Replies

1. 
   notDusty | May 27, 2004 05:23pm | #1

               Dave ,

       That is a constant problem encountered in the design of tv cabinets . Remember you will need some way of pulling the doors out once they are in. Generally enough of the door sticks out to give a place for a pull or something to facilitate opening. Here is a possible solution : make each door as a bi folding pair .You will need to leave more space inside for the folding doors to take up .So your cabinet will grow in width a bit . The other possibility is maybe you can cut clearance holes or slots in the wall behind to accept the depth of the doors or the flipper door hardware .

                               good luck                  dusty

2. 
   be2003 | May 27, 2004 05:24pm | #2

   Can the opening be made any skinnier?  Theoretically it could be twice as wide as the depth of the cabinet and the doors would still fit all the way back inside without sticking out any.  Remember to allow room for the "flipper" hardware.

3. 
   tufenhundel | May 27, 2004 05:49pm | #3

   True enough about the flipper hardware, it can suck up as much as 4" of depth.

   I am designing a wall unit that has this requirement.  I am making the doors bi-fold, and adding a track to guide the door segments.  This customer has the requirement to not see the doors when they are in the open position, so some custom flipper type hinges will need to be fabricated.

   An odd ball solution may be to orient the flipper doors so they swing up/down instead of traditional left/right, if the tv and design permit.  If the tv is wider than tall, the doors may be accommodated this way.

4. 
   Jamie_Buxton | May 27, 2004 06:19pm | #4

   Tambour doors --- like a roll-top desk, but sideways.   The tambour can bend around behind the TV.

5. 
   notDusty | May 27, 2004 06:20pm | #5

                     Dave ,

           Another thought , about 6 months ago I built a t v cabinet with a tambour door , it went up and down like a roll top desk. That particular opening was about 45" wide and about 30" tall .On that set the speakers were at the bottom and I put grill cloth behind the face frame below the screen .You can also orient the tambour to the sides .

                                      dusty

1. 
   Dave45 | May 27, 2004 06:25pm | #6

   Dusty-

   Do you have any pictures of that tambour door?  That opening is pretty much what I'm working with.

   The rest of the unit has raised panel doors and drawer fronts and I'll need to figure out if tambour will look ok.

1. 
   notDusty | May 27, 2004 08:54pm | #9

              Dave ,

      Sorry at this time I have no photos of that piece . But as far as "how the tambour will look with raised panel doors .Think about a lot of the old roll top desks we have seen , many have raised panel ends and such. The larger of the tasks may be selling the idea to your client. Without a doubt it is a different look. Also much less work and time to use the tambour as opposed to bi folding flippers , now if this piece is to be the masterpiece of your career , by all means pull out the stops .The photos that were posted look beautiful , very nice work .Seems like the tambour cost me about $165 or so . The only other cost is the track , and you can make that yourself out of hardwood for $5 . I was concerned about the tambour sagging in the middle when it was up , it did not sag at all , and with a bit of wax it was very smooth to operate .The job I did had arched recessed panel doors on the top , it was about 50" wide by about 78" tall.With a 6" recess on the top for a concealed sub woofer or speaker of sorts.

                       dusty

    

    

    

6. 
   Loach | May 27, 2004 07:45pm | #7

   Hi Dave,

   I don't know if this would work, but most televisions that I have seen are a bit wedge shaped - widest at the front to maximize the screen area.   Is it possible to install the flipper doors at an angle so that they could slide back in further?   You would lose some space in the cabinet, but it may let you use solid doors, rather than a tambour.

   Loach

7. 
   gweisenburge | May 27, 2004 07:47pm | #8

   Flipper or pocket doors usually do extend beyond the front of the cabinet. They have to if the doors have pulls, and because pocket door hardware allows for retraction equal to a few inches less than the depth of the slides.

   To overcome the possibility that the doors may occlude the screen, put the TV on a swiveling pullout.

   The cabinet in the attached photos has tri-fold pocket doors with touch latches instead of pulls. They're fully retractable. Behind the 52-inch plasma screen is an outdoor fireplace which allowed for a 9-in-deep cabinet to house the screen on its swivel mount. However, there is enough room on either side of the firebox for 16-inch slides that allow the 10 1/2-in-wide doors to retract flush with the cabinet front. 

   I suggest you try Accuride's new "Pro Pocket" hardware. 

   Namaste,

   Gary

   http://gwwoodworking.com/

   
1. 
   Dave45 | May 28, 2004 02:25am | #10

   Gary-

   I think those will be just what the customer wants.  Now if I can just figure out how to actually do that - lol.  I've never been a big fan of flipper doors since few people ever actually close them.

   Loach-

   The TV they're getting is a flat screen set.  It sits on a pedestal and is only 6" deep.

2. 
   Dave45 | May 28, 2004 05:11pm | #12

   Gary-

   The Accurride "Pro-Pocket" looks perfect for this job..........thanks.

   Did you put the partition panels on your project?  The picture with the doors opened has a gap between two of the door panels on each side, but I can't see a partition.

   I took the liberty of sending your pictures to the customer.  You're nowhere near San Francisco, are you?  Even if you are, I'm going to tell them you're in Maine or somewhere far away.............and that you're booked for at least a year. - lol

   After seeing your pictures, I wouldn't be surprised if they want to upgrade from paint grade to stained wood, too - lol

   Thanks again

1. 
   gweisenburge | May 28, 2004 06:11pm | #13

   Dave,

   The Pro Pocket hardware is better than most flipper door hardware, because it does a better job of protecting the door from damage when pushing it into the pocket. However, I didn't use it in e cabinet in the photos, since Accuride hadn't begun marketing them yet. The doors in the photos are hung on a rack and pinion system which has two hinges each on the top and bottom, allowing for more cantilevered door weight. Sorry, I don't recall where I purchased the hardware.

   There are pocket partitions in that cabinet, affixed to the top and bottom with Hafele's Rafix connectors. You can't easily see the partitions, because I paint the cabinet interior flat black (you purposly can't see all the hardware, wiring, etc.). Another plus for the Pro Pocket is that the system has built in mounting brackets for a pocket partition. My most recent media center employs the new Accuride hardware with partitions and a shelf above the TV for a DVD player and other electronics. I think the Pro Pocket may only be available through Hafele (800-423-3531).

   In order to keep the doors aligned flat when closed, I installed "Double Locking Bi-Fold Hinges" between door #1 (the one hinged to the flipper hardware) and door #2 (the middle one). Those hinges are spring loaded and adjustable to keep the two door surfaces in plane. I purchased them from Louis and Company (800-422-4467). I used Soss hinges between Doors #2 and 3. I chose not to use any catches, because the doors layed perfectly flat against the top and bottom stops. The owner needs only to push softly on door #3 to spring it open enough to grab and then open it further.  

   I hope this helps, but if you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask here or via email.

   Namaste,

   Gary

   http://gwwoodworking.com/

1. 
   Dave45 | May 28, 2004 07:54pm | #14

   Gary-

   You've been a great help already and I'll take you up on your offer to answer more questions. 

   I've only done one other flipper door project and I wasn't very happy with the way it worked out, but more people seem to want them so I guess I'll have to get better aquainted with the techniques and hardware.  If SWMBO will let me, maybe I'll order some of the hardware and do a practice run - lol

   Thanks again and you can probably expect to hear from me again

1. 
   gweisenburge | May 28, 2004 08:35pm | #15

   OkayNamaste,

   Gary

   http://gwwoodworking.com/

8. 
   migraine | May 28, 2004 02:34am | #11

   I've had clients like that before and sometimes there is no whay to convince it won't work.  One solution was to cut into the wall for the hardware.  Will this work? Usually you can't do it on an exterior wall or wall to the garage.

   Sorry, Dusty, you beat me to it.  I didn't catch it in your reply

   Great minds think alike

   
   

   ---

   Edited 5/27/2004 7:36 pm ET by migraine