Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Does anyone have a suggestion for how to secure/retain sliding cabinet doors? I am planning to use plastic track and 1/4" plywood, so I would expect them to be quite slick. I was thinking a double roller or magnetic catch on the backside of each door, but two of my sets will have ~15x16" panels so I'm not sure if those would be enough.

if the doors overlap. drill a hole through both doors while they are closed and insert a pin.
Won't work on a single door though.

desertmoose wrote:if the doors overlap. drill a hole through both doors while they are closed and insert a pin.
Won't work on a single door though.

Exactly what I was going to say. Pin them. You could also pin a single door to an overlapping piece underneath. Put the pin on a string or light chain so that it does not get lost.

I wonder if there is a practical way to put a gentle inverted 'V'-notch in the lower edge of the panel near the closing side, and then have a corresponding permanent pin or bump in the track. If the upper track is deep enough you could slide the panel toward closed and just lift it a little so that it rides up over the bump. With the right configuration gravity would hold the panel closed (at least that is the plan). Not sure if the edge of the panel would be durable enough for repeated bumping and dragging (perhaps after a good soaking with penetrating epoxy), but it was a simple idea that came to mind.

I am hoping for something passive, the pin holding the two doors together would be my last resort.

The sliders that I did, I was careful to cut them as tall as I could to still fit them in. The idea was to make them a little stiff to push to start with. My tracks were made from wood. That may also help keep them in place more then the plastic trim will. You could also look for some 1/4" that is not dead flat. With a small bend in the doors it will also help them bind a little . You can always line up the finger grooves and push a dowel in the holes while traveling. That would act as a lock.

How about using a “spring-loaded captive sliding door plunger”? That’s one of the names the part goes by, sometimes called a spring loaded plunger. There are different styles, colors, and sizes available.

It’s similar to the hole and pin method, but no parts to lose as it would mount to the door.

The diagram shows how it works…


Manufacturer link to get a better idea of what they look like…. http://www.southco.com/en-ca/56

I used the buckle / latch thing you can see at the bottom of the center door, and dual roller cabinet door latches for the end doors, like this http://www.rockler.com/double-roller-catch-with-spring.

I've got quarter inch sliders in wooden grooves and they don't move while on the road.

I would try and take a heat gun and distort the last 2 - 3 inches of the plastic track by warming it and pinching it inward so it will hug the faces of the inserted panel.

Debbie and Randy (Nevadatear) made two little drop in 1/4" stays that filled most of the track side to side with a grab tab in the middle for there sliding tracks. Their theme is "Monstro" the whale and the tab looks like him; way cool! We haven't made any of these yet but our sliding doors haven't moved much while on the road.

Cheers,

Dave

Dave is right, we went with the KISS method. Stick something in the track that keeps the door from opening. Sort of the broom handle in the sliding glass door track method.

Not especially attractive, but it works: Use a couple of plain
door hook and eye 'latches' for each door. Use the eyes as the slider
door 'handles' and the hooks are screwed into the the end face
frame uprights and just hook into the eyes-as-handles to
secure the doors. To be even more secure, get the "safety"
type hooks that have the spring loaded clasps on them.
Both parts are permanently mounted so there is nothing
to lose.
http://www.doorandwindowparts.com/k5054 ... -2285.html

You can use the utilitarian cheap ones, or spend a little more
and get the cabinetmaker's or marine ones that look a good
bit better e.g:
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/door-hook-latch
http://www.downwindmarine.com/Latch-Hoo ... 91361.html
Here's a Google Image search for 'hook and eye latches' :
https://www.google.com/search?q=hook+an ... 2#imgdii=_
Here's a Google Image search for 'decorative hook and eye latch':
https://www.google.com/search?q=hook+an ... h&imgdii=_

Also, if the door is just thin plywood, you can use small eyes
with machine bolt threading and the corresponding small washers
and nuts to secure them through the hole you'd drill in the door
[In the face-frame too if you want.] for mounting them.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

I have used one of these spring loaded bullet catches in the groove that the door slides in.

A "nick" (made by just starting a drill bit) in the door edge makes a passable detent lock. Use the little "cup" somewhere else. Some of the more expensive versions also have adjustable tension.
This seems to work best when they push down against the top of the sliding door.