Just Hold It

The doors for the overhead cabinets in the Scamp are designed with the hinges at the top. Probably the best option given the space, but a bit of a pain when looking for things in the cabinet or stowing gear. Lots of people have set out to resolve the issue in one manner or another.

• Don used dowels cut to length, shaped to fit, and then fitted with a loop of Velcro hook material so the dowels can be stuck to the headliner when not in use.
• Robert uses a wood strip, hinged at the door end and notched at the other to fit over the frame.
• Pat uses a section of a screen door spring, screwed to the door at one end, and to the door frame at the other.
• Bob used a similar spring but attached it to the door with a link of sash chain so it could rotate.

After consultation with a wise friend about his experience, I went with a slight modification of his version. (See - I'm learning!)

Each spring (one per door) was fabricated from a section of old style screen door spring - in my case, a Stanley #4 spring. The spring was cut to length with loops on each end bent to right angles, more or less.

Instead of using a link of sash chain like my wise friend, the upper end of the spring was attached to the door using a mount style zip tie.

The zip tie was drawn up snug and cut flush, then screwed to the door with a #8 screw. The zip tie forms a hinge point for the spring as the door closes.

The lower point was attached to the door frame using a #8 truss head piercing screw with a metal washer under the head and a plastic washer between the spring and the door frame. This screw is left a bit loose so that the spring can rotate around the screw as the door closes.

The door on the hatch in the loft required gluing a block of wood for the lower mount since this cabinet does not utilize a standard face frame. This technique is one that could be used with the fiberglas cabinets common in most eggs.

No longer will I have to use my noggin to hold the door open while putting my clothes away.

Time to pack for our next trip.