Isaac Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 Been pretty busy lately, but I decided to get into a project I've been meaning to do, a hidden door bookshelf into my son's playroom. It is an idea I've been bouncing around in my head since we bought the place, and now is the time to get it knocked out. I've got the hardware and hoping someone on here might have used them before, the literature is a little lacking. First, here is the doorway in question. As you can see the playroom has a low ceiling (just over six feet at the peak): One issue with the design right off the bat is that the ceiling projects about 3/4" into the frame at the top 4 to 6". I could just make the bookshelf shallow and stay in front of this, but I don't want to give up that much real estate, since it will already be a shallow bookshelf, Some I'm planning to just jog the shelf in at the top there. Shouldn't interfere with the hardware or hinges. Here is the design for the door, I've made in sketchup (first time using it, It took a bit to get going, but I figured this project will benefit from it, since I need some precision with measurements). The white thing at the top is the box out for the ceiling described above. Here is the back: So here are my questions at this time: 1. Any guidelines on shelf spacing? They are only 6 1/4" deep, Should I provide a couple taller ones and some shorter ones? 2. Is 3/4" the right thickness for the face frame? Right now, I'm showing 2 1/4 x 3/4 thick. 3. I'm planning to dado/rabbet all the shelves to the sides and attach a 1/2" plywood back. I was thinking the sides would simply be the same depth as the back, which means the plywood would actually sit on the surface. Suggestions for attachment? Glue and pre drilled finish nails? 4. The existing doorframe is just a tiny bit out of square, approximately 3/16" wider at the top than the bottom. I'm thinking if I design my shelf for the smaller dimension and cover the gap with the trim boards, I should be ok, any issues with this plan 5. Anyone have specific experience with invisidoor hinges? If I understand correctly, at the end of the day, I need the bottom wood to be 3/4 above the floor to allow for the hinge, and at the top, I'm looking for 1/2".does that seem right? 6. The hinges came with both a two large set screws, One has a head and the other is internally socketed, it seems like I'll only use one or the other, Any recommendations on which to use, or did I miss something? Thanks in advance for any assistance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 That's gonna be a fun project! A secret door to a hidden room...dream come true for any kid. Sorry, too lazy to troubleshoot with you right now. Someone else will pick up the slack shortly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 Hinging and carrying the load can be tricky. I have done a few of these but I don't have time today to go into your specifics . Un latching from the concealed side can be another fussy detail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted October 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 1 hour ago, wdwerker said: Hinging and carrying the load can be tricky. I have done a few of these but I don't have time today to go into your specifics . Un latching from the concealed side can be another fussy detail. How do people typically handle latching? I was thinking about maybe just using rare earth magnets for a very mild hold. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 Here are the instructions for the install so that everyone has a common frame of reference: http://www.outwaterphotogallery.com/installation/pdf/invisidoor_hidden_bookcase_door/invisidoor_hinge_kit.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 3, 2016 Report Share Posted October 3, 2016 Here is an example of how to make a hidden latch: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted October 3, 2016 Report Share Posted October 3, 2016 For shelves I've found that 13" has been the butter zone for me. I went i think it was 11.5" tall on some shelves and ended up with some books that made me wish it was taller. Also you don't have to stand books upright in the traditional sense. I have some laying down and stacked. With some hardcover books standing them up ends up bending their spine and distorting the book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted October 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 Some progress shots. I Settled on shorter shelves on the top. The depth (limited by this being a secret door bookcase) made super tall shelves unrealistic, as the books would stick out too far, so instead I'm opting for shelves that will fit paperbacks and toys (it is my sons room after all). For the latching I'm thinking of using a pair of rare earth magnets, one on the shelf, one on the frame, to sort of suck the door closed and keep it in place. I'll play with the distance between to make sure the force isn't too great. Also, If I put the one of the door just a hair low (1/16" or perhaps 1/8"), it should exert a small lifting force on the door, relieving some stress on the hinges and frame. I might change my mind on that one though. It took me a couple tries to figure out how to get the dados on this thing right. Since the sides are full door height, I didn't feel I had a safe way to do these on my jobsite saw, so I decided to go for a handheld router. Here are the sides with a couple of shelves dry-fit. I wound up building this jig for the identical height shelves, which not only ensure identical shelf placement, but also served to trap the router base at the top, stopping it from creeping away from the fence. It references off the previously routed dado. Close up of the connections (still just a dry fitting). A spec of blowout, but not too bad. The last two shelves will be taller, so I'll need to built another jig for those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubya Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 I made a secret door a couple of months ago. Yours is way nicer than mine though! (Mine was for a utility room, to keep the kid out of the room with the sharp things and cleaning supplies) The video @wtnhighlander posted is what inspired me to give it a shot. I went with a much simpler latch though. My doorframe had a plank at the top, which I considered the top of my cabinet. On the top of said cabinet, I will (yeah, haven't latched it quite yet) put a dowel sticking straight up. Then I'll put some sort of decorative sign on the face plate, that will actually punch through the top plank with a hook. Move the sign to one side, it unlocks the door. Move it the other way, and the hook will catch on the dowel, holding it closed If you actually want your kid getting through while young though...this might not be viable. However, you might use that low ceiling as the spot where your magnets mount! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Isaac Posted October 29, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 Some progress shots on this one. First after gluing on the face frame. Face frame Pretty happy with how the joints have come out on the face frame. Test fitting in the door frame. I temporarily set the pivot hinges with only a pair of screws each and the fit was close to perfect, so I decided not to mess with the placement and locked them in place with the rest of the scruffs and removed a bit of the back corner that was rubbing against the low ceiling with a block plane. Sorry this one is slightly blurry. It swings freely with just a very soft rub right before closing, that gives it a kind of soft close feel. One thing I realized was that because I chose to fix all the shelves with dadoes, the frame was so stiff, I was able to pick it up, and move it around and install without the back. This yields two major advantages, first the door is much lighter without the back in place, and second, I can still reach through, making installation from either side much easier. Plus, when I first set it up, and it was quite snug, I was able to crawl through to get out without having to take it down. I highly recommend this approach. All I really have left are some fine tuning, installing the back pieces and adjusting the trim so that it overhangs the opening (and attaching the left piece to the bookshelf). and then finishing. Overall, I'm really happy with the progress on this one. Building the sketch up model really, really did help me a lot. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 I like it, Isaac! I wish there was a place in my house where such a door could be used. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted October 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 13 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: I like it, Isaac! I wish there was a place in my house where such a door could be used. Thanks! you are right, it requires the right sort of room. That is my son's bedroom and playroom beyond (which is really a converted attic space. I wanted to have that sort of magical quality. Hopefully I achieve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 Good work, this is an awesome project. I need to do a built in bookshelf in my bedroom this winter and am looking forward to it. The challenge to build to an existing hole seems daunting though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Isaac Posted October 31, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 More progress. ripped out the original frame Started patching up the drywall. Gluing up the back Maybe some minor touch up work on the drywall/paint, but I got it cleaned up and my tools out of the room. My son is pretty happy. 15 hours ago, Chestnut said: Good work, this is an awesome project. I need to do a built in bookshelf in my bedroom this winter and am looking forward to it. The challenge to build to an existing hole seems daunting though. My approach was to measure the existing hole and build from there. The hole wasn't quite square, so I built the bookshelf based on the smaller side and used the trim to cover up the slight out of squareness. The drywall and flooring are also not perfectly flat, so there is limit to how precise these things can be. The bookshelf insert is classic woodworking, dados, square corners etc. The trim and drywall work is carpentry with a little more wiggle room. I'm happy with the result and once again learned a lot. If you ever do this sort of thing, shoot me a message, I've got some advice. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 That's really neat! His reaction says it all 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 That really is cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Looks very nice all installed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Cool project, great execution! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Awesome! Did you have to beef up the hinges, or add any rolling support, to account for the extra weight of books? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisc Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Looks awesome. What a great project! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted October 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 10 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: Awesome! Did you have to beef up the hinges, or add any rolling support, to account for the extra weight of books? Its actually a pivot hinge like this. It is designed for wider doors, mine is only 28" wide, while the standard seems to be 36". I haven't tried pushing it to the max with every shelf loaded top to bottom with heavy books, but in general it is quite smooth and doesn't seem affected by the book load much. The hinges are not cheap, but they are made specifically for this task and make it a lot more manageable than without. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 Isaac.... Ya done good! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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