Hidden Door Bookshelf

Step 4: Add the wood

Into the installed frame I built the first shelf box for the swinging shelf and verified clearance. In my design I made the swinging shelf 2 inch shallower than the other shelves to allow clearance behind it for the arc when it swung. ( If I did this again I would bring all the shelves out from the wall, making all full depth. Then I built the two side shelves and installed trim all around. I used a credit card for gaps between trim and crown to allow clearance.

The 4.5 inch trim left and right of the shelf-door, the right side is fixed to the fixed shelf, the left side moves with the door.I had to bevel notches in the trim on the right because the horizontal trim dives under it as the door opens. I also had to slightly round the horizontal pieces to slip underneath smoothly.

I am not the best woodworker, and the materials ( mdf and particle board ) are less than optimum, and the walls are crooked, but the results were great. Nobody would ever see the finished wall and think "Hey I wonder if that is a door?"

all in all i have about $350 in the project.

Comments

[exquzmwa]

That looks awesome. One question - how did you affix the bookcase to the metal frame and / or hide the hardware used to connect the two?

[kenbob]

Thanks for the complement! The metal frame is about 1/3 of the shelf depth back from the front. I cut two pieces of 3/4" shelving to width of metal box. Placed one inside the frame against the top and clamped it in place. I then drilled holes through the wood and into the metal tubing. I countersunk the holes then inserted sheet metal screws to hold it in place. I did the same thing on the bottom. Then i did the same on each side. Just "snuggness" made everything pretty solid. When i attached the plywood to the back it became "bullet proof". I covered the screw heads with a bit of white caulk. They are typically covered by items on the shelves anyway.

[higgster]

 Love you work man!

One thought that I recently had while installing baseboard in my house. I painted my baseboards white like your bookshelf and later realized that if they had been a darker color or dark stained wood the gaps wouldn't have shown as much. just a thought to help hide your door.

I appreciate your instructable, i hope to build one to hide my staircase.

[helifino]

What would be cool is if the crown were designed to open up the same way as the upper window channel "door flipper" on a 55-57 Chevy Bel Air hardtop does.  When the window is rolled down or the door opened, the channel (attached to the roof) flips up out of the way...

[kenbob]

I like that idea, it would definitely add "moving parts, but be pretty easy to tie to movement of the door.  as the door opens it pushes/lifts the crown.  it holds it out of the way until the door closes.  It would be "tricky" at the corners as crown meets crown in room... so would need vertical slits to allow crown to swing.
thanks.

[Irecreateit]

Do you have a different link to the vids for the project? The one posted does not seem to work.

[kenbob]

Thanks for catching that! The yahoo video links must have expired... I re-posted the same two clips.

[newroger]

muito bom.! a ideia e otima!

[Conor_Wilkins]

[JEEPBOY52]

What a great job. This leaves me looking for a place in my home for one. Have you thought about putting a locking mechanism on it? There is nothing like pulling a book off the shelf then opening the secret door.

[Silence]

HAHA if ya wanna pull that one, grab a chunk of wood, an old book cover and a door handle/latching mechanism.
Rig the mock book with a hinge, and have a cable pull the latch/turn the handle when you tilt the book....
Its easier to picture it in my head  O?

[station420]

How does it handle with a load of books on the shelf?

[kenbob]

oh, it actually works nicer with a heavy load.  the extra inertia gives it that vault door feel.  no resistance to movement still.  one finger will move the door.

[kenbob]

i have it full of old  text books and such now. It would easily handle 500 pounds..  When building i had three adults stand in the frame.  no deflection at all. 

[circuitmage]

A+

[supremedragonx]

Awesome