Barrister bookcase hardware

[Myfordman]

I'm getting quite keen on the idea of building some of the above.
As far as I can tell the only supplier of the necessary hardware is Rockler in the US who firstly I don't think will ship to UK and secondly are fearfully expensive at $30 a pair (3 off price) where I possibly need 10 pairs. plus carriage and import duty vat etc etc.

http://www.rockler.com/barrister-bookcase-door-slides

I've looked at other designs where a brass pin slides in a routed groove but I'm not that confident that this will give a smooth sliding result.

Has anyone been down this route and found a more acceptable solution for UK woodworkers please?

TIA

MM

 

[monkeybiter]

http://forums.finewoodworking.com/f...ral-discussion/barristers-bookcase-door-hrdwr

Check the i.d. of the first reply...

 

[Myfordman]

Thanks for your reply Mike. However I can't find anything on the Hafele UK site or on the accuride site which was mentioned elsewhere.

I see that Richard's reply dates back to 2002 so things may have changed. I might try a PM to Richard.

MM

 

[Sgian Dubh]

I see that Richard's reply dates back to 2002 so things may have changed. I might try a PM to Richard.

I don't think I can help with a supplier. I don't think even Häfele America carry the barrister bookcase hardware they used to thirteen years ago. I'd say one of the very few suppliers is the one you found - Rockler.

The choice seems to be to (unfortunately) suck it up and pay, assuming they will ship to the UK, or make your own out of retractable steel pins (for easy insertion or removal of the flipper doors after assembly) and some brass channel that fits snugly around the pins that is fitted horizontally inside the cabinet. The only other thing you'd need would be something to support the door as it slides in and comes to rest at the limit of its travel, and this could be a false top creating a pocket for the door to rest on. You might also want to incorporate some sort of protection for door's frame, maybe something like a piece of 4 mm square brass section grooved roughly 3 mm deep into the inside face of the door stiles that rubs on a strip of steel fixed on the upper side of the false top.

I suspect the reason there aren't too many hardware choices is because that method of door opening, plus retraction and storage in the open position, is not especially popular nowadays, and I think it's fairly straightforward to make an effective mechanism of your own. But you'd really need to avoid making the flipper doors too long to reduce the chance of racking, and potentially locking out, as the door is slipped back into the carcase. Slainte.

 

[custard]

I ordered from Rockler in 2012 and they were very happy to ship to the UK.

But are you sure that's the hardware you want? Only my opinion but "brown epoxy coated" sounds a bit tacky, and they'd be very visible in the finished item.

 

[Myfordman]

I see that Richard's reply dates back to 2002 so things may have changed. I might try a PM to Richard.

I don't think I can help with a supplier. I don't think even Häfele America carry the barrister bookcase hardware they used to thirteen years ago. I'd say one of the very few suppliers is the one you found - Rockler.

The choice seems to be to (unfortunately) suck it up and pay, assuming they will ship to the UK, or make your own out of retractable steel pins (for easy insertion or removal of the flipper doors after assembly) and some brass channel that fits snugly around the pins that is fitted horizontally inside the cabinet. The only other thing you'd need would be something to support the door as it slides in and comes to rest at the limit of its travel, and this could be a false top creating a pocket for the door to rest on. You might also want to incorporate some sort of protection for door's frame, maybe something like a piece of 4 mm square brass section grooved roughly 3 mm deep into the inside face of the door stiles that rubs on a strip of steel fixed on the upper side of the false top.

I suspect the reason there aren't too many hardware choices is because that method of door opening, plus retraction and storage in the open position, is not especially popular nowadays, and I think it's fairly straightforward to make an effective mechanism of your own. But you'd really need to avoid making the flipper doors too long to reduce the chance of racking, and potentially locking out, as the door is slipped back into the carcase. Slainte.

Thanks for your response Richard. I think that you have comprehensively captured virtually all the issues with this project.
I shall continue with the design as a challenge!

cheers

MM

 

[Myfordman]

I ordered from Rockler in 2012 and they were very happy to ship to the UK.

But are you sure that's the hardware you want? Only my opinion but "brown epoxy coated" sounds a bit tacky, and they'd be very visible in the finished item.

Fair point!