Bifold door for my shop

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Jun 11, 2022, 08:16 AM
Frank S

9 Attachment(s)

Bifold door for my shop

all that is needed now is to install the sheet metal
The East door of my shop has been closed in by a roll up tarp door for quite some time now it was a quick and easy way to block the wind but a royal pain to open and close due to the requirement of having to have 4 inch loading straps strung inside and out side to prevent the tarp from being destroyed I always knew it was a temporary fix so for the past week I have been constructing a suitable replacement.
As always I try to use scrap materials whenever possible, and in this build many of the pieces of pipe for the frame were no longer than 2 feet. a lot of beveling of the ends and many welds to make them 15 feet long but hey the pipes were otherwise mostly too short to be of much use for many things anyway. some of the pipes were 10 to 12 feet though so it saved me some welding
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Jun 13, 2022, 05:47 AM
DIYer


Thanks Frank S! We've added your Bifold Door to our Miscellaneous category,
as well as to your builder page: Frank S's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-bifold-door"> <img src="/uploads/255294/homemade-bifold-door.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-bifold-door">Bifold Door</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Frank+S">Frank S</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/shop'>shop</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>
Jun 13, 2022, 06:01 PM
bruce.desertrat

Now we see the impetus for your pipe welding jig the other day.
Jun 13, 2022, 06:05 PM
Frank S

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruce.desertrat

Now we see the impetus for your pipe welding jig the other day.

Hey there were so many of them I was giving some serious consideration to stop[ping everything and build a replacement the powered rotary welding lathe I once had. It is still on my list to do especially if I go back into manufacturing hyd cylinders again
Jun 13, 2022, 07:52 PM
sossol

It would be a shame for that latticework to be hidden behind sheet metal. It looks very cool.

Neil
Jun 13, 2022, 07:55 PM
Frank S

Quote:

Originally Posted by sossol

It would be a shame for that latticework to be hidden behind sheet metal. It looks very cool.

Neil

Well yes but it won't block much wind like it now will it. At least I will still be able to see it from the inside
Jun 13, 2022, 08:49 PM
bob47907

FrankS, I hope you post some details of the top track design. That looks to be an interesting challenge!
Jun 13, 2022, 09:34 PM
Frank S

2 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob47907

FrankS, I hope you post some details of the top track design. That looks to be an interesting challenge!

The top track is just the bottom flange of the 12" beam the door hangs and swivels from the 3/4" bolt a 3" long 1" pipe is welded vertically in the door frame with a loose sleeve bushing inside to take up space between the bolt and the pipe 2 hardened washers act as thrust bearings. the Head of the 3/4" bolt was turned down to a tapered flange so it would be flush with the top of the hanger plate which had a tapered hole I put a couple of tack welds just to prevent the bolt from turning making it serve as a fixed spindle. the door is held up with double nuts locked together on the spindle with the bottom nut being a nyloc nut as well. the top of the door hangs less than an inch and a quarter below the bottom of the Beams flange about as low profile as I could manage without welding the trolly sides together and doing away with the 5 bolts holding the 1 side on
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Jun 15, 2022, 12:26 AM
Improvised DIY

Did you have the weight of the frame? It looks heavy!
Jun 15, 2022, 06:38 AM
Frank S

Quote:

Originally Posted by Improvised DIY

Did you have the weight of the frame? It looks heavy!

there is about 420 feet of 1" sch 40 pipe in the frame and 1"pipe weighs1.679 pounds per foot so a little over 700 pounds it will be clad with 26ga corrugated galvanized sheet metal and with the seam overlaps that can be figured at about 1 lb. per sq. foot actual weight @ .88 lbf per sheet the door is 17 x 22 feet so another 375 pounds there abouts. I'm guessing when complete just under 1100 pounds if I don't decide to cut a walk through door in it. If I do that add another 100 pounds, actually about half the weight I figured I would wind up with for a door of that size, which is why I made the trolly like I did
Jun 19, 2022, 08:25 PM
toolkribkeeper

have you thought of using corrugated fiberglas to save weight? ...and let all that light in.
We use that on all the southern hangars at my home airport.
They're almost 12 years in place, and no deterioration yet...
Jun 19, 2022, 10:15 PM
Frank S

Quote:

Originally Posted by toolkribkeeper

have you thought of using corrugated fiberglas to save weight? ...and let all that light in.
We use that on all the southern hangars at my home airport.
They're almost 12 years in place, and no deterioration yet...

Nothing wrong with corrugated fiberglass or even corrugated acrylic letting the light in is also a huge plus. There is even the possibility I may purchase enough to do the upper 1 third but not the whole door. Weight doesn't particularly concern me
Jun 20, 2022, 11:17 AM
Tooler2

A bifold door is hinged at the top and in the middle while the bottom has a roller to run up a track. What is your trolley for?
Jun 20, 2022, 11:32 AM
Frank S

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tooler2

A bifold door is hinged at the top and in the middle while the bottom has a roller to run up a track. What is your trolley for?

This one has the hinges vertical Hinged on 1 column and at the 1/3rd mark the door is suspended by the trolley at the 2/3rds mark and pivots on it as the trolley rolls in either direction
Jun 23, 2022, 04:33 PM
old kodger

Hell Frank, How big is the aircraft that you're going to house in that hanger?
Jun 23, 2022, 08:16 PM
Frank S

Quote:

Originally Posted by old kodger

Hell Frank, How big is the aircraft that you're going to house in that hanger?

Whatever can be landed on a 2 lane black top road with a 100ft right of way
Jun 23, 2022, 08:49 PM
toolkribkeeper

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank S

Whatever can be landed on a 2 lane black top road with a 100ft right of way

Frank! You're in trouble....... the Tail height of a C-130 Hercules, is 38' 3" !
And they can land on 400 ft of dirt road with reverse thruster's going...
and they can back up unassisted! So if they go past your hangar.... No Problem!:thumbsup:
Jun 23, 2022, 09:16 PM
Frank S

Quote:

Originally Posted by toolkribkeeper

Frank! You're in trouble....... the Tail height of a C-130 Hercules, is 38' 3" !
And they can land on 400 ft of dirt road with reverse thruster's going...
and they can back up unassisted! So if they go past your hangar.... No Problem!:thumbsup:

It will just have to stay parked on the road while we unload its cargo afix the jetos and they can take off again
Jun 23, 2022, 09:25 PM
Frank S

I might be adding an additional 30 by 45 ft awning on the front to the South of the 48 ft wide door later on, maybe this fall And I want to put a 50 by 50 covering over a pair of van trailers on the East side to park some of my old trucks under but that's going to have to wait until I can source some more materials as currently I am beginning to run low on construction materials. Guess I need to locate a couple more buildings to salvage
Jan 1, 2023, 08:47 PM
Frank S

1 Attachment(s)

The bifold door now has the clear corrugated sheets covering the top half

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