light steel sliding door

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I'm fixed on making some very light steel sliding doors for garage storage.The doors would be  "skinned" on one side with thin alu sheet  using rivets. I'm still considering solutions for the rollers - have come up withthe following - maybe someone has some simpler/smaller/cheaper  ideas:(a)V-roller + angle track at bottom, short piece of rod at end of screw in narrow track on top.Problem is I haven't seen steel rollers smaller  than 60mm diameter (bit big  Was looking at the plastic ones on my balcony alu screen door - it may be another alternative(b)double roller in track on top, short piece of rod at end of screw in narrow track on bottom
Reply:I've got wooden barn style hanging slider doors on my shop. left the bottom loose and just secure it from the inside when locking up. dont' see why you couldn't do something like that with a metal frame/skinned door.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:OK, maybe I wasn't clear/detailed enough - the doors will be on the wall - basically "cabinet doors") .ThorsHammer - I guess you are suggesting solution (b) such as this with tracks:http://www.trgo-agencija.hr/kotac-za...-2-kotaca.aspxI was thinking maybe there was some cheaper/smaller diy welder's solution eg with bearings under the door but I guess bearings would scrape/be noisyagainst any "channel walls" /can't replace v-groove rollers.Solution (a) like this:http://www.trgo-agencija.hr/kotac-za...-proizvod.aspxwould be simplest to install but are large I can only think of small plastic ones.If I'm thrashing a dead horse please tell me
Reply:Are you talking about this style door (see photo) ??A lot will depend on what you are trying to achieve, and at what cost.  I'm not clear on what materials are readily available, nor what tools you have at your disposal.  The door in that photo has a nice look to it, but without lower track controls, I wouldn't want to use it as a security / no theft door.  Is flat bar stock available at a reasonable price?   I think you could easily bend flat steel stock to create the two hooks that hold the v-pulleys.  Have you searched the internet for v pulleys, then obtain bearings or sleeves to match?  I suspect it wouldn't take much to shape the top edge of the horizontal steel flat bar with a hand held grinder disk, to it fit smoothly in the V pulley groove.  Not sure if this is available in your area, but here's a possible solution, at a reasonable cost. Northern Tools V idler pulley wheel.   Pulley diameter is only 60mm or so.  zip. Attached ImagesLast edited by zipzit; 04-17-2013 at 05:09 AM.
Reply:For cabinets there are several options.I've used sliding closet door hardware for larger doors.http://www.stanleyhardware.com/defau...+SLIDING+PANELOn smaller cabinet doors I've bought the plastic track that lets you slide a piece of 1/4" plywood as a door. I've also ripped my own track out of wood using the dado cutter on my table saw. I'll try and get a pict later today of the track in one of the bathroom cabinets I'm ripping out as I can't find a good link this morning. The door doesn't use any rollers etc. It simply sits in the track and slides. The plastic track slides a bit easier, but I can't always find it, so some times I have to make do with wood.I've seen some other ones done in the past using rollers from sliding screen doors and for track they use light gauge angle iron, usually alum that they cut down..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Your plan B with rollers on the top work well, mite be kind of pricey I usually see those running inside a square tube or pipe with a slot cut out like a pole barn door.How tall and wide are your doors going to be?  Maybe a sketch of what you have going.For plan A if the screen door rollers are not heavy enough you could get Patio Door Rollers at a home center or off line way heavier than the screen door type.
Reply:Zipzit's door photo was what I was thinking. Tough to given you're in Croatia. Don't know what you can buy there locally.Maybe a quick doodle of what you're thinking would be a big help. I've seen roller blade/inline skate/ skateboard wheels used. Are they for security or just to look cool?Problem with recessed track on the ground is it fills with dirt. Better to have a "V" notched wheel that rides on a length of angle iron with the angle pointed up, like this, "/\". You could capture the door between this and the top rail. Just shooting in the dark here. Need more details and /or pictures/drawings.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:yeah, I'd go with closet track and rollers if it's just cabinet sized doors.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:We're talking about cabinet sized doors . On the walls I have a number of areas where I want to have some french cleat type arrangement for hanging everything (tools etc.) .  This is bolted directly to the wall, separate to the cabinet frame/sliding doorsTo keep the tools clean and garage looking orderly and avoid putting others into temptation  I would like to weld a light  frame only  20cm -30cm deep out of say 20mm square/angle profile eg. 1.5mm -2mm thick  and skin the frame with thin alu. The frame is bolted to the wall. A couple of these cabinets are needed on the walls, none of them starting off from the floor.  Each cabinet will have sliding doors (I was thinking of 2 or more doors depending on width of cabinet) .  I don't have exact measurements for the cabinets as I'm still planning a bit but they shouldn't be heavy when made  say out of 10mm -20mm square steel 1.5mm-2mm thick  - welder style shoji weight doors ThorsHammer - barn style doors hardware is interesting as I could use bearings to make something myself but , doors would need to slide outside the  perimeter of the "cabinet" and have support for the "track" there the depth of the cabinet away from the wall.zipzit - that's the type of roller I found (but metal) together with flange for bolting(see third post for link) but the size and cost may be too high(maybe bad guess but wouldn't think each door would weigh more than 10kg - 20kg depending on size - those rollers are good for a couple hundred kg. Wish I could find small metal ones like in my link - that would be perfect (in the meantime I also had a thought of butchering some metal weight lifting pulleys) DSW  & JPS - will check out hardware stores for what they have but suspect it's notgoing to be cheap and maybe not so good in the garage with possible dust etc.bert the welder - the doors are for ease of use - large/light/cheap and so toolsare not directly in dust (hopefully, it may also look good . That's exactly what I thought (the v-roller and angle) but can't find something small enough . Regarding "roller blade/inline skate/ skateboard wheels"can you give an idea how they are captured - I could then use small bearingsmounted like zipzit indicated for the v-roller using some rod and flat bar:
Reply:I would use Drawer track. that way when the door is closed it's hidden and out of the way. but when it's open it supports the door. it incorporates the roller and track aspect all in the same system.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammeryeah, I'd go with closet track and rollers if it's just cabinet sized doors.