If you make that swing in, (instead of swing out) you can place the trim over the opening approx 1/2" to 3/4" inch all the way around and you will not see the gap up top or any light if left on. This will allow the door to shut against the trim stopping flush with the opening.
This is true,however, if you are using the area on the opposite side of the door as storage and you have limited space you will not be able to put as much in the storage area due to the door bumping into the stored items. That was the case with this project. This was built under existing steps with limited space to begin with.
I'm so glad you forgot your router. I'm not a woodworker but I have an already made cabinet that'll fit in the hole that is the entrance to my basement. The top will be a slide away countertop. Now I know of an easy way to make a rectangle hole in my wood. Great job
Thank you! I ordered those hinges. I ordered the Invisahinge and no real clear info about install, what a pain! Thanks again! your video is exactly what I needed.
Could you tell me how you calculated your side clearances? Like how did you calculate the gap between left jamb of opening and left outside of shelf? Right side of jamb and right outside of shelf?
Great job on the build and video. Thanks for sharing it. I have some questions about the hinge system. I already purchased these same door hinges, but wonder if there is some sort of formula/"trick" for determining the best placement for the hinge pivot point with this type setup? I saw other videos using these hinges and have also noted personally that the included templates for drilling holes are not precise by any stretch of the imagination! The hinges also don't come with any instructions/information detailing the placement of hinges on your work piece(s). You address this point at about 10:29 in your video, but don't say just how, or where, you determined exact hinge placement. I know that the depth of the shelves. span of the opening, type of hinge, and direction of door swing all have important roles in determining the exact placement of the pivot point but I don't know just how to go about figuring that out. Do you have any insight for that? I'm in the beginning stages of attempting to build a book case with three sections that will take up an entire wall of my small office. The center section will be a door that MUST swing outward (as yours does) and will provide entry into closet/supplies space. I will have a few more issues to figure out too since my door will be at floor level, not elevated as your project was. I'm thinking that I will have to place a "threshold" piece on the floor on which to mount the bottom hinge. The floor is carpeted and I'm debating leaving it and trying to place that threshold piece on top of the carpet with a couple of anchor screws through and into the concrete sub-floor for support(?). I'm considering doing it this way since the bookcase in its entirety is being built against the room wall and outside the current closet doorway which means that the new "door" will not depend on the existing door casing for structural support at all. (*I hope that makes sense. Not sure how to describe the situation any clearer). Thanks again for the video of the fantastic project.
This was so helpful-- I initially thought making the pattern template was overkill, but making my own, found the technique super useful. Precision was key! Thanks for sharing this.
Aren't you supposed to run your router from left to right so the cutting edge of the bit is hitting the wood first instead of the backside of it , probably where a lot of the shaking is coming from
Just saw your video and your door looks fantastic. I was wondering how much smaller was your door in relation to your opening? It seems like the trim will cover up a lot of space. Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It really helps to take the guess work out of the project.
This is amazing! Thanks for the walk-through.....just one question: do you think that it would be possible to make something like this but as a dresser? I'm thinking of making a wall of drawers but have them swing open to my closet. Is it a pipe dream or do you think it's possible?
Thank you so much. You can make it with drawers. I personally never tried it but there is a website that has all kinds of ideas for these doors. The company is called Murphy Door. I attached the link below. Best of luck! murphydoor.com/
How do you measure the cabinet to the space if the cabinet depth is 8 inches and the bookshelf is 6' by 4' what is the space between the door jam and the cabinet
The width/height don't mean anything in correlation to the gaps you need to leave. It's the depth of the cabinet and the location of the pivot point that determine what your minimum gaps would need to be.
Love your video. I am now attempting such a hidden door/shelf myself. I purchased the same pivot hinge system you used and note that in their instruction they say I should Mortise the plates into the bookcase and frame, but I note that you did not and simply mounted to the surface. Did you do this for a reason? I am inclined to mortise the hinges so their is less gap between the bookshelf and the opening. Since the hing ride up a bit due to the bearing, I do not think anything will rub. Thoughts?
I was just concerned with having enough clearance. I am planning on doing another one over the winter. The next one will be more detailed and will have a hidden locking mechanism. Please let me know how you make out with yours. I'm curious to see how it turns out.
I am making a double door version, but it will be someones room. I noticed you can see the light through the top with the door closed. Any suggestions on how to eliminate that?
Actually after commenting i realized i can just add a 2x4 behond the top and bottom to eliminate light leake and it will act as a stopper where i can mount my magnets into
Very nice video. Instead of drilling a hole in the top of the cabinet for the screw driver to go into to lower the bolt, couldn’t you just have the cabinet swung out? So you’d still have to bolt lined up with the hinge, but the cabinet would be open so you could easily access the lowering screw.
Good point! I was following the instructions of the manufacturer of the hinge but I suppose if you can line everything up and still be able to engage the bolt that would give you a cleaner look. If you try it let me know how it works out. Always looking for ways to improve. Thanks!!
The door never fully opens far enough to give access to the screw that lowers the bolt because of the trim on the hinge side. You could probably do it before you put the trim on, but if you ever needed to remove the door, you’d have to pull the trim off. The small hole for the screw driver is there so the door can be removed quickly in an emergency. This door is just held with magnets, but most have a latch.
