This is a bit of strange one. I got a lot of the concepts from other hidden bookcase door tutorials, but added some twists of my own.
the concept is a bookcase built-in that can swivel to reveal an entrance to a room.
When my home was constructed I saved some money on interior doors by having archways installed. this is pretty cool for open rooms like my dining room and game room, but for my theater not so much. you really need it dark in there to enjoy a movie. In my head I have pondered adding a regular door, but then I saw an instructable for using IKEA bookcases as a hidden door partition and it clicked what I wanted to do.
Objective was to achieve a hidden door look, mix in my love of Star Wars and close off the theater.
Aprroximate total cost was about $150
(little quick edit here, just to be clear it's $150 not including Han, which if it's a DIY sculpt could be a few bucks or for a custom made or even licensed product could be $$$$$. I will hopefully be adding in some info on how to get at least the face casts, like you see on my wall outside the theater)
update: added a vid of the finished product, it also shows the bookcase out of the archway.
the concept is a bookcase built-in that can swivel to reveal an entrance to a room.
When my home was constructed I saved some money on interior doors by having archways installed. this is pretty cool for open rooms like my dining room and game room, but for my theater not so much. you really need it dark in there to enjoy a movie. In my head I have pondered adding a regular door, but then I saw an instructable for using IKEA bookcases as a hidden door partition and it clicked what I wanted to do.
Objective was to achieve a hidden door look, mix in my love of Star Wars and close off the theater.
Aprroximate total cost was about $150
(little quick edit here, just to be clear it's $150 not including Han, which if it's a DIY sculpt could be a few bucks or for a custom made or even licensed product could be $$$$$. I will hopefully be adding in some info on how to get at least the face casts, like you see on my wall outside the theater)
update: added a vid of the finished product, it also shows the bookcase out of the archway.
Step 1: Determine the size of the opening
The size of the opening has a lot of do with the look and operation of the door.
I wanted a built in look, with 3 sections. this allowed me to have the certain bookcase be my "door"
My approach was to find a way to have the bookcases appear to be static, yet roll open when needed.
As you can see in the photo, I have an arch to deal with as well as an opening of about 59"
I decided to get 2 CD towers from IKEA (Billy model) and one 30" bookcase from Walmart.
I wanted a built in look, with 3 sections. this allowed me to have the certain bookcase be my "door"
My approach was to find a way to have the bookcases appear to be static, yet roll open when needed.
As you can see in the photo, I have an arch to deal with as well as an opening of about 59"
I decided to get 2 CD towers from IKEA (Billy model) and one 30" bookcase from Walmart.
Step 2: Minding the Gap
Now that you have your bookcases you have to start making some aesthetic choices. In order to have decent clearances I opted to space out th bookcases and use 5.5" boards as trim.
In this pic you can see the bookshelfs are fairly spaced apart, but the boards help to make them look like one piece.
I used angle brackets and put in a board across the top. this helps to stabilize the shelves as well as provide a top pivot point for the center bookcase (which I'll go into later)
In this pic you can see the bookshelfs are fairly spaced apart, but the boards help to make them look like one piece.
I used angle brackets and put in a board across the top. this helps to stabilize the shelves as well as provide a top pivot point for the center bookcase (which I'll go into later)
Step 3: How to make the door "swing"
Okay, here's where it gets kinda tricky. the keys to a hidden door are the hinges have to be hidden. there are a couple ways to handle this, if you door will swing in, you can simply put the hinges on the back. I however wanted my door to swing out so the carbonite block can be seen as you open the door.
What I did was put the whole center bookshelf on wheels. I then mounted thread pipe floor flanges with threaded pipe inserted in them. I drilled a hole in the board I mounted accross the doorway and this allows the bookcase to swing in a fixed arc.
What I did was put the whole center bookshelf on wheels. I then mounted thread pipe floor flanges with threaded pipe inserted in them. I drilled a hole in the board I mounted accross the doorway and this allows the bookcase to swing in a fixed arc.
Step 4: Make it look pretty
I added some trim here and there. Take note of where the door opens and that your trim doesn't hamper the doors movement. This was a bit of trial an error for me.
Also in my case I mounted the trim to the center bookcase on one side and mounted it to the fixed bookcases on the other. this really helps to conceal the shelf as well as providing the handle to open the door.
Also in my case I mounted the trim to the center bookcase on one side and mounted it to the fixed bookcases on the other. this really helps to conceal the shelf as well as providing the handle to open the door.
Step 5: Drop it like it's Han
You can just leave the back plain I guess. I was going to put a movie poster frame on the back and make it look like a marquee from the inside, but I happened to have a Han in Carbonite sculpt laying around.
Alright, this piece isn't something you can just come accross. Best I can tell ya is search the net. There is a yahoogroup
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/HICBuilders/
I happened to find someone with a custom sculpt of just the body parts which was perfect for this project. He does not sell em anymore, but on Ebay you can sometimes find the face. the body I think would be an easy sculpt.
I mounted the casting on a thin board and then used bondo and bondo resin jelly to smooth it in and give a "carbonite" look.
Alright, this piece isn't something you can just come accross. Best I can tell ya is search the net. There is a yahoogroup
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/HICBuilders/
I happened to find someone with a custom sculpt of just the body parts which was perfect for this project. He does not sell em anymore, but on Ebay you can sometimes find the face. the body I think would be an easy sculpt.
I mounted the casting on a thin board and then used bondo and bondo resin jelly to smooth it in and give a "carbonite" look.
Step 6: Get it all together and see how it works!
Once it's all together I have to make some adjustments to the trim to make the door swing right.
I also used a black satin finish. The satin hides a lot of imperfections and gaps.
Here's a video of the bookcase during construction so you can see how it works
I also used a black satin finish. The satin hides a lot of imperfections and gaps.
Here's a video of the bookcase during construction so you can see how it works
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Honesty if I had the time, money and skill I'd offer up casts of mine now that i've worked on it a bit.
The yahoogroup is where I got all the info and pics so a start there will get you pointed in the right direction
I like that you didn't opt for swivelable wheels and chose stationary ones - much more stable.
Very cool work. Thanks for posting!
One thing, though. After about six months of opening and closing, you're gonna egg out that upper hole through which the pipe 'hinge' protrudes. Pine's a soft wood, so expect to have to make a bushing. I'd suggest drilling out a couple of flanges. Looks like you have just enough space above and below the header to accommodate the same type of flange you've used on top of the shelf unit.
. . . Any, like everybody else has indicated, this is EXCELLENT craftsmanship!
Yeah, you are right. I need to take a video. Actually it's a good time, all the christmas stuff is in the attic access in that room so I had to move the shelf to get the tree and stuff out. Will hopefully explain it better if you can see how it works.
I'm on it!