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For a bit of fun, we’re making a doorway into a bookcase, a proper scary old house with an unknown corridor so it will be perfect! Building the bookcase won’t be a problem, but I’d like to have the door open with the correct book being pulled, the easiest way to do this would be a push/pull actuated door latch but I can’t seem to find any. So, open to ideas from the Singletrack masses, any ideas on how to do this?
My BiL is a joiner/cabinet maker and did this-
Bookcase doors make me think Scooby-Doo 😎
Some friends of ours did similar - a door into a 'secret' bathroom.
They used a candlestick on one of the shelves, as it was easier to do the mechanism by attaching a cable to the base of the candlestick which was attached to the latch mechanism.
Car bonnet release mechanism, cable attached to back of hinged book or whatever
I have a fitted wardrobe with push latches - push the door and it springs open, push it shut and it stays shut
Might not be strong enough for what you want tho
Not these ones but this sort of thing
I made one from my son’s bedroom into an en-suite bathroom.
Made the mechanism myself, you can use a normal latch and attach wire into the back of it, run that through eye bolts into the bottom of a hinged book.
I’ll draw a diagram if you want?
Use a normal latch like this
Attach a wire onto the back end of the sliding part inside.
Route the wire through eye screws
https://images.app.goo.gl/fmzWcNDRPfzhSALo8
up through the underneath of a shelf into the bottom of a fake book. I hinged the book at the back leaving a gap through the hinge under the book to route the wire, through an eye screw then up into the front on the book.
Make the fake book with 2 pieces of 18mm ply or similar.
I got a hardback novel called “doors open” and used the cover off that.
I got a hardback novel called “doors open” and used the cover off that.
I'd have thought 'Game of Thrones' would have been more topical 🙂
Colp that is 'kin awesome!
Cheers kayak!
This place is immense. You can ask pretty much anything and folk who've done it to perfection will pop up. 🙂
Don't the books fall on his head when he slams it, Colp?
I looked into this for our dressing room. lots online to be found. I seem to remember getting the right hinge system that would take the weight needed was quite steep. in the end i went with 2 full sized mirrors in each alcove. 1 of which is mounted over the door. works pretty well and much more straight forward!
Don’t the books fall on his head when he slams it, Colp?
I was worried about that but it’s been ok so far.
The door is made from WPB 18mm ply, I just used 3 big door hinges. It hasn’t sagged at all and still closes fine.
Here’s some pics of the latch and the wire routing up to the book
Awesome, thank you. How did you fix the cable to the back of the latch, thread an eye bolt in to the back?
I had a little cable with a small ring on the end, a bit like a mini key ring. It clipped straight into the catch mechanism.
The back of the catch might have 2 little tabs you can bend out to access inside
Just mega! Can we load a door with shelves and books either side, and are three hinges enough? 🙂