Big Tambour

[bleeth]

My client is mounting a 70" TV outside under roof. We get to build a cabinet for it and there are some light sconces not to far away on either side. The cab will be a Cypress frame and a pair of tambour doors closing in the middle and moving horizontally. I'm thinking that we will cut spiral dado's in top and bottom plates. Our engineering shows if we use 1/2" wide dado and the tambours are 3/8" thick and 3/4" wide they will work with the smallest radius we have. I may increase the dado to 3/4 and the tambour to 1/2". Question is: Has anyone ever done custom tambour doors similar to this? If so, how did it work and what "surprises" did you get?
I'd hate to build the whole thing and find out it kept wanting to bind or rack.

I know that it is not super security but the client has a very good security system and is doing this medium protection so anyone trying to get in will trigger the alarm.

[steve_g]

A spiral tambour track sounds very ambitious... I've only done them with a track that included two quarter round turns and straight sections before between and after. These doors were also horizontal so that the weight of the door helped pull the door through the track (Pipe organ console). These doors were enough grief that I don't intentionally design with them in mind! I wonder if they would work better rolling up like an overhead roll-up door... no track as such but winding on a core?

SG

[srwtlc]

I agree with Steve that a horizontal roll-up would be easier to use. I've made a fair amount of appliance garages with that type of hardware, but nothing this large. Problem would be that the rolled up size would get rather large in your case and need a fair amount of headroom. With what you're describing, there would be a large amount of friction to force the tambour into a spiral track and racking would be a problem. How about a false back that would accommodate the two halves coming in from each side and maybe a HDPE track or something slippery like that? Supporting it from the top track with rollers, some kind of assist system, or a gear/chain/crank system that just pulls it around to the back and continuing on around the other side to close again? Better yet, stepper motor driven with some kind of small controller system and an app (Arduino). ;-)

[bleeth]

Coming around behind doesn't work due to the TV mounting bracket. The width is to much (63" wide TV) for a roll-up in wood, although aluminum is easy. The roll would get huge though and the box would end up over 12" deep.
Attached is a preliminary detail of the idea of the track. The slats fits pretty comfortable on the tightest curve.
I would plan on cutting the tracks in UHMW, HDPE or some "slippery" hard plastic.
I like little steppers and arduino!

[gc3]

http://easylink.hafele.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/HDE-INT-EasyLink_HDE-INT-Site/en_EN/-/EUR/Haefele_BrowseCatalog-Category?CatalogCategoryID=ERzAqBlZH6QAAAEvrVJJ5Jt s&NavigationSource=Image


might find something here...

[srwtlc]

I was thinking that the TV could be remounted to the false back with the cabinet securely anchored to the wall.

Another thought...a vertical roll up on each side, where the last slat is attached to a cylinder/spool that could be spring loaded. That's kind of like the roll-ups that I've made are.

Fun challenge you got here. :)

[bleeth]

Double back could be a winner. It would reduce the overall size of the cab considerably as well as the turns the tambour makes.
Gene: I have had an account at Hafele for many years. They have nothing for this one.