When is a door not a door?
When it's aJAR, of course!
Glass Door Hardware
I spend a lot of time with architects, and sometimes I'm put in the awkward position of having to talk them out of trying to do something with doors that hasn't been successfully done before. Many times this involves glass doors, which are becoming more common, yet still have very few options for hardware. It's tough to make a glass door do anything innovative, when all of the locking hardware is paired with a fixed pull handle.
Massachusetts 8th Edition Approved
The 8th edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code 780 CMR becomes effective on August 6, 2010. From August 6th, 2010, to February 6th, 2011, there will be a concurrency period during which the 7th or 8th edition requirements can be followed, and after February 6th, 2011, the 8th edition must be used.
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Since it's one hour until Friday and I've had a very long week trying to catch up from being on vacation, here's some door-humor (yes, really). It's an automatic door on the Columbia University Physics building. The auto operator was being replaced with an LCN Senior Swing, but the installers were struggling through the installation without a wiring diagram, which can be extremely tough if there's other hardware involved. I feel a site visit coming on.
LAX Egress
It's not very often that I see a news report about egress doors that don't meet code requirements. Considering the prevalence of the problem, it's amazing to me that it doesn't get more publicity, but then again, I'm a little more focused on the problem than the average citizen.
Thumbturn Rim Cylinder
This application came across my desk last week and for the life of me I couldn't think of where someone would use it. I don't remember ever being asked for a rim cylinder with a thumbturn, and people ask me for all kinds of random things.
Stud Hold-Open
Today's the last day of my vacation, and I'm headed to Woburn to get my computer fixed, and then leaving for the weekend armed with a set of plans for a project I'm revising. That doesn't sound very vacationish to me, but it goes with the territory.
Reader Photos
As I've said before, it makes me really happy when people send me photos of door and hardware applications they've seen in the field. I'm REALLY happy today because my inbox is full!
Irish Castle Doors
Unfortunately, these door photos from Ireland are not mine, since I'm currently on a stay-cation in the 95-degree heat. I received them from Bob Caron of Kelley Brothers of New England, and they were taken by his niece, Emily Hogue, on a recent trip to Ireland. Thanks Emily!
Deer Stand
As I said in my last post, I'm on vacation and I just spent a long weekend in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. We're lucky to have friends who own a little piece of heaven and let us come to visit on occasion. I spent the weekend taking naps, watching the kids swim in the pond, and going on photo safaris in the woods, with no intentions of looking for doors or coming up with an interesting blog post.
Fort Williams Park – Cape Elizabeth, Maine
I'm on vacation in Maine, and the doors are few and far between. Today we went to Fort Williams Park, which has some really interesting buildings including the ruins of the Goddard Mansion, and the Portland Headlight (described as the most photographed lighthouse in the world). Scattered around the park are various batteries and other buildings left over from the property's life as a military post.
Locked In!
We're on our annual summer road trip, although I didn't have the stamina to listen to the kids bicker all the way to Florida so it's a much shorter trip than last year. Before anyone asks, I don't have a single piece of hardware with me on this trip.
Happy 4th!
I'm really starting to think that between photos from readers and the way the internet connects me to the world, I could just stay in my house and still have plenty of doors to write about. I'm currently at our "camp" which depending on where you are in the country could be defined as a cottage, lake house, summer home, etc. I usually call it our shack in the woods, because it's tiny, it needs work, and it's in the woods. Anyway, you get the picture.
“EL” vs. “E”
Last week I got a compliment about this site from a security consultant, and I asked him if there were any topics he'd like me to do a post about. He said that a post on electrified lever trim (E) vs. electric latch retraction (EL) would be helpful since he spends a lot of time explaining the difference to his clients. So Michael, this is for you, and everyone out there who has been wondering how to choose between the two.
Reader Photos
I love to receive photos from people who read my blog, and a couple of weeks ago I hit the jackpot. Within 24 hours I received a bunch!