I have a pocket door on my bathroom that needs to be replaced. It is made of thick plywood with formica on one side and paneling on the other. It has warped into a banana that is very heavy and sticks in the pocket. I am thinking a piece of 1/2" or 5/8" aluminum honeycomb sheet for a replacement with veneer or thin ply bonded to it. Any ideas?
Rick,
I've often thought the aluminum honeycomb would be perfect for a bus conversion. I use to buy it at the Boeing surplus outlet many years ago and did my 6WD Skoolie with it. I wish I could get it as cheap now as I did then.
It costs like a bad habit. There is a material called Gill Floor it is fiberglass with a vertical grain balsa core that might be a bit cheaper. It is tough as nails and light but doesn't stand water at all, has to be sealed on the edges and holes. If I find any cost effective stuff I will post. Shame about Boeing surplus closing.
I have similar needs as my door is constructed with sandwich too I need a light material that won't warp. My cat tried to crawl under the bottom crack and nocked the door off track so as it's wieght fell completely on her .I don't think she will do itr again.
I just ordered two 1/2" 4'x8' 5052 .020 skin sheets at $244 a sheet. Sounds expensive but it is normally $800 per sheet. I could not afford to do a conversion with the stuff but for my pocket door, bedroom door and dinning table it will be worth it to have strong as bull and light as feather. I will laminate and edge it with wood, the top will have inserts in it for the roller mountings. I have machined aluminum inserts that bond in place with epoxy that are made for this purpose.
Order their stock sheets they are their most cost effective.
http://www.panelteccorp.com/html/stockpanels.html (http://www.panelteccorp.com/html/stockpanels.html)
http://www.shur-lok.com/contents/products/sandwich.html (http://www.shur-lok.com/contents/products/sandwich.html)
I made the pocket door for the house from a solid core door. $36 cause it had a gouge in it that I cut off anyway. It is VERY heavy...50 pounds....and stops sound for a quiet bedroom. One and a half years and no warping. I polyV'd the thing before hanging.
My only problem is that it "rattles" if there is a stiff breeze and the window is open. The roller slides are not all that close fitting. I wish I had built in a capture device at the rear and close rollers for the front door jamb end top and bottom. Some sort of "U" receiver for the closed "room" position would have been good as well and I will do that in the future.
I learned that the slides come in many grades of tough and not all would tolerate the weight of the door I used.
Just food for thought for you guys. 5050 sounds excellent.
John
john, rockler has a U shaped guide that screws down to the floor and cradles the door to keep it from rattleing, it's made from a teflon type of plastic, I've used them and they work very well, for a catch to hold them in the open position I've used cabinet magnets in the industrial grade, takes a slight tug to release them but they don't flop around either lol. Rockler also has the hardware to lock the door closed.
Cody,
Thank you for that info. The magnet idea is great. Wish I had thought to do that when I built the thing. Mine stays open and makes no noise in that position but mine is in a house. Superb advice for those that are in the process, though.
I bought a piece of oak for the door sil or threshold. It is 1 inch thick by 10 by 35. I stained it mahogany and hand rubbed it with Poly till it is a masterpiece. Didn't want any screws showing so it is glued down. Don't see how I could inlay a track now but that would have been a great idea for construction. Next time.
Thanks for taking the time,
John
I used a standard pocket door frame, cut it down in height, a 1 3/8" hollow core door, cut and plugged for height. I know you use a lot of room doing it this way but I will say, no warpage, glides easily and looks good.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi363.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Foo78%2FDreamscape_Eagle%2FDreamscape%2FPocketDoor-1.jpg&hash=20a3dece8968f4cc9d5dd908ac52abfafa80c50f)
Paul
SHOW OFF!
Looks beautifull Paul.
Paul is one of those rich guys, he even sent his windows off on a world tour so they would be ready when he decided to put them to work, Pauls my hero, lol.
cody, cody, cody! One of these days we'll meet and then you will really know!!!
:-X :-X
You're too funny man, I'm sure glad I didn't have anything in my mouth, it would be all over my keyboard!
Paul
Your bus is sooooo far advanced from mine it makes me cry. My interior is fabricated from cheap paneling. I would like to do a conversion myself someday that looks as good as yours. Thanks for the picture it is beautiful. :o
Rick, Thanks, but it's a poor mans conversion. I have scrounged and used what was available locally. There are a few areas that thinking back I would have done differently. The bedroom is a case in point, which I'll more than likely remodel. I've learned so much after I built it, that it looks like a different person did it. Sure glad I started in the rear and worked my way forward! ;D
Rick,
Keep it simple, don't try to keep up with the big boys because there is always someone who will outspend you!
This is a bus, not a villa on the Mediterranean!
I call my decor Chris Craft circa the 1904s, and I love it.
The last thing I want is all that beige leather and blond furniture with curved mirrors on the ceiling just like everything else on the road!!
Gus, I totally agree with you! We don't have any of that fancy stuff, it's a very simple non mirrored look. I'm not sure what you would call it, maybe old parlor car style. ;)
Paul
My bus decor is Early Goodwill with a touch of Local Yard Sale.
I am with you guys but I'd like to have the next step in an interior one that someone used a plumb bob to set the walls and cabinets. I can't complain much for our bus has served us well and has so far has been safe. They are a work in progress. I get so many different reactions to the area rugs on the ceiling. It has kinda grown on us and is a good insulator.