![]() ![]() After both doors were mounted and adjusted, the team installed door stops in the track center. ![]() The previously removed section of track was then mounted in its prescribed location, and the second door was slid onto it. When the first door was complete, it was pushed fully into the pocket and the second door was slid onto the same track. So installing the doors was a laborious process of repeated removal and hanger adjustments. Right: The pocket door openings are integral with the solid marble walls and do not allow any access to the door trolleys or tracks-here out of view between the brickwork and marble. ![]() If the door did not slide freely or was not plumb and level, it was removed and adjusted-a very labor-intensive and physically demanding process. Next, one section of track was removed and set aside, and a door with trolleys attached was slid into the track. The trolley was then mounted to the door and preliminary height adjustments were made to the trolley and tracks. The team’s solution was to mount the tracks at a prescribed height based on the height of the door, the trolley adjustment range, and the track distance from the finished floor. This was the case at MARB, but no provision was made for access to the trolley adjustment after building finishes were applied. The McCabe system is designed to allow mounting the tracks and hangers during construction without leaving the tracks in place until the doors are ready to hang track height is adjustable via threaded screws. Some of the tracks required manipulation to return them to the original shape using various methods, including applying large hammers and words of encouragement. In the McCabe pocket door system, the track comprises two independent U-shaped sections that join at the door opening midpoint to enclose the trolleys. The next step was to straighten and reinstall the hanger tracks. Ball bearings were lubricated with a dry lubricant (CRC® Dry PTFE Lube) that does not attract dirt and debris. The UHMW material will operate in the same manner as the fiber wheels, insuring smooth and quiet operation. The replacement wheels re-used the existing bearing raceways, loose ball bearings, and hanger assembly, but required new axles. The team took the door hangers to Foltz Manufacturing and Supply in Hagerstown, Maryland, who machined replacement wheels from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. RIght: Original McCabe enclosed tracks before refurbishing-innovative in 1920 but standard for sliding doors today. of New York, one of several brands on the market, which advertised “hard, fiber wheels ensuring long life and quiet operation.” While Carrère & Hastings’ large-scale drawings of the doors and their frames show a label reading “hold space for hangers,” who selected the long-gone McCabe product and why remains a mystery. Fortunately, during the window and door preservation treatment phase, 2019 to 2021, a careful investigation by the HPTC Wood Crafting Team revealed that the pocket doors hung on an enclosed track and trolley wheels made by the McCabe Hanger Mfg. However, the way the contractor built the pocket door mechanisms into the solid masonry construction made it difficult to view the hanging hardware. HPTC identified three types of pocket doors in two pairs of each type, symmetrically arranged around the central axis of the amphitheater. When pocket doors (aka sliding doors) first appeared in the early 1800s they traveled on rollers built into the bottom of the door, but by the early 20th century, most systems suspended doors from overhead hardware. Photo by Arlington National Cemetery Public Affairs Office minus operable sash and bronze grates, making repeated hangings and adjustments physically demanding. One type of pocket door after restoration. ![]()
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