ChesterCotter2 Comments on Sliding Glass Door and Fire Grate

Sliding Glass Door and Fire Grate

Location: Miracle Beach, BC -2013
Design: Chester Cotter
Dimensions: 51×29 sliding door
Materials: Steel (stainless & carbon), brass, glass, silicon

I was asked to design a door and log grate for this fireplace. Where the door is now was originally open and allowed smoke & sparks to escape. I wanted to avoid any hardware or rails on the hearth so it all had to be supported from above; so created an overhead cantilevered track.

Custom Sliding Glass Hearth Door and Solid Bar Grate Basket

A closed door.

OPEN SHUT sequence (3)

OPEN SHUT sequence (2)

An open door.

Solid stainless bar handle
Solid stainless bar handle

Finished In Place (2)

The hearth project started with this fire grate.
Gas Burning Grate

Start of the door track and carriage.
Raw Bars Beginning

This crude looking fixture replicates the underside of the concrete slab sitting over the fireplace.
Overhead Fixture

These next 2 pictures show the inside of the track end plate. Here I have fitted a small square of steel to be welded. The pointy metal finger thing is a weighted tool that holds things in place when my other 2 hands are welding.

Setting up to weld.
Setting up to weld.
Welded and smoothed.
Welded and smoothed.

The door must travel along a specific path and also be fully adjustable. Roller contact arms mounted inside the end of the track precisely guide the door as it opens and closes.

Starting with 1/2" x 1.5" steel bar.
Starting with steel bar.
Cut 2 chunks.
Blanks cut.
Drill some holes.
Drill holes.
Give them some nice shape.
Give them some nice shape.
Ream some holes.
Ream holes.
Mount an old boat propeller shaft in the lathe.
1.25″ brass chucked.

Turn on the lathe.

Take some cuts.
Turning.
More cuts. Brass cuts are my favorite kind.
Turning.
Next time start with smaller bar stock.
Bushing blanks turned to size and ready to be pressed into the contact arms.
Press in the brass parts.
Pressed in place.
Cut some relief.
Cutting a relief for the contact tip roller and also the brass bushing has been bored to size.
Ream more holes.
Reaming the brass bushings to size.
Look at that!
Pivot bushing reamed.
Mount some bearings.
Contact tip rollers mounted.
Decide where to mount the arms.
Deciding where to mount the arm. 

Ready to guide the carriage.
Contact arms in place.

2 thoughts on “Sliding Glass Door and Fire Grate”

  1. Bonkers's avatar
    Bonkers October 30, 2014 — 6:10 PM

    Is that fireplace in a house designed by Blue Sky Architecture?

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Phone 250.702.2571 E-mail Chester@CarlisleServices.ca
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