Shopsmith Forums

As many of you already know, I have had a side project going for about a year now. I am attempting to put back in service a travel trailer that we had sold and subsequently reacquired. It sat here in the Arizona Desert and aged for several years before we pulled it back home. It is a long way from done. The target now is sometime late summer.

But, enough of that. I need some ideas.

The cabinets in the kitchen were never real serviceable and I hope to change that. I have four cabinets down low beneath the kitchen cabinet. These cabinets had door with bottom hinges. When open, the doors laid on the floor. A major obstacle. I would like to do away with the hinged doors and replace them with some else. I thought friction catches that would allow the door fronts to just be pulled off and set aside.

That got vetoed based on a belief that the catches would not be secure enough for road travel. I have not given up on that idea but I am looking for other ideas.

Edit: I changed the image to give a better idea of the task at hand. Only the three bottom cabinet doors are in question.

Captive* french cleat.

*Side movement restricted.

Magnet at the bottom.

This may be expensive, but Blum sells a product called Aventos and the door basically lifts straight up. http://www.blum.com/us/en/01/10/30/

Both of those are good suggestions.

I really like the Blum solution but the cost for six of those might double the value of my RV. Remember, this is a 1968 Aristocrat LoLiner. Book value - not listed.

A modified french cleats sounds doable but if I can rely on the magnets I think I would put them at the top.
Why would I do that?

dusty wrote:Both of those are good suggestions.

I really like the Blum solution but the cost for six of those might double the value of my RV. Remember, this is a 1968 Aristocrat LoLiner. Book value - not listed.

A modified french cleats sounds doable but if I can rely on the magnets I think I would put them at the top.
Why would I do that?

I thought magnets at the bottom to prevent them from swinging out. Also to keep them from jumping out of the cleat.

Can you post a picture of the actual area inside the camper?or the present cabinets?

Dusty,
I would think that a rare earth magnet on each corner of the door will be plenty of holding power. A 1/2" dia by 1/8" thick round magnet will have at least 12 pounds of holding power. Twenty would cost about $15. Though I presume metal plates on the mating surfaces would be sufficient, you could embed magnets at corresponding locations around the frame. I am not certain of the increased holding power,nor the formula to find it, but trying to separate two of the smaller 1/4" ones takes a fair effort.
If your wife is worried about slipping, you could add a small rail/molding along the bottom and sides to prevent the door from shifting while going down the road.
Certainly not as convenient as having a hinge along the bottom, plus when removing the door you would need some place to set it.

I remember my old trailer where the cupboards had cloth curtains held at the top and bottom by springs through pockets. The old sagging suspension caused major movement of any and all things inside, however the curtains always kept the pots and dishes from falling out.

Just my thoughts.

Be well,
Ben

Dusty, could you build an added "frame" to the face frames and do a sliding dovetail or a simple groove on each side. The door would simply slide inside the dovetail/groove and bottom out on the lower part of the frame.

Just a thought.

I take it swinging doors just won't work?

Dick

How about roll up doors. They're not that hard to make. Jim

This is probably WAY out side the realm, but how about a sliding shelf similar to these
Easier to get things from lower area and no real need for a door of any kind. If your wife is worried about them coming out while moving, any type of latch or dowel pin will hold them in place.

I have purchased the pre-made for my kitchen, however making a box carcass and adding sliding runners to the bottom should work well while keeping the cost down.

Again just a though, though WAY outside the parameters given.

Ben well,
Ben