Comments on using strap hinges for a Camp Danger door (vs. tape hinge)

[Jay Batson]

Hey, all -

Last year I made a Camp Danger yurt.  Loved it.

I made the door Danger-style - a square door cut in the middle of a side, not extending to the edge.  I used a tape hinge, and Neodymium magnets for a latch.

By the end of the burn, the door was hanging crooked; the tape had started to come loose.  Photo at end of post below.

Does anybody have any thoughts about attaching two strap hinges directly to the door & yurt?  I'm considering two of these along the hinge edge:

Some details:

1. I'd use at least 3 (if not all 4) hex bolts to attach each side, drilling through the yurt foam, and using big fender washers on the back. Lots of bolts = better distribution of door weight across all the holes through the R-Max
2. I would NOT transport the Yurt with these attached.  I'd attach them during construction (on-Playa), and remove prior to packing.
3. My yurt is currently NOT WITH ME, and I won't have any ability to work on it before I get to construction on-playa. I'll be fitting them for the first time when putting the yurt up. (It's in-storage in a container, and I'll pick it up on-playa.)
4. I'm pretty handy. I'm also obsessive about getting things perfect.  My yurt is built reasonably well - cuts are straight, but the angle of the bevel varies.  (Grrr.)
5. I acknowledge there will be a little R-Max Moop that appears when I drill my holes. I will capture it to the best of my ability.

My key concern is whether people think the holes will start to widen, hinges sag, and in-turn make the dor sag, defeating the purpose. I'm also concerned that getting the hinges on so they actually work; can I get them straight so they aren't fighting each other's angles when they open?  Note that I'd prefer to NOT have to add any "strengthening material" under the hinge - metal plates, 1/4" ply, etc.  Just makes preparing more complex.

My alternative is to rebuild the tape hinge on-playa.  I'd rather have a better, longer-term solution.

Anybody have any comments? Good idea, bad idea, ?

(Photo of yurt with sagging door.)

Close-up of hinge:

[Ray Kornele]

Use four bolts, at least 1 1/4OD fender washers and wing nuts for tooless assembly.

KrazyKyngeKorny (Krazy, not stupid)

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[Steve Upstill]

I tried hinges backed with washers on the other side, and the foam ripped to shit. It’s just not a structural element. Next year I cemented a sheet of 1/2” ply to that wall and cut a door into that, applying a piano hinge. Works, structurally (mostly: it’s still a bazard picking it up if the door isn’t securely taped in place), but adds huge weight. The ply is handy for protection though. 

I’m still looking for the ultimate hinging solution.

Cheers,

Steve

--

Any idiot can handle a crisis--it's this day-to-day living that wears you out.        

--Anton Chekhov

[Jay Batson]

Thanks for the two replies so far.

I went to Home Depot, and found that the hinge I'd copied into the mail was SERIOUSLY stiff to move.

I found another, 8" (not 10, sadly) black decorative hinge that was better for three reasons:

1) Very easy hinging; no stiffness;

2) 3 holes, all in locations I can use;

3) Lightweight.

I think what I'm going to try is to actually use _both_ a tape hinge, plus the metal hinges.  I'll have to repair my tape hinge on-playa, but I suspect I can do that without trouble.

Hopefully by putting the load across both hinge types I can keep either from having operational issues, and keep from tearing the foam apart as Switfly experienced.  (The only thing I'm still a bit worried about is alignment; can it all work?)

Thanks. I'll still appreciate any new comments people have.

-jb

[hal muskat]

We use hinges like that on the doors. Use LARGE washers where the bolt (a real thin one) touches the panels to avoid puncture. 

[Phil Dirt]

What you're all forgetting is the sheer stress that hinges (and the bolts that hold them) put on the polyiso panels, which were never meant to be structural. 

I cut my 2' x 2' door in one of the 4' end panels of my stretch hexayurt to better utilize interior space. The opening extends all the way to the ground. I glued a piece of 1/4" plywood to the inside of the cut out to make an insulated door. Anything thicker than 1/4" is overkill and adds unnecessary weight. The plywood provides all the sheer strength you need for the hinge ears and latch that bolt through the door proper. 

I reinforced the sides and top of the door opening with 12" wide aluminum flashing which I formed into a "U" shape to slip over the cut edges of the paneling. This provides sheer strength for the hinges and latch and also protects the edges of the door opening from abrasion when entering or leaving the yurt. Since I used 1-1/2 panels, I used a scrap piece of 2" x 4", folded the flashing over by hand, then beat the daylights out of it with a rubber mallet. An eye bolt through the hinge side of the wall and another through the door can be fitted with a bungee cord to automatically close the door when you enter or leave.

Because the doorway opens all the way to the playa, I needed a transom to reinforce the sides and reduce the amount of dust dragged into the yurt. I made this with a 2' scrap of 2" x 2" and four metal straps, two on each end. This just drops into the opening and is held in place by friction and gravity, two of my favorite forces.

[Dan March]

Awesome guys!  I can only add that when I use 1/4" (or less) plywood, I generally sandwich the foam with it on the hinge side.  I tend to put a 1x4 up to whole wall-ID-size inside along the bottom to reinforce the threshold against clumsy feet.  I also go beyond fender washers - which I do use, but add 2.25" heavy-ish but somewhat flexible washers I make with a hole-saw from sheet plastic (think thin "camping" cutting board material or...)... also considered painting stepped-on soda cans... but... nah.