Design Question

[agileaction]

Okay, if I could use a darned CAD program, I'd mock up my design and post it, but I have tried to use those, and find I'm just not very good with them.

I'm pretty good with graph paper, mechanical pencil & a compass, though. With a engineer husband to add all the math, I'm set!

Anyway, here is my question:

We are designing a TTT that's 6'6"W x 12'L and has a peak near the door that's 5'10". With a drop axle on the frame, this height will allow us to get it out of the garage when we're done building.

The design idea I have, and it's taking into consideration that we travel to dog shows with our dogs, and they can get mighty dirty.

Our design has a 60" dinette in the back, that will be 75" x 60" when in the bed position.

In front of that are two closets on either side of the 'aisle', one is a wardrobe, and one is a toilet closet. I'm searching for a cassette toilet like Thetford makes for the toilet closet, as I'd like something that can be emptied externally without the plumbing required for a true built-in.

Anyway, the two closets will be full height. What I would like to do, and I think it's pretty easy, but concerned I'm missing something, is put in a pocket door between the dinette/bed and the closets.

This would allow my early riser husband to get up, close the pocket door behind him, and take the dogs out for an early morning walk, which is his tradition. After their walk, the pocket door would keep my cute, but very dirty dogs off my bed.

If anyone can visualize what I'm asking, and has an opinion on my pocket door, please let me know. I'm planning on using 1/4" birch plywood for all my interior walls, including the pocket door, and framing the door with 1/2x2 to give it a more substantial look without adding a lot of weight.

Thanks for any help and/or thoughts.

Leslie

[toypusher]

Leslie,

If you can draw your idea, you could then take a picture of the drawing and post the picture. Or if you have a scanner, just scan it and post that picture. Lots of photo places could scan it and give it to you as a jpeg or maybe even email the file to you so you could post it here!

[agileaction]

Leslie,

If you can draw your idea, you could then take a picture of the drawing and post the picture. Or if you have a scanner, just scan it and post that picture. Lots of photo places could scan it and give it to you as a jpeg or maybe even email the file to you so you could post it here!

Hi there,

No scanner, and my *very* old camera uses floppies and has no direct download capability, and my *very* new laptop only has a CD drive. Haven't yet upgraded the camera, though it's in the plans. For now, I'm stuck with my paper/pencil.

Leslie

[Miriam C.]

Leslie,
One thing you can do is make a slider just like you woud do for a cabinet. You can get the slider rails form the hardware store. HD may tell you they can't get them. Put one on top and one on bottom and some bracing in the door so it is rigid enough. Perhaps make a narrow Luan hollow core type door. it will be lighter weight and not have the warping issues of 1/4 ply.

This is a picture of a practice slider I made to go across the middle of my bulkhead.

[agileaction]

Leslie,
One thing you can do is make a slider just like you woud do for a cabinet. You can get the slider rails form the hardware store. HD may tell you they can't get them. Put one on top and one on bottom and some bracing in the door so it is rigid enough. Perhaps make a narrow Luan hollow core type door. it will be lighter weight and not have the warping issues of 1/4 ply.

This is a picture of a practice slider I made to go across the middle of my bulkhead.

Ooh, I love that idea. If you have a picture, I would love to see it, though I can easily imagine what you are explaining. Like a drawer turned on it's side, with rails on the top and the bottom, yes? Thanks for the great tip!

Finding them heavy duty enough would be the trick, but I'm sure I can manage that with a little persistance.

Leslie

[Miriam C.]

Leslie the picture shows 1/4 aluminum channel. The premade rails are the same but they have an screw strip on one side. That is what you want. They are much cheaper. They are more than heavy duty enough.

Since it is 1/4 inch you can use 1/8 anything or or door skins (usually $6 dollars) and make a hollow core. The sandwich can be any thickness but the edge going in needs to stay at 1/4" thickness.

The other thing you might consider is premade bi-fold doors, or even curtains with some weight in the hem. I even looked at the accordion doors.

[agileaction]

I thought about curtains, but with dirty dogs, and any fabric down low, I'm just begging for something to wash after every trip, and I'd rather not go that route.

I did ask the husband about bi-folds, and he liked the idea, but wanted to make his own. He's pretty anal about stuff, and he doesn't think anyone can do it as nice as he can.

I guess the build of our TTT will tell the story on that.

I did have accordian fabric doors/barriers on the 27' trailer, but the dogs pushed under them when they wanted to get to me, and they got them pretty dirty.

One thought I did have, and this is purely conceptual at this point, is to get/fabricate that stuff that roll-top desks are made of, and attach that to the cieling somehow, and roll it down with channels on either side.

Another thought was to get horizontal wood blinds, and lower them through a channel on either side, but I can see wet noses pushing through the slats.

Still working on some ideas, but appreciate your suggestions. Thanks much!

[toypusher]

Leslie,

If you can draw your idea, you could then take a picture of the drawing and post the picture. Or if you have a scanner, just scan it and post that picture. Lots of photo places could scan it and give it to you as a jpeg or maybe even email the file to you so you could post it here!

Hi there,

No scanner, and my *very* old camera uses floppies and has no direct download capability, and my *very* new laptop only has a CD drive. Haven't yet upgraded the camera, though it's in the plans. For now, I'm stuck with my paper/pencil.

Leslie

You can get a USB floppy drive pretty cheap at most office supply stores and probably Wal-Mart and some other places. Hope that helps.

[angib]

Another thought was to get horizontal wood blinds, and lower them through a channel on either side, but I can see wet noses pushing through the slats.

Instead you could use boards, such as are used on a traditional sailing yacht. Split the 'door' that will fill the opening into five separate boards - numbers 1 to 4 (identical) are dropped into the channel on either side while number 5 slips over the top of number 4 and clips to the roof. Or maybe you don't even need number 5 - will the dogs jump that high to get at you?

Andrew

[Miriam C.]

Another thought was to get horizontal wood blinds, and lower them through a channel on either side, but I can see wet noses pushing through the slats.

Instead you could use boards, such as are used on a traditional sailing yacht. Split the 'door' that will fill the opening into five separate boards - numbers 1 to 4 (identical) are dropped into the channel on either side while number 5 slips over the top of number 4 and clips to the roof. Or maybe you don't even need number 5 - will the dogs jump that high to get at you?

Andrew

How would you do the channel? I think I understand what you are saying. Maybe

Leslie you know the track they use for hospital beds that is bent. That could be made to make tracks from the top down the sides or you could rout it in if you put some plywood on the sides or if your sides are thick enough. It depends on how light you are building.

I have glued some slats to see how they look. Will photo as soon as they dry. I think the trick will be to get them to go evenly where you want.

[agileaction]

Another thought was to get horizontal wood blinds, and lower them through a channel on either side, but I can see wet noses pushing through the slats.

Instead you could use boards, such as are used on a traditional sailing yacht. Split the 'door' that will fill the opening into five separate boards - numbers 1 to 4 (identical) are dropped into the channel on either side while number 5 slips over the top of number 4 and clips to the roof. Or maybe you don't even need number 5 - will the dogs jump that high to get at you?

Andrew

Oh, that's a nice idea, and quite easily implemented. No, the dogs won't jump barriers to get at me...I teach them not to from a young age. I actually teach them not to cross a string across the floor, raised up about 4 inches. Hum...wait a minute, I could to this - gosh, can't believe I didn't think about that! Super easy - attach the string to a retractable device, pull it across the threshhold, attach it to the opposite wall, and instant 'barrier'.

Leslie

[bobhenry]

I can see it now an orange plastic snow fence attached to an old fashion window shade core mounted vertically on the wall.

just kidding !!!


Seriously though would a portion of those stretch cargo nets for loads on your pickup work. 4 cup hooks and loop the net over them ! You could use it elsewhere when in transit to secure loads in the galley or inside. I always think simple otherwise I might hurt myself ,

[angib]

How would you do the channel?

The easiest way would be to use two separate strips of wood each side. Nominal 1x1, or even actual 1/2"x1/2" would be enough with a gap between them that's just a bit wider than the boards are thick.

Continue the bed side strips right up to the ceiling, so you can't push a board past it, but stop the door side strips much lower down, so that the boards can be fed in from that side.

If the door side strips went up to just above the bottom of the top board, they would hold the bottom of the top board in place. I would be tempted to push the top of the board against a block on the ceiling, held in place by velcro - that would enable the person in the bed to push the board out if they needed to get out on their own.....

Andrew

[Miriam C.]

Continue the bed side strips right up to the ceiling, so you can't push a board past it, but stop the door side strips much lower down, so that the boards can be fed in from that side.

Andrew I am not getting this picture. any chance you have a picture hanging around.

Sorry for the HighJack Leslie.

[tttnut]

Being "Agileaction" I can't help but wonder if those dogs are Agility dogs.

I'm on t'other side of the pond working on a much smaller TTT to use at Agility competitions.

I found a much easier way around the muddy dog problem. Brown upholstery, brown jeans, brown shirt and a brown hat!

I'm working an "Sunspot with pop top", only 5 by 8. Small enough to get a good even coat of mud all over! The only thing I'll need to brush is the white bits on the dogs!

John