I have some clients with pocket doors. They also have cats, a lot of cats, and the cats can open the pocket doors. Now, these are not lightweight doors.
3 are 3/0 solid wood with glass panels, and 1 is 10mm glass with wood panels. The wood doors are hung with the Johnson 2000 systems, the glass with Hawa Jr. We got those tracks to run smoothly.
When I adjust the keepers to keeps the cats at bay, the doors are a pain to open and close.
HOs don’t want latching hardware, and suggested magnets. So, I’m thinking one in the door and one in the jamb set up to attract…
but how much force do you think a 10lb cat can exert? And, do two magnets exert twice the pull force? How much force is too much for two short, but strong ladies to slide a door?
Is this a good deal on magnets?
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11002
How far can an African swallow carry a coconut?
Thanks
I went down to the lobby To make a small call out. A pretty dancing girl was there, And she began to shout, “Go on back to see the gypsy. He can move you from the rear, Drive you from your fear, Bring you through the mirror. He did it in Las Vegas, And he can do it here.”
Replies
you'll want to check out Lee Valley's site, they have magnets for this exact purpose, pre-drill like washers, matching cups and magnets ...
Thank you, I'm heading there...http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
See if this helps...
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32066cat=1,42363,42348&ap=1
Looks like you might easily adapt that to your setup.
As for the coconut question, are we talking about two swallows with a strand of creeper?
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only if it gets me over the bridge...http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
To determine the size of the magninets needed. Tie different sizes of mag's to two cats tails, hook them together. When they can't pull apart you will have the mag. size you need.
and after I was done, I could stick the cats to the fridge!http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
And I thought I had problems....;-)
The problem is the cats getting a toe or nail between the door and the jamb, then using that to work the door out. Magnets are going to give you the same problem as the keepers.
Instead, what about trimming out the jamb a little so the door actually fits into a slot. Then when the cats try to open it, them will just push it against the opposite side of the slot instead of open.
EDIT: You can stick on some quarter round with double sided tape just to see if the idea would work first.
Tu stultus es
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Edited 1/12/2009 12:16 pm by xxPaulCPxx
Apparently you're right about how the cats work it, but the problem with the keepers is in the sliding. The wooden doors vary slightly in thickness... I'd like them to glide again, after breaking the magnetic bond...I'll mention the trim pocket to them.http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
I've used the Lee Valley RE magnets as keepers for various things. As long as you can get them to make direct contact (important), the holding force is pretty incredible. You could use multiple magnets per door, and unless these cats are into pumping iron, I don't think they could snap the bond. They might mess up the doors trying though!Once released, the magnets would have no effect on the sliding mechanism.Scott.
The Lee Valley cups are nice... I do know that cats ain't from this planet... I'm wearing a disguise when I do this install.http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
I once built an addition on this house in Jersey and the owners had like 12 cats. Anyways they had these electrified mats to keep the cats out of certain rooms and every time I had to go into the house, I would take my shoes off naturally (unlike some guys from Pelham) and I would forget they were there and get zapped. Those HO were not from this planet.
Yeah, but they liked zapping cats!http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
You should invite mythbusters to your cat-magnet test, I'm sure it would get great tv ratings ;-)
does you tube do shoots?http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
I think you do the shoot and post it on youtube.
Or in this case icanhascheezburger.com
In case you haven't solved this riddle yet, perhaps these magnetic switches would be the purrfect solution?Looks like they are magnets that can be turned on and off so you don't have to yank to open the door, unless you are a cat that can't reach the handle. Not sure if you can make them fit what you need, but might be worth a look.http://toolmonger.com/2009/01/16/magswitch-cabinet-latches/#more-18669'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Interesting quandry.
1) anything that will foil the cats will be problematic to the owners
a) latches
b) super strong magents
2) my position has always been that the house belongs to the cats, and the humans just visit. (I mean, think of it -- the cat is there 24/7, the humans ain't)
a) whatever is in the other part of the house needs to be 'cat-proofed"
i) why would you have cats and try to restrict them from a part of the house. that is wierd.
ii) if these HO are so wierd, be sure you get payment up front. No telling what other strange ideas they'll have. LOL
3) this thread is evidence that cats ARE smarter than humans -- you don't see cats conferring on problems of how to maintain their humans... obviously,
The Felines Are Winning.
I'm an outside of the house cat thinker...http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
The study is complete. Lee Valley 3/8" magnets, cup and a washer will keep a 15lb feline at bay, while still allowing petite HOs easy access.While I was there, I let some maple pulls into a couple of 4/0 8/0 doors that we'd hung, and only cost 3 grand apiece... talk about nervous as a cat.
http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
NICE looking doors there.You make them?Glad the magnets worked out. But I see at least one cat already bypassed the system? :)'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Here's the guy that made them : http://www.jlcww.com/Default.aspx?tabid=804I just got stuck with the installation and pull part...and that is one cool cat, the magnets were his idea.http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
Those are pretty cool, I'll run it by the kittens.http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
"You should invite mythbusters to your cat-magnet test, I'm sure it would get great tv ratings ;-)"
Only if they could, at some point, blow up a cat ;o)Jeff
"Only if they could, at some point, blow up a cat ;o)"They'd probably borrow a Grizzabella costume from a production of "CATS" and put it on poor old Buster.BruceT
Caturday...
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Edited 1/12/2009 11:50 pm by Scott
There's no way cats would be able to open it with rare earth magnets. Even the tiny ones are super strong.
My concern with the magnet idea is that it would be just as hard for people to open it as a well wedged keeper.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
I would add a couple of pieces of stop on the jamb on the closed side. This will (well, should - lol) stymie the cats without adding any difficulty for the HO (assuming that they're smarter than the cats.)
Just add the stop near the bottom, or leave a hand-hold in the middle, so that humans can get their fingers in OK.
God is REAL, unless explicitly declared INTEGER
A magnet seems a bit much. How about installing a hook and eyelet?
Man, the world is completely falling apart and here we have a thread about how much force a cat can exert!! And it's true, even the tiniest cats can exert tremendous force!! Get BIG magnets, save yourself a callback.
I've got one of those magnetic featherboards on the table saw, takes two hands and a smack to get it loose... you may be right, bigger is better... I could end up cat food on the call back.http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
I am surprised no one has suggested the obvious solution.
Get rid of the cats.
annnnd, that would be obvious to who?Only asking, because these folks will pay me.http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."