There’s nothing worse than trying to get large, heavy, or awkward things through a standard shed door. These sliding barn doors will certainly help with access issues.
Sliding barn doors are perfect for storage sheds. They can even make your shed look like a purpose-built barn that fits right in your backyard. You can also design your own sliding barn door to fit your function and aesthetic needs.
What’s really great about this barn door setup is that that hardware is made from skateboard wheels. Yes, ordinary, off-the-shelf, skateboard wheels are way cheaper than store-bought sliding door hardware. It’s very easy to build too and only requires basic tools.
Materials:
- Skateboard Wheels and Bearings
- Galvanized Steel Rails
- long 1×1 Angle Iron
- 2 pieces 4’ long 1-1/2” x 1/8” Flat Stock Steel
- Nuts, Bolts, and Washers
- Extra pieces of Wood
Tools:
- Clamps
- Jig Saw
- Drill Press (you can also use a Hand Drill if your hands are strong and steady enough)
- Hammer
- Carpenter’s Level
- Tape Measure
- Carpenter’s Level
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Steps:
Cut the flat stock steel into half to make four 24 inches of strips. Then bend them into U shapes using a 1 inch steel rod clamped on the table. See picture below. Grab both ends of the steel and pull upwards. The flat stock will bend relatively easy.
Use a hammer to bend the part near the pipe even more since you will need a tight curve creating about only 1-1/4 inches space between the two sides of the flat steel.
Put a skateboard wheel in between to make sure the space provided allows the wheel to move. Also mark the steel where the axles will be.
Cut a small piece of 1-1/4″ thick wood and place it in between the steel to serve as support while you drill pilot holes on the mark that you made. Then replace your drill bit with a 5/16″ to drill final holes for mounting the axle.
There’s no exact measurement for drilling the holes on the steel. As long as the wheel can rotate properly without touching the bent part of the steel, it would be fine. Place washers in between the sides of the steel and the wheel so that the two would not come in contact when you screw down the bolt. You may have to make some trial and error with different sizes of washers to determine the right one – consider the thickness of your door.
