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How to retrofit sliding doors onto this?

  • Thread starter Pyro
  • Start date

Pyro

N=R* fs fp ne fl fi fc L
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Picked this beast up a little while back and been tossing around in my head what to do with it. I would like to put a set of sliding glass doors on it but I can not think of any way to do it shy of ripping the trim and "frame" glass off which I would like to avoid.

Any one have any ideas?

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I've been tooling around with how to do this myself on my new highland tank. I'm currently using piano hinges and my doors open out. I would rather have sliding doors myself.

I wish I had a router. I think one way would be to use some nice cabinet wood or some sort of plastic and use a router fitted for the width of glass your going to use for the doors. Use the router to cut a groove (s) in the fitted wood or plastic peices. Somehow screw or attach the wood or plastic peice with the grooves to the tank in the manner of your choice. I would pre-drill holes in the frame of the tank and use machine nuts to attach the wooden/plastic strips w/grooves to slide glass. I've been trying to figure this out for a while to as I want to add sliding door to my set up.

I built this chamber and the photos are just after finishing. The doors now are made of 1/4" plexiglass and I learned that with temp flux plexiglass begins to bend a little. Its not a disaster or anything but I do want to put sliding glass doors on the chamber here too http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115625

The idea above is the only one I have so far. I also thought of using cabinet hardware. You know the metal peices you can buy at lowes with the little rollers on them. Can't remeber what they are called.
 
I built a setup with sliding glass doors for my skink a couple of years ago.

Here are some of the pics.

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Here it is nearly finished

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You just need something to attach the track to. A strip of wood would work really good. Then you screw the track to it. That's all there is to it.

I think that your setup is glass where the track will go. If it is, you can use liquid nails to glue a 1X2 strip of wood to the inside. Then screw the track to that. If seeing the glued wood through the glass, just glue a stained strip of wood on the outside. If you have any questions feel free to ask.


That's a nice setup you have DroseraBug.
 
Ozzy,

Where did you find or how did you build the actual tracks (the peice with the groove for the glass)? I've been looking for something to use as the track for a good while now. I know you could build your own with a router but can't you just buy a track somewhere? Good job on that door!
 
yes, go to a glass shop and ask for the track. They will cut it the length that you need. You can also buy the glass and all the sliding hardware that you need. you need the little wheels on the bottom of the glass and the spacers on top.
 
Hey Ozzy,

Liquid nails, there is an idea I had not considered. I was thinking of using silicon to attach the E channel to the outside but silicon will fatigue with time and that is the last thing I need when the glass panes I plan on using will be 90cm x 40cm. And I need to use glass for what is going to go in there and she would be able to push out through plexi of those dimensions. Now to get my hands on some E channel and some liquid nails and see if it'll work.

Thanks
 
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