lapoune

I've been looking for this type of lid for a looong time...any idea where to find that thing? (I'm just looking for the "garage door" lid, I don't want to use it as a cupholder cover that was just the best exemple I could find.)



Thanks

rdholtz

It's called a "tambour" door. Maybe that will help when you search for it. Here's a link to a plastic one in a cabinet on Amazon that might be adaptable: http://www.amazon.com/Holder-Locking.../dp/B0013CGUNU

I have a CD holder by Rolykit that uses a plastic tambour door, and an oak rolltop desk that uses a great big oak one, too.

It would help us guide you if you explained how you plan to use it, what size you think you need, what material you prefer, etc.

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greatwhite

Auto wrecking yard.

Seems every third car has one in my local yard. Been thinking about using one to hide my screen actually..............

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rdholtz

This is a interesting idea. I'd want to leave enough space between the touchscreen and the tambour that there's no added wear on the screen surface. Overall, it seems as if it would be pretty simple to add tracks in the custom bezel.

What cars use these doors, and how big are they?

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If just enough is really good, then too much ought to be perfect.

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lapoune

Yeah I plan on using it to hide a touchscreen like greatwhite said...Ideally I would like it to be made of aluminum (to be anodized black) but I'm having trouble finding one with the right dimensions...I know these can be cut to size but I could only find ones made for cabinets etc. and they are quite pricey.

With the car idea the thing is I've never seen a car where it's used for anything else but as a cupholder cover or small storage compartment (and I work at a crash test facility).

Anyway thanks for giving me the right term as english is not my main language...so this was not so obvious to me haha

bes51659

So you want something to look really exclusive to hide something that is a bit too exclusive to be left alone?... Or do you just want it to look nice because making a bezel that looks good is hard/impossible?

lapoune

Yeah..in my experience thieves don't bother you if there not sure something valuable in there...like in plain sight

I think it would also look pretty good if done correctly

dave99gst

Ive seen this type of door on old 80's Charger 2.2 's

WhiteRabbit

I think this would be fairly simple to build. I'd start with a flexible thin material. Like ultra-thin ABS plastic, kapton film, anything I could find that does not tear easily nor will fatigue under plastic deformation.

I'd then purchase or manufacture the stated aluminum strips of desired length and width. These can be further machined to produce any sort of external look desired. A roundover on the edges is a good example. These would be epoxied to the film. The best result will be a material just shy of a quarter inch thick.

Finally, the track is needed. I suspect this would be the real challenge. Im not sure the best way to manufacture the track, whether it is to router a 1/4" groove in two materials then clamshell them, or start with some square tube and bend it in a pipe bender (after filling with soapy water and freezing it). Either way it needs a gentle bend to get the door to "roll up".

The track is simply mounted behind your trim panel and will be designed to "miss" important stuff in the dash.

Just the musings of an armchair installer.

rdholtz

I took my CD holder apart to see how it's made. The tambour door is a single piece of plastic about 1/8" thick. The flexibility comes from grooves molded into the front that reduce the depth to about 1/32". The edge that fits in the track is also thinned down, but remains about 1/16" thick. The track groove is slightly wider.

While this door is molded, a similar piece could be machined from a flat piece of flexible plastic by cutting grooves. They could be in the front for a serrated look, or in the back, providing a smooth face. Access to a milling machine would help, but there are simpler tools that could be used.

You might be able to adhere an aluminum-like finish sheet to it.

Looks like a neat project.

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lapoune

yeah or by gluing pieces of material to some kind of cloth or felt...the one piece plastic thing would look cleaner but I've no idea on which material to use...the one in my car looks like its made of some kind of rubber (by the way I do have access to a machine shop)

rdholtz

The tambour door in my rolltop desk is strips of oak connected by long, thin strips of brass that are nailed in. More modern rolltops generally seem to use cloth.

I wonder if you could sandwich the cloth between pairs of aluminum strips . . .

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If just enough is really good, then too much ought to be perfect.

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