A few years ago (in a previous house) I made a fitted wardrobe with
floor-to-ceiling sliding doors using gear from one of the DIY sheds. The
kit included a top double-runner which formed its own fascia, and edging
pieces designed to be fitted to door material of the builder's own choice
(painted hardboard in my case). The top edging pieces, naturally enough,
were more substantial than the others, and included the running wheels.

Does anyone know if this sort of gear is still available? The only
equivalents I've so far found all come with their own custom-made doors,
which isn't really what I'm after.

Many thanks (and a happy new year to one and all),

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

BigWallop,

Thanks for the reply.

Toy car wheels and plastic or wooden guides on the floor and ceiling.

An intriguing thought, but I'd be a tad concerned about toy car wheels
supporting the weight of the doors, given the size I have in mind.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Bert Coules wrote:

A few years ago (in a previous house) I made a fitted wardrobe with
floor-to-ceiling sliding doors using gear from one of the DIY sheds. The
kit included a top double-runner which formed its own fascia, and edging
pieces designed to be fitted to door material of the builder's own choice

Does anyone know if this sort of gear is still available?

Stanley Acmetrack ?

"Bert Coules" wrote in message
...
BigWallop,

Thanks for the reply.

Toy car wheels and plastic or wooden guides on the floor and ceiling.

An intriguing thought, but I'd be a tad concerned about toy car wheels
supporting the weight of the doors, given the size I have in mind.

Bert


So you'll have to use "Tonka" wheels then. :-) Seriously though, the solid
wheels you get on the toys are meant for little kids to jump on, so they are
solid enough, with a decent screw through the middle, to take quite a
weight.

There are also the small chair and buggy wheels that "Bent & Queer" sell.

Andy Burns wrote,

Stanley Acmetrack ?

Thanks for that. The US Stanley site does have something which looks very
like the gear I used, though without the edge-stiffeners for the door
panels; but despite several Google searches I can't find a UK presence for
the company. Surely there must be one?

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Bert Coules wrote:

Thanks for that. The US Stanley site does have something which looks very
like the gear I used, though without the edge-stiffeners for the door
panels; but despite several Google searches I can't find a UK presence for
the company.

Well I read "ACMETRACK" from the sticker on the back of some pre-made
sliding mirror doors, IIRC bought from Smith's Do It All, but a good few
years ago ...

Surely there must be one?

Looks like there might be a handful
http://www.google.com/search?&q=acmetrack%20site:uk

"Andy Burns" wrote in message
...
Bert Coules wrote:

Thanks for that. The US Stanley site does have something which looks
very
like the gear I used, though without the edge-stiffeners for the door
panels; but despite several Google searches I can't find a UK presence
for
the company.

Well I read "ACMETRACK" from the sticker on the back of some pre-made
sliding mirror doors, IIRC bought from Smith's Do It All, but a good few
years ago ...

Surely there must be one?

Looks like there might be a handful
http://www.google.com/search?&q=acmetrack%20site:uk



The only listing found for Acmetrack Ltd. is this one:

Acmetrack Ltd
Email: No email listed
Website: No website listed

Address: Acme House, Garland Road, EAST GRINSTEAD, RH19 1DR
Telephone: 020-7919-1794

Andy,

Looks like there might be a handful
http://www.google.com/search?&q=acmetrack%20site:uk

Yes, I found those, of course. But beyond one dead link which includes what
might be Stanley's UK address in the Google synopsis, none of them leads to
anything useful, unfortunately.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

BigWallop,

Yes, that's the address I found. I suppose it's foolish, even now, to be
taken aback when a relatively well-known company has absolutely no web
presence, but it does come as a slight surprise.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Bert Coules wrote:

Yes, I found those, of course. But beyond one dead link which includes what
might be Stanley's UK address in the Google synopsis, none of them leads to
anything useful, unfortunately.

A growing trend, lots of pages obviously designed to attract google's
attention, looking like a specific hit for a certain item, but just a
pointer to another "selling engine" ... which generally doesn't actually
sell what you searched for anyway :-(

Andy Burns wrote:

A growing trend, lots of pages obviously designed to attract google's
attention, looking like a specific hit for a certain item, but just a
pointer to another "selling engine" ...

Absolutely infuriating, isn't it. I wonder if Google will do anything to
address the problem?

I'll try that address for Stanley when things get back to normal; thanks for
pointing me in the right direction.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Rob Morley wrote:

You could have a look he http://www.pchenderson.co.uk/

I had visions of an up-and-over wardrobe for a minute there ...

Rob Morley wrote,

You could have a look he http://www.pchenderson.co.uk/

Thanks for that. From a cursory look the Henderson kit seems similar to the
one I used previously, except that it needs doors solid enough to screw
into. I'll download the data sheets and fitting instructions and have a
proper look.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Paul Mc Cann wrote:

Haefele do a lot of sliding door gear.

I'll check them too. Thanks.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Bert Coules wrote:


Many thanks (and a happy new year to one and all),
Would these be new doors for an Asylum Bert????

Dave Lang

Dave Lang wrote:

Would these be new doors for an Asylum Bert?

Well, fancy seeing you here! No, these are large sliding doors to cover
acres of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and serve as otherwise non-existent
wall space for pictures and the like...

How's the hand?

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Bert Coules wrote:
Andy Burns wrote,


Stanley Acmetrack ?


Thanks for that. The US Stanley site does have something which looks very
like the gear I used, though without the edge-stiffeners for the door
panels; but despite several Google searches I can't find a UK presence for
the company. Surely there must be one?

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk



Stanley UK definitely do a full wardrobe door set but I wasn't aware
they did the slidey bits on their own. My Stanley wardrobes have a
bespoke runner system that you couldn't readily adapt to a non-Stanley door.

Pretty sure they don't have a web presence, but their customer service
number is 0114 276 4099. They were very helpful to me recently;
provided a free new wheel for my wardrobe.

hth
David

David,

Stanley UK... their customer service
number is 0114 276 4099.

Thanks very much.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Hi Bert

Sorry, I can't help with the door gear. Sounds like you need something
on the commercial side?

Hand is healing well, I've been lucky.
80 tooth x 10" carbide blade beats fingers every time.

Dave

Dave wrote:

Hand is healing well, I've been lucky.
80 tooth x 10" carbide blade beats fingers every time.

But hot-dogs can get away practically unscathed!
http://www.sawstop.com/video.htm

Dave,

Sorry, I can't help with the door gear. Sounds like you need something
on the commercial side?

I'm thinking now of using built-up doors: a timber or MDF framework covered
with some sort of lightweight sheeting, with bracing pieces where the
pictures will hang. This should enable me to use a fairly light-duty
running gear. The only question is what to use for the sheeting.

I think you might have baffled a few readers with your Asylum reference.

Hand is healing well, I've been lucky.

Glad to hear it. Last year I sliced through three fingertips with a Stanley
knife and got off lightly; one tip is still numb, though. I had to endure
the ambulance guys exchanging "Oh God, another DIY idiot" remarks...

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

Rob Morley wrote:

The only question is what to use for the sheeting.

Canvas?

I wondered about that, and perhaps treating it with something to stretch it,
in the manner of theatrical flats. What do artists use to create taut
canvas, I wonder?

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

In article ,
"Bert Coules" says...
Rob Morley wrote:

The only question is what to use for the sheeting.

Canvas?

I wondered about that, and perhaps treating it with something to stretch it,
in the manner of theatrical flats.

That's what I was thinking

What do artists use to create taut canvas, I wonder?

You can get special pliers for gripping it, but ordinary pliers will
probably do. Just pull and tack, pull and tack ...
It's not going to be like a drum skin, but it just has to sit there
and hold the paint up :-)

Bert Coules wrote:

I wondered about that, and perhaps treating it with something to stretch it,
in the manner of theatrical flats. What do artists use to create taut
canvas, I wonder?

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk



Use your hands and a staple gun. Use untreated artists canvas (raw duck
or similar - I found some in Ikea recently) - but you could probably use
any fairly heavy cotton (just don't get pre-primed canvas).

Find a large space, lay the canvas on the floor and put the stretcher
flat on top. Start in the middles and then stretch evenly with large
gaps towards the ends always working from side to side around the
stretcher. Then do the gaps and then the gaps between them in the same
way so the whole thing is as even as possible (just keep going around
filling gaps until it looks evenly stretched and the weave doesn't go in
and out along the edges). Do the corners last (getting neat folds is
fiddly).

When you are done, work either water or a water emulsion mix (if you
want it primed and able to take oil) into the canvas with a large
emulsion brush. Scrub it right into the canvas and make sure you get
through the water tension so the canvas feels wet from the back. When it
dries it will tighten up much further - if you pulled it really tight in
the first step, your main difficulty will be making the stretcher stiff
enough so it doesn't twist or even collapse with the tension.

You could leave out the water/priming step of course. Also make sure you
have a few inches overlap round the back to grab onto and don't trim
until you are completely finished and then don't go too close to the
staples.

Choco, many thanks for the detailed reply. I believe I'll give it a go.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

In message , Andy
Burns writes
Dave wrote:

Hand is healing well, I've been lucky.
80 tooth x 10" carbide blade beats fingers every time.

But hot-dogs can get away practically unscathed!
http://www.sawstop.com/video.htm

Now, that's impressive

Just think what a let down it would have been for Goldfinger, though

--
geoff