hanger style bifold door on my shed

This design was the best compromise that opened full height, took no internal ceiling space, allowed stuff to be stacked beside the opening both inside and out and can be opened with an obstruction just outside the door. The counterweight weighs about 35kg. It is scrap lead pipe melted into a 4 litre paint tin. The best part is that it cost a fraction of what a manufactured door would have cost.

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Autos & Vehicles

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• MVI
• 1246

[2dear]

I would be happy to but not enough space here. Send email address for more.

Connectors? Used five stainless steel door hinges for the middle and gate hinges for the top. Otherwise I used1/8in braided wire, pulleys from a hardware store, heavy wood screws to hold it all together and lead melted into a coffee can for the counterweight.

[sonofjabba]

hmmm... I bet I could hook up a little torsion spring set instead of the weights. That door isn't too heavy 90lbs is fairly light, single spring would suffice. Hmmm.... I want to build a shed and didn't want interfere with the overhead space, or have barn doors that sag, and look like trash in a year. Now I'm thinking...

[2dear]

@sonofjabba

Dear Sir, thank you for your comments. The reasons you stated are the same I had to use this type of door. It was also cheap to build, much less than a standard off-the-shelf design and I would say it takes no more or less ability or tools to install. The weight is less than 70 lbs.

A spring it would have doubled the cost and I didn't want to introduce the hazard of a spring under tension.

[2dear]

Important to remember that both 'halves' of the door have to be the same height; bottom half from foot to hinge and top half from hinge to the top pivot. On this one the bottom half is about 4-1/2 feet while the top is only about 2-1/2 feet, the other 2 feet is made up by two pipes that go up near the roof line.

Determining a counterweight was very technical. Move the door to full open, weigh on a bathroom scale; Mine weighed 30 kg. I used lead.

[spartaeus]

I wish you would make a video showing more details of the construction. For instance, what keeps the section of folded door that protrudes outside the building from floping downward ?

Thanks

[bjworkid1]

Dude, what you did is EXACTLY what I want to do. I want to use a bifold door like that to enclose a patio - but want to use lexan instead of the shed material. Can you provide more detail on how you built that? Like showing connectors, etc.? Thank you for this post. You put in video what I have been trying to explain to others.

[sonofjabba]

@2dear I am a Overhead Door Installer/company and I can buy components factory direct at cost. Torsion springs are safe if you understand their operating principles. Extension springs are very dangerous, and can kill you.

[richiewrench]

Very nice job. Well designed, I'm building one for my shop as well.