| Author |
Message |
Christopher Goodwin (Cgoodwin)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 4:11 am: | |
Just finished my doors between the bedroom and the next section of the bus. I bought Bi-fold doors and cut them to size, inserting wood in the bottom where I shortened the door (wood glue and clamps). I use Johnson tricycle hardware but removed the mounting stud, I made an aluminum strip along the door top with two strips of .080 aliminum just wide enough to fit inside the slot on the track. I screwed these to the dooe top with countersunk screws and set the tri-cycle roller onto this with additional screws. The wall thickness is 2.5" with a 2x12 serving as the frame along the window, framed out with 2x4, the track was screwed to the cieling after the doors were inserted into it. On the floor I put a Oak door threashold with 1/4" clearance. In the track I put in a stop for each door so they coule not come past center and magnets in the door sides so when closed they remain closed and when inside the walls they remain there. I skinned the walls with 1/2" 8 ply birch and trimmed the door frame in hemlock, all with natural finish (satin verathane).
The doors work perfectly and the walls are thin, the doorway is only 22.5" but even at 6'4" and 250lb it is comfortable to get through. My bus has a low cieling and the track is lower than I would like (72") but I lived 6 years on a boat so it seems plenty high for me.
Worked out well and relatively inexpensive, the doors were $28, the track $12 and the hardware $10, the real killer was the 1/2" 8ply birch at $30 wholesale a sheet!, since the walls are 38" each side that is 4 sheets for a single wall $120.00 in addition to the hardware, framing, doors etc.
In the end it saved me many design issues http://www.frybrid.com/images/planview3ab.jpg as I want to have a king size bed in the rear, followed by a bunk for my daughter , then a kitchen/dining and living area. Every inch counts.
Chris |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 12:35 pm: | |
Chris, your profile doesn't say which bus, but did I note two entry doors?, Is yours a RTS?
Thanks, Marc |
Christopher Goodwin (Cgoodwin)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 10:21 pm: | |
I have a neoplan citiliner coach. Front and mid door, just inside the rear door is the toilet at bay level and stairs to the main level. |
Randy Davidson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 11:58 pm: | |
I'm also building pocket doors. I'm planning to synchronize them by adding a nylon cord around two pulleys inside the header. Tying one door to one side of the loop and the other door to the other side of the cord should allow me to open both doors with one hand. Wouldn't you think the places that sell pocket door hardware would also sell a kit to synchronize the doors?
Mine's not done yet waiting on pulleys that are quiet. I don't want to wake anyone when I come through the pocket. |
H3-40
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 1:40 am: | |
Do as I did and use an extended drawer slide! It's cheap, quiet, and easy.
Here is a link to the beginningof the work. That part is finished now but you can get an idea of what I mean!
http://groups.msn.com/AceRossiMotorsports/foolsgold.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=518
Ace |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 11:54 am: | |
Just for clarification, you have two cords, don't you? That way the door's action would be bi-directional. What do you do for access when the cord stretches, eventually, over time, and falls off the pulleys?
My observation regarding pocket doors arises out of the typical house usage, where they still have enough freedom of track that they'll scrape on the opening and scar the door. Reduce the freedom of movement to prevent this is my suggestion. How that's done is up to the builder!
Onward and Upward |
Randy Davidson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 7:58 pm: | |
I should have been more clear. I have two short doors coming together in the center. I have a pulley at each end inside the wall (but accessible from inside cabinets). I have one of the pulleys locked in. The other is attached to a buckle(?) that has threads in both directions so I can tighten the cord as it stretches. Or, replace it if need be.
Only one cord tied end-to-end so it makes a loop.
The pocket door hardware I purchased came with bumpers and nylon skids so the doors will not rattle in the pocket nor scrape on the sides.
I tried the extended drawer slide (I was even naive enough to think I thought of it before I knew that Ace had already installed his!). I found the slides to be too weak and it was far more difficult to adjust to meet in the middle with a nice straight line. Plus, they sagged in the middle even with hollow 14" doors. So, I took those out. I found it much better to hang from an aluminum track with nice big quiet wheels.
Now, for the weights to ensure they stay open or closed and never in between. But, not too much or someones finger might get caught! I should post a picture, eh?
Randy |
Pete/RTS Daytona (Pete_rtsdaytona)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - 2:28 pm: | |
Hi All
I also used the Johnson brand pocket door track - got mine from lowes (Didn't know I could get just the track and the tricycle trucks - I purchased the whole frame kit and throw the frame pieces away)
I have a 102" wide RTS and the top of my track is 78" from the floor - with Johnson's 1 1/8" track that gives me almost 77" of headroom
The track can be mounted to use a 30" wide door - with a 36" pocket wall (RTS's have curved walls) and a 30" opposite wall - that will still yield a 29" door way (the door sits 1/2" recessed at both ends so you can't see light thru the cracks -
the only hitch is that the upper corner of the pocket door has a 3" diagonal cut on pocket side upper corner - which gets hidden by a small 45 degree track moulding piece at the corners - gives it a nice little "archway" look.
Picture to follow soon |
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