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Post by wisconsinjoe on Oct 3, 2020 7:37:44 GMT -8
I'm thinking about using some sliding doors in my cabinets. But I'm stumped about how to secure them closed for travel. Ideally, there would be some kind of retractable pin/knob at the overlap point. Anyone solve this problem or know of an existing hardware solution?
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Post by vikx on Oct 3, 2020 9:59:52 GMT -8
Mine overlapped at the center. There was a grab clip at each side to hold them closed. In other words, there's no latch in the middle, just at the sides.
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John Palmer
Senior Member
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Oct 4, 2020 10:59:57 GMT -8
VTS sells a Push Button latch VTS-262 that is pretty cool. It's a push button latch, and then when you push the button, it pops out and becomes a "pull". I would think it could be easily adapted for latching sliding doors. Unfortunately like much of their inventory, they are on back order in the chrome finish.
In general sliding doors are a pain. You find them in most of the lower end vintage "price point" trailers. I would assume because they were cheap to build, install, and required no hardware. At best, you can only "see", and "access" one side at a time. Normal lift doors with a gas, or a spring shock work well. The VTS stainless reproduction pinch latches work good. You do need to use a abrasive wheel to remove all of the sharp die stamping edges to prevent user cuts.
John
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Oct 5, 2020 5:28:51 GMT -8
I think I'm agreeing with you John about the sliding doors. My wife wanted them, and I'm doing my best to explore the possibility. I actually have some of those push latches, but really they don't work in this situation.
So, do you have a gas lift you like?
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John Palmer
Senior Member
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,625
Likes: 575
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Post by John Palmer on Oct 5, 2020 8:49:14 GMT -8
Here's my take on gas lift shocks or the spring type lifts. There's a thousand different kinds, different travels, and different weight ratings to confuse your selection. IMO, the gas pressure shocks are pretty cool, and they are dirt cheap on Amazon. The hardest part is knowing how much spring rating you need for a particular door because you mount them at an angle.
Here's the most important advice. It's the same for both styles gas or spring. When mounting, the door has to be a exactly 90 degrees to the cabinet face. I use a Kreg bracket clamped to the cabinet face to hold the door during mounting. The shock HAS TO BE MOUNTED AT 45 DEGREES to the door, or the cabinet face. If you get it off, the door will droop, or if you have side by side doors they will not match when up. If you get it off in the other direction, the shock travel will keep the door from closing.
Figure out the space you have, and the length you need, then order a couple of different weight ratings. After you narrow down your selection, place a second order for the number of shocks you need, make sure to order a couple of extra for spares. They are really cheap on line.
John
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Oct 13, 2020 6:48:09 GMT -8
John, Thanks for the great advice. That is exactly what I intend to do. But first, I need to experiment with my doors. I'd going to try to capture the 5 mm prefinished birch plywood (that I used everywhere) in 1/2 inch aluminum channel. The 1/8 inch aluminum has exactly a 1/4 inch channel, so I'll fill the extra space with some strips of sticky veneer so it is tight in there. I'll carefully miter the four pieces of aluminum and predrill and countersink small screws to hold them in place (driven into the side of the 5 mm ply. Crazy? Perhaps, but I think it might make for a nice looking and lightweight door. Then, I'll use 1/2 inch stainless steel piano hinge, which is amazingly inexpensive online. We'll see how this goes. I'll probably have to glue wood blocks on the back side to mount lifts and latches.
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