So, I received my 4.1 a few days ago and it’s pretty obvious that I’m going to need even more space than anticipated. I don’t have the luxury of a horizontal mount and even vertical is going to be a space challenge with the additional size requirements.
Has anyone experimented with anything like a pull-out wall mounted frame? My thought was something that could tuck up against the wall at 90-degrees when not in use and then the bottom could pull out while the top slid down along a track on the wall.
It seems like an obvious solution to the space problem, so I was wondering if there was some reason that this wouldn’t be viable (that I’m just missing). If not, has anyone done it and can they offer any lessons-learned?
I’ve conducted mental experiments—for a brief moment, a friend was going to host my frame (I live in a 670 square foot condo on the second floor, so I can’t even set it up at home) and we thought we’d suspend the whole thing from the rafters, then drop the bottom to the floor—and I think the crucial issue is making sure the frame is rigid rigid rigid.
I’m currently working on a frame made with 4-foot box beams that slip fit, with matching corner and mid-run joints. I’ll be able to pack all the pieces (except for spoil board) into my Ford Fiesta and set it up wherever I have opportunity.
My frame is simply pushed up against the wall and pulled out when needed. No tracks or such. Just moving it by hand. A workbench on casters keeps it well in place. It weights a fair bit not not unreasonable. Standard wooden design is pretty stiff and strong with a backboard fastened to it.
So are you dropping it to horizontal when using it or are you just literally putting the workbench in front of it when it’s angled to hold it in place?
It stands by itself when pulled out to 25 degrees or thereabout angle. It is when it is stored vertically the workbench on casters secures it in place.
That’s pretty much what I was hoping to do. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to secure the top and allow it to slide down as the bottom pulls out. I could do it with custom machined tracks, but I was hoping that someone might have found an off-the-shelf solution. There must be something out there, but so far I haven’t found anything robust enough. (I had considered just mounting some wheels on the top that it could roll down the wall on, but I was concerned about stability when it was in operation. I just don’t know how fussy the 4.1 is going to be.)
Just start with it unrestricted and go from there. I do not see the need for any rails or other mechanisms so far at my place. Getting started is the important thing, improvements can be made later.
Mine hinges from the wall, you can tuck it up flat like this or I pull it out and put cinderblocks under the frame to get the correct angle. I almost never fold it back up though.
One thing to think about, is that the frame is really heavy, so you’ll need some really burly hinges and attachment points if you do it this way.
That is the same thing that I’m trying to do, but the distance between the wall and the garage door track is tighter in my garage, so I need it to slip down when I pull the base out so that the top ends up below the track. It looks like the top on yours is fixed to hinges and it’s the bottom that comes up as you pull it out.
What angle are you using? I was planning on about 30 degrees off of vertical which would bring me out about 4 feet from the wall at the base.
Probably around 22 to 25°. I have a cinder block under the bottom 2x4 with another thin block on top of that. My frame is pretty different now, but the concept is the same.
