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Old 09-07-2012, 09:44 AM   #1
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Smile want to add more Trillium cupboards

Hi all,

I hope you can help me with this. I have a 1980 Trillium 4500 with a front dinette, and upper cupboards in the front with sliding doors on tracks. This is not the same design as the Boler cupboards. I want to add more cupboards of this same design in the back, but I can’t find the aluminium tracks that form the front, back and top edges of the cupboards. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same because I could replace the existing ones with new ones if I found suitable new ones.

The pictures show my existing upper cupboard in the front of the trailer.

To make matters worse, I don’t even know what the track is called. Can anyone point me to where this stuff can be found or what it is called?

Thanks,
Rick G in Edmonton.
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upper cupboard 1.jpg   upper cupboard 2.jpg  

upper cupboard 5.jpg   upper cupboard 3.jpg  

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Old 09-07-2012, 10:31 AM   #2
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Hi Rick,
I have not been able to find an exact replacement. You can search for extruded aluminum profiles and come up with something close.

The best I could find was a company in Cambridge ON that made a series for trade show booths. If I can find it again, I'll post a link. It was called something like T-slot where the various pieces interlocked using allen keys.
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Old 09-07-2012, 11:21 AM   #3
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I also considered using plastic channel with either aluminum angle or dadoed into wood. Something like this.
Glass & Wooden Door Fittings | Glass Door Channel Plastic | Products | Unico Components

or window channel
StanPro - The Right Fit
http://www.beckson.com/channel.html

I think half the problem is finding the right name for what we are looking for, so we can MacGuyver something.

Other forums said you can get E channel or E track from you local glass shop.
Here is another aluminum profile:
http://www.brunnerent.com/Tools/Port...r=3&strMetaTag=
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Old 09-07-2012, 02:10 PM   #4
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Smile

Good ideas Roy. I have not given up on finding a real L shaped bracket with two slots in it, whether aluminium or some other material. Someone suggested a glass shop because they sell sliding door mirrors, and I was thinking that bathroom mirror medicine cabinets use the same sort of slotted brackets.

I was hoping that an old trailer supply store might have them, but I realize that Trillium probably found these brackets at the local hardware store back in 1980.

Any other ideas out there?

Rick G
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Old 09-13-2012, 01:30 PM   #5
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Smile

Well, I have had some modest success, which I wanted to report. I have searched online with only slight success, finding a manufacturer in the US who ignored my requests for a custom designed track and pointed me to their standard offerings which were not suitable, and a manufacturer in Canada who ignored me completely. Then, after I had given up and decided to make my own tracks out of wood, I stumbled across a 4 foot length of aluminum track for 1/8 inch material at a Home Depot store (the other 3 HD stores I tried did not have it). This worked very well since I am trying to make a shorter shelf at the front so I can put in a corner shower setup (more on that when it is done). If I was trying to make a full width shelf across the front I would have needed a 6 foot length.
Anyway, the manufacturer was listed as H. Paulin Co., with addresses in both the US and Canada. I went to their website and sure enough, they do have a 6 foot track listed in the non-ferrous metals catalogue at page 96. A copy of the page is reproduced below.

I built a shelf last night using my original as a guide, and it looks very good, good enough that I can put the original at the back and the new one at the front without causing any alarms about the decor. When I finish that installation I will post about it, but here is the link to the catalogue anyway: http://www.hpaulin.com/Catalogue/NonFerrCat_2009_Web.pdf
Rick G
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File Type: pdf Paulin aluminum track.PDF (32.7 KB, 52 views)
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Old 09-13-2012, 02:24 PM   #6
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Did you use the 1/8 diameter track? What is the difference between the top and the bottom tracks>
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Old 09-13-2012, 04:05 PM   #7
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Wink

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Tilston View Post
Did you use the 1/8 diameter track? What is the difference between the top and the bottom tracks>
Yes, I used the 1/8 diameter track, as it fits standard hardboard quite well. The difference between the top and bottom track is depth of the tracks. The bottom track is shallower, only ¼ inch in this case, and the top track is deeper, ½ inch. The reason for this is so that the sliding doors can be pushed up into the top track and clear the bottom track so they can be removed. When installed, the doors sit on the bottom track with about ¼ inch clearance in the top track.

On my particular project, I thought the bottom track at only ¼ inch tall was not sturdy enough, so I used the top track for both top and bottom. In order to get the correct removal feature, I put a runner into the bottom track so that the doors rest on the runner. That way I can imitate the functioning of the smaller bottom track and remove the doors the same way, while getting the extra sturdiness of the larger top track.

Rick G.
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Old 09-13-2012, 05:33 PM   #8
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Can't wait to see your post with full details and pictures. Then I can get Roy to do this mod for next summer. Front and back uppers is the one thing I miss most in our switch from our old Boler to our Trillium.
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Old 09-13-2012, 05:50 PM   #9
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In my Trillium there are shelves that are held in place in part with screws into the plywood window spacers. How are the cupboards attached? Raz
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Old 09-19-2012, 12:33 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz View Post
In my Trillium there are shelves that are held in place in part with screws into the plywood window spacers. How are the cupboards attached? Raz
The cupboards are held in place by 3 screws going into a tab set immediately above the window frame. I expect that this is the same piece of framing that forms the window opening. They also have "tabs" set into each side of the trailer and screws set into them that holds the front of the shelf securely. No screws go through the trailer shell.

It also turns out that I was able to use the same track for both top and bottom, like the originals, because I was able to bend the track slightly to get the doors in, again like the original.

I am going to start a new thread detailing the construction and installation of the new cupboards, with pictures.

Thanks,
Rick G
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Old 09-19-2012, 01:06 PM   #11
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Smile building new front upper cupboards

I wanted to build a new front cupboard that only went 2/3 of the way across the front of the trailer. This was so I could install a corner removable shower while not losing any of the functionality of the existing front dinette/bed. Our trailer has a two person dinette which converts to a bed at the front, meaning that we can leave the rear dinette set up permanently as a bed and still be able to sleep our son when he (rarely) comes camping with us. I have been thinking about this for about a year, as we find that the lack of a shower is the biggest drawback to our small trailer. We have used outdoor shower tents, but find that we are uncomfortable using them in some of the exact places where real showers are unavailable. An inside shower would be preferred.

But, the first step was to replace the existing front cabinet with a new one that left room for the eventual shower. The first picture is the original cabinet. I removed that and saved it, both because I wanted to be able to put it back if the project did not work, and also because I now want to install it in the rear of the trailer. That is a project for next week.

I started by sourcing the door tracks. We need a double F channel for the top and bottom, and a single F channel for the rear. I found the single channel at Rona and Home Depot, where it is called “carpet channel”. The double F track I found eventually at Home Depot, as outlined in this thread here: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f56/want-to-add-more-trillium-cupboards-54276.html

I used 1/8 inch hardboard for the shelf floor and the doors. I got straight pieces of aluminum bar and bent it to the support shape. Having the original to use as a model was a great help.

The original shelf was supported by screwing it into the front and side walls of the trailer at pre-tabbed points. However, my shelf did not go all the way across the trailer, so I couldn’t use that point to support the front corner. Rather than put a hole through the roof for a bolt, I decided to try to install the shelf using a bent steel bracket made from a straight piece of steel, which I taped to the roof of the trailer using VHB tape, the same tape I used a couple of years ago for installing my solar panels. This was then screwed to a vertical aluminum corner piece. The jury is still out on whether this will work, as it is subject to constant downward pressure from the weight of the shelf plus whatever we put in it. I have supported it with pressure for several days to allow the tape to fully bond, and we will see in a couple of weeks whether it works. If not, I will have to put a bolt through the roof to hold it up in the corner.

The pictures show the construction and should be self explanatory. The last picture shows the completed shelf except for one detail. While travelling, I found that the doors would slide open a bit. This was dealt with in the original by using a spring loaded device that locks the doors in place, and you push it to slide the outer door over the inner one. I couldn’t find that thing, mainly because I don’t know what it is called. However, the original was much heavier duty that we really need for this application. I used a miniature momentary contact push button switch that I had lying around in each of the inner doors to function the same way. With careful installation to make sure that the button can be pushed in far enough so that the outer door can slide over it, it works very well and is much less pressure than the originals. So, that worked out well.

I also made a new side shelf, as seen in the pictures in the next post. Because my new aluminum frame was a different dimension than the old one, I had to reposition the plastic holder for it.

So, now have a new front shelf that, while not the same as the old one, looks close enough that it will not cause “decorator angst” when the original is put in the back.

Next up, the shower, which was a fun project and worked great.

Rick G
Attached Thumbnails
original upper cupboard.jpg   IMGP2624.JPG  

IMGP2625.JPG   IMGP2629.JPG  

IMGP2630.JPG   IMGP2631.JPG  

IMGP2633.JPG   IMGP2634.JPG  

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Old 09-19-2012, 01:07 PM   #12
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Smile

more pictures.
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IMGP2635.JPG   IMGP2636.JPG  

IMGP2637.JPG   IMGP2639.JPG  

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Old 09-19-2012, 04:45 PM   #13
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Nice Work!!!
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Old 09-19-2012, 05:08 PM   #14
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Very professional! Impressive job and storage space to make me jealous : )
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Old 09-19-2012, 05:13 PM   #15
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WOW! I can see the usefulnes for all our trailers! Great job! Let us know how it holds up with weight in it please... Looks professional and light weight. NICE
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Old 09-19-2012, 05:15 PM   #16
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Would a bullet catch be what you were after? If so Lee Valley will have them. Great post. Looking forward to the shower. Raz
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Old 09-19-2012, 07:45 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz View Post
Would a bullet catch be what you were after? If so Lee Valley will have them. Great post. Looking forward to the shower. Raz
No, I don’t think that is it, but I appreciate your willingness to help solve the problem. I took a picture of the thing, attached. The way it works is that this thing is installed in each of the left and right inner doors. The cylinder sticks out and blocks the outer door from sliding past it. You can push the button in (it is spring loaded) when you want to slide the outer door past it. The left and right outer doors are on the same track and so meet in the middle. The left and right inner (back) doors are on the inner track, and these gizmos prevent all the doors from sliding while travelling. You can just barely see them in the installed picture of the new rear cupboard.

I would be interested in knowing what they are called.

Rick G.
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Old 09-19-2012, 07:52 PM   #18
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Smile

I installed the original cupboard in the rear of the trailer tonight. It turned out to be fairly easy, because it fit relatively well above the rear and side windows and I could just screw it into the existing trailer frame supports that happened to be in the right place. I had to cut about ¼ inch off one end to get it to fit, and a similar amount off one of the doors, but otherwise it just screwed on. I am going to also make a shelf extending from the cupboard on the passenger side up to the closet, but that will be in a few days as other parts of life are intruding.

Now we have much more storage than we used to and the rear storage will be handy for bedding and towels and such that we don’t use every day. We will probably put light foods (bread etc.) in the front cupboard, at least to start with.

Lots of fun.
Rick G
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Old 09-27-2012, 08:54 PM   #19
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I'd be interested in seeing pics of your front dinette as I am just starting into a reno on a Trillium Jubilee 15' that I want to put a front dinette into.

I have attached a pic of a way that I have done sliders several times in case it might be of any interest to you. I make my own wooden track and then I can custom size it's width, length, colour etc to whatever I want.

This particular one is made for the 1/4" MDF sliders that are part of my computer cabinet. As with the aluminum tracks, this upper track is a little deeper in order to allow slipping the door up into it just enough to allow it to clear the bottom track and then drop into place in the bottom track.

If you want to use 1/8" ply, as I intend to when I do this in my trailer, then the common carbide tipped blade in a table saw will cut a groove, one pass, that is will accommodate the slider.

Peter
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Old 09-28-2012, 10:06 AM   #20
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Peter,

Take a look at:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rds-54495.html

and:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...yay-54501.html
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