To do this, an ordinary screwdriver is enough (provided that the holes have already been made in the furniture).

Please note that fastening does not impair the aesthetics of the finished product. The eccentric is not visible after installation. It does not leave noticeable damage or defects. It has no serious shortcomings, but we will still highlight a few disadvantages.

Firstly, the relatively high cost. If we compare a furniture eccentric with other similar connections, its purchase will cost much more. If the manufacture of furniture requires a large volume of such eccentrics, then the final price of the product will seriously hit your pocket.
Secondly, the connection is demanding in terms of marking accuracy. Without this, it will not be possible to qualitatively connect all the parts. Therefore, you need to approach your work responsibly. Don't do anything by eye! Otherwise, there is a high probability of simply ruining the product.

Practice shows that with constant use, the level of the screed gradually weakens. But this cannot be called a problem. If the fastener gets a little loose, you can take a screwdriver and tighten it well.

In general, the furniture eccentric is a reliable, durable and high-quality item. Home craftsmen certainly need to take it into service and use it during assembly.

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To technically correctly assemble cabinet furniture and figure out how to install an eccentric with your own hands, you can use video lessons and other educational materials presented on the Internet. In addition, detailed instructions are included with each mount.

What you need for work

Before tightening the furniture eccentric, prepare the following tools:

Screwdriver.
Screwdriver.
Ruler and pencil. Many home craftsmen use a template. You can make it yourself or get a ready-made one.
Drill. They should have a diameter of 8 and 5 mm.
Milling cutter. Some people call this tool a Forstner drill.

When everything you need is available, you can start doing the work. Let's take a closer look at how to tighten the eccentric in furniture.

Scope of use

This mount is used if the junction of various elements should not be noticeable. For example, when creating a cabinet or table, when the tabletop is screwed to the racks. In addition, it is used to connect the bottom and lid of sliding wardrobes, where it is not possible to drill holes on the front part.

The operating principle of a furniture eccentric is quite simple. All types of such fastenings act the same. Thus, having dealt with the assembly of one type, you can easily cope with the rest of the models.

Where to begin

First of all, you need to do the marking. Using a ruler and a pencil or a template, clearly define the places where the holes will be. Check again whether you have marked them correctly, since further assembly and the final result depend on accuracy. To reliably and efficiently tighten the eccentric, you next need to do the following:

Carefully drill a hole for the groove in which the rod will be located. To avoid damaging the workpiece, use a limiter at this stage.
When the hole is ready, insert the rod. It is desirable that it protrudes above the canvas by about 0.6 cm.

What is a furniture jig and how to use it

If you have a furniture jig, this will make it much easier for you to mark and drill holes for any type of fastener. A jig is essentially the same template, which is a special device or bar on which holes of different diameters and at different distances are applied. With their help, you can make perfectly accurate markings and drill passages of the size you need. Various materials are used to make this assistant:

metal;
plastic;
tree;
wood boards.

The product is a solid base with many holes at different distances required from each other. Additionally, it can be equipped with a mechanism for fixing and adjusting the distance between the holes.

Use a special drilling jig to help you hold the drill at the right angle.

Thanks to the device, you will install the drill exactly at a right angle to the blade, without deviations. This is a great help when working on narrow surfaces, such as the ends of chipboards. After all, if the groove is not located at an angle of 90 degrees, assembling the body elements into a single whole may become impossible.

Types of conductors

Depending on the functions performed and design features, templates can be of several types:

Invoices. This type of device serves as an assistant for drilling holes on flat elements by placing it on the workpiece. The device is not attached, but only held by hand. Suitable for use on chipboard or fibreboard surfaces.
Rotary. The rotating device allows you to move it vertically or horizontally and rotate it at different angles. This device is convenient to use provided that the part that needs to be drilled has a complex shape.
Tiltable. Tiltable assistants are convenient for working with elements that are located in planes that are different from each other.
Universal. The devices are convenient because they can be customized for the production of furniture of various configurations.

All types of templates can have a sliding or fixed type of fit to the surface. The sliding type allows you to move the product along the surface of the workpiece. Fixed option - firmly fixed in the desired position and does not move.

The conductor is the furniture maker’s best assistant, without him it would not have been possible to connect furniture so beautifully

What to look for when choosing a conductor

When choosing a furniture jig in a store, you should carefully examine the product and pay attention to the material from which it is made. For example, stainless steel products will be high-quality and reliable.

The manufacturer matters too. World-famous brands, as a rule, produce high-quality tools with a long service life and a warranty from the manufacturer.

The more famous the brand, the higher the quality - a rule that works flawlessly in the case of construction tools

When purchasing such an assistant, take an interest in the additional equipment that comes with the kit. The versatility of the device will make your work easier. The more tools included in the package, the more cases you will be able to use it. For example, a set may include

various bushings;
drills of various diameters with stops;
Forstner cutter, for holes for minifixes;
keys.

There are a significant number of advantages in using this device.

By using a template when manufacturing and assembling cases, you will save yourself from many inconveniences. For example, you don't need to mark places with a ruler and pencil. The jig allows you to fix the distance and drill several absolutely identical holes at the same distance from each other. There is no inaccuracy here.

But a factory-made conductor also has a drawback - its rather high price.

Therefore, craftsmen are quite capable of making such an assistant with their own hands. Our instructions will help you with this.

Instructions for making a furniture jig

Step No. 1 – prepare tools and materials:

square metal block, section 1x1 cm;
Bulgarian;
file;
calipers;
awl or thick needle;
drills with a diameter of 5 mm;
metal plate for stop measuring 1x25 mm;
a sheet of sandpaper.

First, let's collect all the tools and materials necessary for the work.

Step No. 2 – make the base and markings. Using a grinder, cut off a piece of the required length from the block. Sand any burrs with a file. Mark the locations for future holes. The generally accepted dimensions are the distance between the grooves is 32 mm, the distance from the centers of the slots to the side edge is 8 mm. To make the markings accurate, use a caliper. It is convenient if you mark the centers of future grooves using an awl or needle.

Make the markings, you can first do it on paper, then transfer it to the material itself that requires connection

Step No. 3 – install the tool. Next, we drill passages in the required quantity. Then we take a metal plate and grind it with sandpaper if necessary. Clamping it with a vice, we bend our plate at a right angle. Align the resulting parts and clamp them with a clamp. Fasten the parts with screws, having previously cut the thread to the desired size. Thus, you can create a very convenient tool for yourself.

Next we drill the holes

Installation of the second connection part

Before installing the eccentric, you need to prepare a groove for it. Drill it out using a Forstner bit. According to experts, depth is important for the groove for the eccentric. In general, you can limit yourself to a 15mm hole.

It should be noted that the groove cannot be made through. The eccentric must fit into it completely to its full height and at the same time be flush with the workpiece blade.

To avoid making a mistake with the location for the hole, use a template or ruler. Step back 34 mm from the bottom edge, and 5 mm from the side end. The center of the hole for the eccentric groove will be at the intersection point.

Other options for furniture ties: a brief overview

As we have already found out from the above, the eccentric coupler is one of the most durable fasteners. But it is not always advisable to use this type of connection. Let's look at what other fastenings are used by cabinet furniture manufacturers.

Confirmat

Confirmat is one of the most popular and easy-to-install connection options. Fastening the body parts using confirmations is not difficult or difficult. This type of fastening can only connect elements at right angles.

Confirmat - another detail of furniture fasteners

To install furniture parts using a confirmat, you will need to drill a groove along the diameter of the fastener head in one of the workpieces, the second hole must be made in the end part of the other workpiece, but the diameter will be smaller - usually two drills of 5 and 6 mm are used. Although, you can also use a combination type drill - this is convenient, since you will work with only one tool, and there will be no need for constant replacement.

For greater reliability, confirmations are recommended to be used together with a small wooden rod - a dowel. Such a rod will prevent the workpieces from moving when secured with a confirmat.

This type of coupling, unlike the eccentric one, does not allow parts of the product to be fastened several times

But when using this type of hitch, you should know that chipboard products should be fastened once. Due to the high hollowness of chipboard, re-joining with confirmat does not guarantee a strong screed.

Confirmat is a connection that, unlike an eccentric coupler, is visible on the surface of the product. Therefore, to hide it, you can use decorative stickers or plugs that match the color of the body surface.

Intersectional screed

This fastening method is used when it is necessary to connect modules to each other, for example, cabinets or mezzanines. The coupler consists of two parts - a nut (bushing) and a screw. Since the chipboard used to make the cabinets has different thicknesses, the intersection screed can also be of different sizes.

Intersectional screed

To fasten two modules with this type of connection, it is necessary to align the elements being fastened and drill matching through holes in the two walls of the housing. Insert a bushing on one side, a screw on the other side and tighten with a screwdriver. Sections are fastened.

Furniture corners

This type of fastening has long been known to everyone. They are made of metal and plastic, and are mounted using self-tapping screws. It is not recommended to use corners in those parts of the furniture that are expected to be loaded.

Furniture corners

Table top screed

This type of hitch is used in the production of kitchen sets. It consists of a screw and a pair of stops. Holes for such a screed are made using a Forstner cutter of the required diameter, and a channel for the screw is cut out with a jigsaw.

Holes for such fastening are also made using a Forstner cutter

Making a passage for the rod

When the holes for the fasteners are made, begin preparing the passage for the rod. It is performed on the surface of the workpiece where the eccentric is located. The passage for the rod should be located on the end side. To perform this step you will need an 8mm drill bit. It is important that the passage is centered relative to the eccentric groove.

Therefore, at this stage, use a ruler, tape measure or template. If this recommendation is neglected, the prepared grooves may not match. As a result, the furniture will be assembled crookedly.

Final stage

Now you can connect the parts of the furniture structure. For this purpose, attach the workpieces so that the rod is in the passage. How to tighten eccentrics? This is quite easy to do. First, insert the eccentric into the groove, and then carefully tighten it using a Phillips screwdriver.

As a result, the furniture elements will be securely fastened to each other.

What to pay attention to

To properly tighten the eccentric, experts recommend positioning the rod correctly. It should not be twisted too much. Otherwise, the eccentric will not rotate 180 degrees. Then you will not be able to secure the connection. If the rod is not fully tightened, then the parts in the furniture structure will not be connected tightly enough. Which drill bit to choose for an eccentric tie depends on the size of the rod. The hole through which it will be connected to the eccentric is most often made with a diameter of 8 mm.

Types and sizes

The eccentric coupler comes in plastic and metal. Depending on the material of manufacture, it is used in one field or another. For example, small pieces of furniture can be secured with plastic fasteners, but for large items, such as cabinets or kitchen units, it is advisable to use metal fasteners.

The dimensions of the parts also vary, for example, the length of the stand can vary from 38 to 58 cm, the diameter of the minifix can be of three sizes:

12 mm;
15 mm;
25 mm;

The most commonly used fastener is 15 mm in diameter.

The dimensions of the eccentric coupler parts may also vary.