# My "Murphy Shelves" Door Project.



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)




----------



## Guest (Sep 29, 2015)

This is better than back in the old days of the Saturday afternoon matinee. A continuing saga of this project with an excellent preview. I want to buy tickets now. ''

Well though out project Lee that will yield more shelves for your newest additions to the inventory. Can't wait for the first update. :appl:


----------



## Laidoffsick (Sep 20, 2015)

That's a cool ide Lee.... just don't get mad and slam the door lol


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That's great Lee, sounds like a lot of work however.

As far as the furnace room door impeding space, consider this. If you really need to replace the furnace, you could simply remote the stuff from the door and then remove the door from the hinges and get it out of the way. I've had to take doors off a number of times to move furniture, I'm getting used to it.


----------



## tabkld93 (Oct 18, 2012)

Never one to be limited by existing shelf space, Lee has figured out once again where to locate more shelving. I suspect the ceiling is next 

Looks like it's well planned. My only concern is the weight on the hinges. Loco's are heavy


----------



## rboatertoo (Aug 5, 2015)

Lee: How do you have time to do all of this? I can't keep up with you!!!


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Lee, wow, more shelves Lee did you think about a slider for the furnace room door? Not sure how much time and room you have but you could make it like a pocket door that slides in front of the other train shelves. That way its totally out of the way. This would of course add lots more planning and maybe retooling of the existing shelves.


----------



## MOVL (Aug 23, 2015)

This will be fun to follow. Seems like an interesting idea...I hope it works out well for you.


----------



## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

This is an interesting project Lee. I'm anxious to see it to fruition. I'm also interested to see if that door carrying the engines starts to droop and lean over time.


----------



## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Lee, this looks like a great project. For info, when we renovated our home two years ago we had a front door system custom made. The operable door is 4'x9', 2 1/4" thick with a 1/2" thick laminated glass window in the top half. we did not weigh the door but it is likely around 500lb. The door is hung with five 4 1/2" hinges. Each hinge has four 2 1/2'" screws to fully grip the structure framing the door. When it is opening and closing it moves slowly. Most people do not apply nearly enough force to get it to completely close, let alone slam.


----------



## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

Looks like a grand idea! I'm anxious to see how it all works out Lee.


----------



## bluecomet400 (Sep 13, 2015)

Great idea--very creative. And I thought I did well with using pocket doors!! Looking forward to seeing progress.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

*The Materials Are In house Now*

I was at Lowe's just a few minutes after they opened - so great to shop when the store is nearly empty and staff out-number cusotmers! My favorite time to shop brick-and-mortar.

It looks like a pitifully small amount of material for the money: it all cost more than an LC+ locomotive! But its good quality and (barely, I think) sufficient to build what I plan, so after a few errands for my wife this morning, I will start actual construction.


----------



## AG216 (Sep 28, 2011)

Interesting project,
I will add a small caster wheel at the door edge to support part of the weight, if the floor allow it.
thank you for posting you ideas.

Andre.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lee, how come you didn't pick it up in the Ferrari?


----------



## ColtsKurt (Jan 28, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Lee, how come you didn't pick it up in the Ferrari?


Bingo! I spied that too... Basement is awesome, as is the garage... wonder what the main house holds in prized possessions? Well done, sir!


----------



## tabkld93 (Oct 18, 2012)

Lee - I always knew you mentioned owning a little "go fast" car. Nice to see it. I too like cars, but mine is German vs. Italian.

Lumber always seems more expensive than what I plan and the quality less.


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Clear pine isn't cheap, but its nice to work with.


----------



## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Here is my one complaint! You are cheating on our pool. I have you for 11 months on filling your current shelves. Now what? Do we have to develop an algorithm based on linear feet to adjust every one's bet? Oh no here we go again...


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

it was heavier and sweatier work than I expected, but the "door" to the furnace room is installed. I plan to add the shelves tomorrow. 

I built the outer frame out of very hard knot-free pine. Nothing in my house is plumb or square. So:
1) I installed two of the new hinges. 
2) built a frame that fit in the door way with one edge against the closed hinges and 1/4 inch clearance all around the other sides. Here it is








I used shims to position the door just where I wanted it and drilled and attached it to the hinges. Note I use nuts and bolt to attached the hinges to the shelf frame. I carefully tested if and how it swung out: quite easily. I closed it again, shimmed it just how I wanted it, and attached the 3/8 inch exterior grade plywood piece you see below in the middle of the back as shown here, installing in from the back of the door (working from the furnace room) while the door was in its closed position. This reinforced the frame and gave it strength. I tested the door opening and closing now - it moves very smoothly, requiring much less effort than I expected. 








I finished attaching the back. 








It opens and closes well . . . 








and lines up flush everywhere. Good work for a day. I'll take it up again tomorrow.


----------



## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

Lee, It looks great so far, but I have to agree with "Wood". You totally messed up the "POOL" for how long to fill up the empty shelves, and you go add more shelves........Jeeeeezzzz. Now we need a new pool for how long to fill it all up.:appl:


----------



## tabkld93 (Oct 18, 2012)

Nice!


----------



## bluecomet400 (Sep 13, 2015)

Very nice!! How do you plan on keeping the trains on the shelves when you open / close the door?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

bluecomet400 said:


> Very nice!! How do you plan on keeping the trains on the shelves when you open / close the door?


Did you read the first part of the thread?


----------



## Marklx200 (Jun 14, 2015)

If I may make a suggestion, I think you said you would make the shelves 1/4 narrower than the existing doors. Please consider that the extra thickness caused by the shelves could cause the door to hit the jamb on the latch side as they are closed. Door slabs are often beveled on the edges to prevent this from happening on 1 3/8" thick interior doors as they are closed. It also helps on the hinge side to prevent the hinges from binding. As long as you set the shelves in far enough on the hinge side to not hit the door stop you should be ok on that side. On the latch side (door knob side) As the door swings shut it must clear the jamb as well as the door stop ( what the door shuts against) I hope I was clear and coherent in my descriptions. If not I'm sorry and could maybe clarify in another post. If you already have this factored in then sorry for useless post. Can't wait to see the finished result.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

If you look, you'll see that he already has the door opening out without issue, so I suspect he figured that in. The shelves are going to be inside the envelope of the cavity in the door as shown.

Now, if he puts some shelves on the other side, he'd have to consider the bevel to allow the door to open, that is very true! 

BTW Lee, where's the doorknob?


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> BTW Lee, where's the doorknob?


Uhhh, good question. I haven't quite figured out a doorknob or whatever. It's actually something I have to work out. Not sure what I will do. suggestions are welcome.


----------



## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

I just can't resist it......"THE SHELF KING...for his SHELF QUEENS"


----------



## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Lee,
Very professional work so far.

```
Note I use nuts and bolt to attached the hinges to the shelf frame
```
How did you attache the hinge to the door frame. The hinge bearing the weight is the real test of this project IMHO


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lee, given the function of the door, how about one of the little ball detent latches like cabinet doors? I have them on my pantry doors and the French doors to my living room and to the dining room. I mounted mine on top of the door, because that's the way the builder did the French doors.


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Lee,

Since you are using four pieces of plywood for the furnace room door, I’m betting it will sag with all that weight. It would have been better if you could have fit a 27X81 piece of plywood in the Volt. I recommend you attach a diagonal 1X4 brace on the furnace side of the door from the top hinge side to the bottom opposite side. Better yet, add a solid sheet of 27X81 1/4” plywood on the back if you can fit it in the car or a friend’s car. 

Bob


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Strap it to the top of the Ferrari!


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Lehigh74 said:


> Lee,
> 
> Since you are using four pieces of plywood for the furnace room door, I’m betting it will sag with all that weight. It would have been better if you could have fit a 27X81 piece of plywood in the Volt. I recommend you attach a diagonal 1X4 brace on the furnace side of the door from the top hinge side to the bottom opposite side. Better yet, add a solid sheet of 27X81 1/4” plywood on the back if you can fit it in the car or a friend’s car.
> 
> Bob


I don't think it will sag, but at this point only a lot of time will tell. 
The multiple pieces were a deliberate choice - easier to bring home in the Chevy rather than borrow my youngest son's Ranger. I was fairly certain it would not sag : that central section is strong enough on its own. I tested it by grabbing the top and hoisting myself up until I was off the floor (also a good test of the hinges). But I left roughly 150 lbs of barbells hanging off the end of it overnight and it didn't sag a bit. Maybe over time it would, but . . . the addition of the two other big pieces, glued and screwed every six inches, hopefully makes it strong enough. 

I primed it this morning. A good thing to keep in mind if anyone builds one of these is, build the structural part complete first (the frame, back, and the one shelf I installed yesterday, and then prime and paint it: far less brushwork needed, mostly small roller. (Note, it would be even faster to prime and paint the wood before assemble, but the primer and painter will cut down on how much the glue I use holds). Also at that time, prime and paint the boards that will be the other shelves (again, quick brush work) before cutting and installed. All you need at the end is quick touch up them. Quicker. 

Still, it took 90 minutes this morning to prime the door and the four pieces of wood (standing from the stairs to the left) that will eventually be the other shelves.


----------



## HenryL (Nov 20, 2007)

Placing shelves of trains on a moving object will eventually involve another Murphy. Instead of retention rails perhaps consider removable plexi as an alternative. This would act as a dust barrier and a solid piece that would prevent a fall to the floor. You are already adding lots a weight to the frame, why not go for broke?


----------



## mat007413 (Dec 23, 2014)

With all the new shelves that are on the way.. I give Lee until Dec 2016..


----------



## rboatertoo (Aug 5, 2015)

If Lee went to York, I would say the first day!!! LOL


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

rboatertoo said:


> If Lee went to York, I would say the first day!!! LOL


That is why I don't go to York!


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Lee - Did you paint the back yet? If not, you might want to glue and screw a 1X4X26" (or similar size plywood scrap) at each of the three plywood seams. Maybe overkill, maybe not.


----------



## DMASSO (Jul 25, 2015)

Very unique Lee. You are maximizing your room. I am still concerned with sag, door that is. Depending on type of door, some are solid and other not so good. I just repaired doors at my daughters house and had to move hinges and replace the screws with much larger screws to keep the doors hanging. I know you do much planning so good luck.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Thanks guys. So far it has not sagged, but who knows when it sits for weeks with 12 locos on it. Only time will tell, now. 

The seams are strapped with 1x4" 3/8 plywood overlapping them the full width, screwed about every six inchs. I put the final paint coat (white oil-based enamel on early this morning (5AM-ish). It is already dry to the touch, but I am allowing it to dry until tomorrow morning when I will continue work on it.


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Lee, so far so good I worry about you though. What happens when you run out of places to put shelves? I'm seeing a sliding plexiglass ceiling thread in your future


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lee is installing an elevator to the attic in the other room. That will open up to a huge warehouse that stores all the overflow.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

*Basic Shelves and Door Done: More Tomorrow*


----------



## MOVL (Aug 23, 2015)

Very professional looking, Lee. That shelf door came out great!


----------



## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

Looks great! Let's see it full of trains!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It came out real nice, and there's plenty of room to store all the new trains from York!


----------



## mat007413 (Dec 23, 2014)

wondering how many steel beams are running under Lees train room..


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

*It is Done!*


----------



## josef (Jun 20, 2015)

Lee, looks good. Just something I've always done on heavy doors, is have 3 hinges. One also in center. Have one in the barn were we have shelves on door with horse liniment bottles etc. Lot of weight, but door since 1982 has never sagged.


----------



## Guest (Oct 4, 2015)

Very nice, Lee... great job!!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

josef said:


> Lee, looks good. Just something I've always done on heavy doors, is have 3 hinges. One also in center. Have one in the barn were we have shelves on door with horse liniment bottles etc. Lot of weight, but door since 1982 has never sagged.


Lee stated his intention to use four hinges, so he should be good in the hinge department.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Actually, I have only two hinges now. I was thinking four originally, but I found some really heavy duty (250 lbs each) hinges, and bolted through the wall and the shelf frame. I was going to install a third actually, but: a) it seems strong enough with just two, and b) it opens amazingly easy: I managed to get the two lined up perfectly and I doubt a third would be so precisely in line, so . . .


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lee, are you trying to make me look bad? Here, I'm defending you and you go and blow it!


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Sorry about that and I appreciate the moral support!

I tend to shoot from the hip a lot as I work. I'm building the second Murphy door now and intended to use two hinges here, again, but I might install a third, since I'm thinking of making this one double sided (shelves for trains facing the trainroom and shelves for tools and such in the shelves facing the workshop). I'm taking a break to think about it.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You really have to stop turning me into a liar. 

I love the door, what a great idea. Looks great with all the PFE Reefers. :thumbsup:


----------



## josef (Jun 20, 2015)

Actually I only saw 2 hinges. 3 hinges not only support weight, but also prevent and/or reduces warping of doors. Warping of doors cause more problems then some may think, and many don't, or can't see or detect slight warpage. Just a thought I would throw in there.


----------



## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Great job on the door Lee. :appl: The PFE Reefers look great and there is a significantly lower chance of sagging with the reefers instead of engines.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

*The Second Door is Done*

This design is basically like the first, although because of the shelves on either side of this doorway I left these shelves natural wood, in a painted frame. 

This doorway looks much more "invisible." It is a bit hard to pick out the door in the photos.

Again, just two hinges, but heavy duty and bolted, not screwed on.

It is in a place rather hard to get a good angle photo on, but its identifiable here because the Murphy door shelves had the retaining rods and the other shelves do not.







A look from another angle.








From across the layout's central peninsula. Left: closed. Right, open.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That's as cool as it can be Lee, what a great project! You simply continue to amaze!


----------



## Guest (Oct 8, 2015)

Very impressive, Lee!


----------



## josef (Jun 20, 2015)

I have to ask Lee, what with all them engines and cars, how do you decide what to put down and run at any given time? 
2nd question, is there any that you haven't run yet on layout.


----------



## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Lee, just gorgeous. You can't even tell it's there. A job very well done.


----------



## MOVL (Aug 23, 2015)

Great job on the two Murphy Doors!


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

josef said:


> I have to ask Lee, what with all them engines and cars, how do you decide what to put down and run at any given time?
> 2nd question, is there any that you haven't run yet on layout.


I have run every loco I have at least once around my mainline loop #1, which has 72" or larger curves so it will, supposedly, run anything made for three-rail O. I always test a new loco by running it once all around that loop. 

I try to run every loco I own (roughly 75 scale ones) at least once every year or two, although it had been three years since when I ran my JLC Big Boy and Allegheny recently. 

It takes about two hours to prepare my layout to run those big dogs. The track will handle any O-gauge loco, but over the years I added buildings, trees, and tunnel portals that encroach on curves, etc. I have to remove or temporarily re-position four buildings, about forty trees, and three tunnel portals first, before the layout will handle the nearly three-inch stick out on the nose of bit articulated locos like a scale Big boy, etc. I usually leave the layout that way for a week or two and run each of the big guys for half an hour or more, then it is back on the shelf. 

I have four locos I do not run any more: 

Premier PRR S-1 and UP Coal Turbine because they are too big. They will make it around the loop, but I have to remove even more buildings and tunnel portals than for the big boys. I bought both the S1 and the coal turbine really as models for display, and frankly when they run, both look ridiculous on my layout - much too big to look realistic. so they just sit on the shelf and do what I bought them to do. 
Premier models of a DM&IR M2 Yellowstone and Dreyfus Hudson. Both have something wrong with them. The Yellowstone I will not bother to fix (it is so big and I bought it mainly to have a model on the shelf alongside the other Yellowstones) and the Dreyfus I will repair when I get time to do it.


----------



## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

Lee, with all this weight on the third floor (I think), I hope your house has good bones for structural support.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

BobS said:


> Lee, with all this weight on the third floor (I think), I hope your house has good bones for structural support.


My wife worries about that, too. She has pointed out that I am always taking locomotives, lumber, material, etc. _upstairs _to the train-room, and never bringing anything _down_. 

She has a point but there is no sign of problems, so far.


----------



## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Lee, 
Beautiful job on the second door. I like the look of uninterrupted shelving across the wall. I think it would look cool if the door color blended in with the existing shelving. It would hide the fact that the door is there.


----------



## josef (Jun 20, 2015)

PatKn said:


> Lee,
> Beautiful job on the second door. I like the look of uninterrupted shelving across the wall. I think it would look cool if the door color blended in with the existing shelving. It would hide the fact that the door is there.


I agree, the doors now hidden and all shelving adds something to the room. Love it.
But, when you run out of areas for shelves, probable have to hand engines and cars from the ceiling. Just need to make it look like overhead cranes moving equipment.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

*Progress on Third Set of Murphy Shelves*

I thought I would show this photo of the nearly-completed-but-not-yet-painted third Murphy door. I'm posting these photos because it is easier to see what I did before it is painted. After the photo I discuss this door a bit, which is different than the other two in many ways, for those who are interested.








If you recall my plans, this one is a different design/approach and more risky (in terms of not working) than the other two: _I did not replace the door: you are looking at it in the photos above._ I built the set of shelves _on _the door, with the door in place, _never removing it. _ It even has the original hinges, although the screws holding them on were replaced one-by-one with much larger hardware/bolts. 

I built the shelves by installing the outer frame to the door (many long screws from behind) then installing a backing over the door (5 mm foamboard covering the door so you don't see it's panels, etc.) except in one place where I used 5 mm plywood), and then adding the shelves one by one. The shelves are just 2.5 inches deep: they fit entirely within the original door jambs - just . . . They are spaced unevenly in order to accommodate things of different heights I plan to put on them.

Emphasis here is on strength but light weight. The entire set of shelves weights 12.5 pounds. This includes a small lip at the front edge of each shelf, not yet installed, so diecast model cars will not roll off. With paint, I figure it will have added less than 14 pounds total to the door (20 lbs before) or about 70% more weight and stress on the hinges, etc.). The door easily and smooth opens and closes and latches like normal and shows no problem or sag with the added weight of the shelves alone.

There are eighteen shelves on it, each 25 5/8 inches long. I figure they can hold five diecast cars each, but probably I will display only four per shelf: call it 4.5 per shelf for a total of about 80 vehicles, at 5 oz each vehicle, for an additional 25 pounds. This means the shelves will be carrying about twice their weight - I'm sure they can take that. The door and its frame and hinges, originally holding just 20 lbs, will now be holding a total of 59 pounds (20 lb original door, 14 lb of door with paint, and 25 lbs of diecast load). Will it sag/bend/give problems? That 3X it original weight and cause for concern. But with the reinforcement I added, I think it can handle it. Time will tell.


----------



## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Very nice job Lee. :thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Very cool lee, you are certainly the "Shelf Master" of the forum!


----------



## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Very cool lee, you are certainly the "Shelf Master" of the forum!


John: It's much larger than "shelf master". We have to think a a degree that exceeds "master". To that end, I suggest, "SUPREME POTENTATE OF ALL THINGS STORED".


----------



## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Lee,
I am late for class again. However, as I always told my kids when they were in college, better late than skipping class. 

The concep, design, and construction are great! The completed and filled doors look great! I have wondered this in the past. What do you use to make the pages with white on black background with photos included? So professional looking! But that is what we have come to expect.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Mark Boyce said:


> Lee,
> What do you use to make the pages with white on black background with photos included? So professional looking!


I do them in MS Powerpoint, setting it up with black background and white lettering, and then have Powerpoint convert and save the file as a series of individual .jpeg files for each slide (an option in the program's Save As function). The average page turns out to be only a 75 kB image file which loads on MTF in seconds. Very efficient!

I use the approach a lot for three reasons, which in order of importance to me, are:

1) I can prepare pictures and text off-line, taking as much time as I want. Once I loaded sixteen pictures up to a forum, then took a hour writing a explanation for each, etc., checking my spelling and all - and something happened, I timed out and the system scrubbed me, or something, and all my work was gone. This way I make it all look pretty, get it just the way I want, then just save it as jpegs and and upload and post 'em in seconds - laterally.

2) People who want to download a copy of the (small, easy to download) image(s) in order to save them get the explanatory text with the pictures . . . often very useful.

3) Search engines don't see the text. This can be good or bad depending on what you want.


----------



## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Lee,
Well that's handy. Most folks have PowerPoint. Those are all excellent reasons. I will have to give it a try.
Thank you!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

For folks without MS Office, the free Open Office also offers similar capabilities. Here's the Open Office Impress page that compares to PowerPoint.


----------



## rboatertoo (Aug 5, 2015)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> For folks without MS Office, the free Open Office also offers similar capabilities. Here's the Open Office Impress page that compares to PowerPoint.


Thanks John, I have been using open office for over ten years, but I didn't know it could do that. After having to buy ms office for the 10th time, due to upgrades, my son told me about open office and I have used it ever since. But you have to remember to save files as ms files. I have sent Open office files to a Banker, and he couldn't open them.....


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I believe you can configure Open Office to save in Microsoft format as default. I remember it used to do that.

I'm using MS Office 2010, it's the last one I got for free when I was an Microsoft MVP for a few years. It's also why I'm still on Windows 7, that was the last of those I got for free.


----------



## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

*gunrunnerJohn posted: It's also why I'm still on Windows 7, that was the last of those I got for free.* 

John, Win10 is free and I have to say I am very impressed with it. It is really an upgrade of Win7 with all the quirks worked out. Nothing like the stupid Win8.


----------



## DMASSO (Jul 25, 2015)

Lee, the shelves came out very, very nice. good looks with functionality.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Wood said:


> *gunrunnerJohn posted: It's also why I'm still on Windows 7, that was the last of those I got for free.*
> 
> John, Win10 is free and I have to say I am very impressed with it. It is really an upgrade of Win7 with all the quirks worked out. Nothing like the stupid Win8.


I actually have Win10 on my backup computer, and I'll install it here when I get time. I skipped Windows 8, and after seeing it, I'm glad I did.


----------



## rboatertoo (Aug 5, 2015)

Wood said:


> *gunrunnerJohn posted: It's also why I'm still on Windows 7, that was the last of those I got for free.*
> 
> John, Win10 is free and I have to say I am very impressed with it. It is really an upgrade of Win7 with all the quirks worked out. Nothing like the stupid Win8.



My Laptop died, so I brought a new one with windows 8, in a week I have almost thrown it out the window 10 times, I do have a free upgrade to 10, I'll download that tonight!!!! I have a Iphone and consider going apple but I went cheap. Microsoft could learn something from Apple and stop changing everything. 

Window 8 reminds me of Vista. It was suppose to make life easy!!! LOL


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Every other Windows version is a bust, so I didn't have high hopes for Windows 8.


----------



## Pingman (Aug 18, 2015)

I needed to purchase a new laptop when 8 came out and that's what was installed. I hated it. Fortunately, the computer was defective and the vendor replaced it, but this time I specified
7. I'll download 10 this week-end.

Seems this is a long way from Lee's original topic--hope he doesn't mind.


----------



## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Pingman said:


> I needed to purchase a new laptop when 8 came out and that's what was installed. I hated it. Fortunately, the computer was defective and the vendor replaced it, but this time I specified
> 7. I'll download 10 this week-end.
> 
> Seems this is a long way from Lee's original topic--hope he doesn't mind.



Carl,
It's all my fault.  I asked him how he made his professional looking white on black pages. I had wondered it for a long time, and it just so happened this was the time I finally asked. :thumbsup:


----------



## rboatertoo (Aug 5, 2015)

I just hope we aren't in "hot water" for this. Lol


----------



## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

rboatertoo said:


> I just hope we aren't in "hot water" for this. Lol


Oh NO!!


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

*IT IS ALL DONE.*

It took two hours yesterday afternoon just to paint them: a lot of nooks and crannies. The oil based satin white on the third door is dry to the touch this morning but I will let it harden until tomorrow before putting anything on it. The third set of shelves is to the right, below, just under the words "90 feet" in the paragraph below.

I tried to combine two phtos here to give a feel for the look. This shows the side wall and portions of both end walls. with all three doors closed, as here, if feels a bit like one of those libraries in the English manor homes that have doors that are hidden in the bookshelves. Anyway, I like the look, and it is nice to have the additonal 90 feet of shelf space, too.








This detail shows the level of "finish" I did - I'm not going after cabinetry-grade woodworking here, just good, strong, serviceable shelves, and how I designed and arranged this final, third set of shelve. There is only 2 1/4 inch of depth on each shelf - just enough for a diecast car - with a 1/4 inch high lip as you say, to keep them from rolling off. 








So its all done . . . except the cleanup. I'm looking forward to finding all my tools again, including 23 pencils I use for marking lumber and such. I started out with 24 - by the time I finished, I had only 1 that I could find. The rest , and my backup power screwdriver, are in there somewhere under those sedimentary layers of scrap end pieces and such . . .


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That's an amazing wall Lee, you really know how to maximize the space! I love the look, it's a "train" library.


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Lee,

Your workshop looks a bit like mine. A place for everything and nothing in its place. Unfortunately, when I am done with a tool, I all too often just set it down and move to the next task. I'm still looking for my favorite pen knife that I last used a few weeks ago.

However, the shelves and Murphy shelves look fantastic.

Bob


----------



## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Looks fantastic Lee. :appl::appl::appl: I have been following this thread from the beginning and I had trouble finding the doors. I had to enlarge the picture and look for the rod that prevents the trains from falling off. The pic of your workroom surprised me. It looks like mine after a project.  You always struck me as being much neater than I am.


----------



## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Lee,
It all looks great! When you need more room, you could raise the roof, build shelves up, add a rolling library ladder and look like 'Enry 'Iggins in My Fair Lady!


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

*As Paul Harvey would say: And now the rest of the story . . .*


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Love it. Its great when you can use scraps of wood for stuff like shelves and boxes.


----------



## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

That's a great use of scraps. Amazing how it all fit. Cut to order.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You are a shelf-a-holic, I'm looking for therapy options for you now!


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You are a shelf-a-holic, I'm looking for therapy options for you now!


"Hello, my name is Lee, and I am a shelfaholic. I joined the twelve-shelf program . . . uh, I mean . . . ."


----------



## AG216 (Sep 28, 2011)

this job can be done only for a very high* Shelf-esteem* person!!!

great job, and topic!

Andre.


----------



## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Lee Willis, The SHELVENATOR!


----------



## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

Great stuff! You are a mad genius Lee!


----------



## Bill Webb (Sep 14, 2015)

Interested to see how this works. Have similar needs. Thanks Lee.


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Lee - You should have applied for a patent on the Murphy Shelves. I just saw the same thing on Ask This Old House.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)




----------



## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

What a great project. :appl:


----------



## chipset35 (Sep 4, 2015)

WOW Lee!


----------



## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

So the bathroom door was a $2.00 job turned into a $1.00 job or less. Way to go Mr.Engineer


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I would suspect that the hollow doors would give pretty good sag resistance as long as you had good hinges. Those are really neat doors, and I'm keeping that in mind for the future. When I get ready, I'll contact *ShelfMan* for tips.


----------

