pivot hidden bookcase door trim molding kit

Because I could install the toe kick after swinging the case, the exact dimension didn’t matter, which made execution a lot easier. If you’re not familiar with Rixson pivot hinges, scroll down to that section below right now.Īnother drawing, this one three-dimensional and detailing the hinge parts and clearance requirements, confirmed that mounting the pivot base on two layers of 3/4 plywood would get me close to 2 1/2 in. For a taller base, the bottom of the case would be even farther from the floor. I wanted to end up with the case about 2 3/4 in. The real improvement in this design is swinging the bookcase above the baseboard, so it won’t drag on a throw rug and can be trimmed out without any visible gaps. That clearance is determined by the depth of the bookcase and the location of the pivot, measured from the hinge jamb toward the strike jamb–parallel with the wall. When wide open, the door butts against the trim on the hinge side. That clearance is determined by the setback of the pivot perpendicular to the face of the wall. I wanted the case to have a minimal amount of clearance between the jambs, so it would just clear the trim on the hinge side, and wouldn’t require wide trim on the strike side. If you don’t know how to animate Sketchup drawings, watch this tutorial that Todd Murdock has put together: The two most important issues are: 1: The case has to swing clear of the hinge jamb 2: The case has to open 90 degrees. That’s how I found the correct location for the pivot point, which took some experimenting. I started this project with a two-dimensional drawing, one that allowed me to pivot the door in the drawing. When in comes to bookcases, especially swinging ones, SketchUp has saved my life. There are few projects I work on today without doing a scale drawing first. From what I’ve learned, the best way to design and build a durable swing-out bookcase door, one that can be adjusted easily, and one that’s truly invisible, is to design the door to swing above the baseboard, and hang it on a center-hung pivot hinge. Plus it’s almost impossible to really hide the joints in the baseboard, no matter how cleverly you disguise them. When you use a roller, at the very least you have to leave a gap at the bottom of the case for floor clearance, and that’s a dead giveaway, too. I’ve tried installing wheels and rollers on the bottoms of swinging bookcases, and they work okay, as long as the floor is a smooth, hard surface, and if there are no throw rugs, though sometimes the roller leaves a tell-tale track on the floor, especially over carpet.

Swinging bookcases always sag a little, too. Besides, even a piano hinge is hard to hide in the trim on a swing-out case. I’ve seen carpenters use piano hinges, too, but then it’s tough to take the case off or adjust the hinge.

Trust me, those never work, no matter how many of those little hinges you use, they always sag. I’ve also seen cabinet shops build these types of doors, using euro hinges. Besides, butt hinges only work on swing-in bookcases-there’s no way to hide them completely on a swing-out design. Plus, they require a lot of jamb clearance, which has never seemed right to me. And they always need some adjustment down the road. heavy-duty ball bearing hinges, and they work alright, though the hinges tend to sag a little when the case is really loaded down with books. I’ve seen and installed a lot of bookcase doors, many that swing on regular butt hinges. Maybe one day we’ll all be able to build one that’s perfect in every way. Hidden door bookcases aren’t easy to design or build, but they’re intriguing. If you notice any others, please let me know. In this article, I’ll point out a few of the mistakes I made so hopefully you won’t make them-and maybe I won’t make them again. After all, hidden bookcase doors are a lot more complicated than an ordinary door-there are a lot of variables, both in design and construction, especially on openings that have to swing out. Each time I build one, I learn something new. Without a doubt, I’ve never built a perfect pivot bookcase, but I’m getting a lot closer!Įven the bookcase in this article isn’t perfect. Of course, I mean something that no one else would notice, though some of you might. As a matter of fact, I can’t recall too many that didn’t have at least one minor mistake. Not every project I build comes out perfectly.

Pivot hidden bookcase door trim molding kit