POPULARWOODWORKING.COM ■ 27The alluring nature of secret
rooms has captivated my imagina-
tion for as long as I can remember.
Growing up, my mind would race
with possibilities, as I'd watch some-
one unlock a bookcase by tilting a
book or some other secretive method
on television. As an adult, their mys-
tique is still appealing, though having
built several of them now their func-
tionality is no longer a mystery to
me. Whether a person wants to hide
a safe, have a safe room or just fi nd a
creative way to hide a utility room, a
bookcase door is a fairly easy way to
go about doing it.
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The secret to making a bookcase
door function is in the hinges. Fo r
an in-swing door, you can use regular
door hinges placed on the back of the
case but I don't recommend it. Even
though the tendency to sag can be
mitigated some with a caster on the
strike side, eventually those hinges
will become loose and falter. So for
both in- and out-swing doors, I use
what's called a pivot hinge. With a
pivot hinge, the load is transferred
from the jam to the threshold and the
header, alleviating the stress of the
traditional jam hinge confi guration.
The hinge I found to work best formy needs is the Invisi-Door Hinge kit
($139) from CS Hardware. With its
500-pound load capacity and the fact
that it surface mounts with no mor-
tising required, it’s a great solution
for both pros and homeowners alike.
The kit comes with easy-to-follow
instructions for a 36" door, including
frame and case dimensions (which, if
the same overhangs and reveals are
used, can be adapted to about any
width opening).Prepare the Opening
The opening that your door will
pivot in needs to be jammed and1 Start with trimming
out the door jamb.
Being accurate here
is key to hiding the
opening. Cut your
jambs to length.
2 The jambs are
joined to the header
with rabbets. The
rabbets are cut with
a rabbeting bit in the
router.
3 I assemble the
jambs and header
with staples to get it
ready to install in the
opening.