Will This Work? Advice please on sliding wall/door

[Bongodrummer]

Hi Guys,
I am in the process of building/converting an old barn into workshop space, and as part of this I want to make a sliding door - a really massive one. Well more of a sliding internal wall thing really. The plan at the moment is to have it constructed roughly like a stud wall - timer frame 4" x 3", with 100mm insulation inside, sandwiched between sheets of ply. I am fairly confident on the design of the door/partition. What I am unsure about is the sliding mechanism.

I think on typical patio doors they have v-groove bearing running on a track that sticks up. Thing is, I want to make the base of the door flush as possible with the concrete floor, or at least be recessed rather than protruding up. So... My thinking was to use some scrap angle iron (which I have knocking about already), angle grind a v-groove in the floor and 'nest' the angle iron in there. See the attached pic for a very rough idea, I'm having trouble describing this.

The bearings/wheels/castors of the sliding wall would run in the v grove, and the weight of the wall, and probably some adjustable security bearing mounted on the top of the wall would keep the wheels running in the track - Or at least that is the hope. The question is, will this work??? Or will the casters always be trying to ride up out of the grove?? Any advice most welcome.

 

[monkeybiter]

I think you'll always be brushing debris out of the groove. I built my workshop with a sliding door [2 fire doors joined for a wide opening] that runs in a deep channel at the top and slides into the wall cavity. I used roller blade wheels [soft, resilient, bearings] resessed into the bottom of the doors with small steel plates inside and out to carry the threaded bar/axle. The resesses allow the door bottom to be close to the concrete without a groove. It doesn't try to wander. HTH

 

[Bongodrummer]

Hay Monkeybiter,
I must confess, I hadn't even considered that obvious drawback (debris collecting in the channel) #-o Good point, thanks!

If I understand you right you rely on the rigidity of the door, the top enclosure and along one edge (the edge that recesses into the wall) to prevent it from wondering. Sounds like a possibility -- Not sure it will be enough for the movable wall we have in mind though- It will be 3.5 x 3.8m (roughly 3 sheets of ply and 2 old external gazed doors on top to lest some light in). But maybe... I would feel more comfortable if that bottom corner was held tightly in alignment somehow...

I was planning the same (from the sounds of it) kind of recessed bearings, so the bottom is very close to the floor, and a set of sealing brushes on either side.
Any idea of the weight the roller blade wheels you used could handle? Without a track, I wonder if something a bit wider would be prudent in my case, to prevent the wheels wearing holes in the concrete? Thanks for the input.

 

[Bongodrummer]

Oh, just one other thing: any advice on roller blade bearings source - I quick search is revealing a lot of variation in price and style.. Ta.

 

[xy mosian]

These guys have been doing this a long time. You may get some ideas, and possibly supplies of hardware.

http://www.pchenderson.com/sliding_door_gear.php

xy

 

[9fingers]

If you can tolerate a small ridge across the threshold of your door/wall then mounting the angle iron arris up and running pairs of wheels on the two sloping faces will give guidance and support for the door with a natural tendency for any debris to be swept out of the way unless you are 'knee deep' in the stuff.

Bob

+1 for Henderson who possibly supplied the sliding door gear on the ark!

 

[Bongodrummer]

Hay guys, thanks for the link. Interesting that Henderson's seem to mostly do hanging systems, where the weight is taken by the ceiling...

9fingers, yep, that would work well but I don't think I could tolerate the ridge in the floor, now that I have it in my head that it should not stick up :wink: things can be shoved/slid/ride over a depression so much easier - besides which I would trip over such a small thing all the time

 

[monkeybiter]

From the diy perspective; it sounds like your construction would allow the wheels to be doubled up to widen the footprint. The ones I bought were some I just happened to see in a shop at the right time, bearings were included. Skateboard wheels appear to have a wider contact area.
Your description of my setup is probably clearer than mine was. Your door/wall is nearly four times the area of mine, so possibly would require a little more guidance.

 

[xy mosian]

I can see that an advantage of hanging a sliding partition is that it would be easier to get a dead flat and truly horizontal track. If the device is running along the floor that would be more difficult to achieve, especially in an older building.

xy

 

[Bongodrummer]

Good point xy mosian, we happen to be in the reverse situation - a nice new concrete floor, and an old wiggly barn roof :lol:

Monkeybiter, skateboard wheels would prevent that. But unless people think the wheels will particularly want to 'climb out' of the grove for some reason - I reckon that will add the stability at the bottom... I am just thinking of the effect where a drive belt will come off a concave pulley but tent to be centred on a pulley with a crown, and wondering if the same effect might apply?