Stuck Door

[Bouffont]

Hi All,

I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!

I've tried the following:

Getting a coat hanger under the door - failed becuase the door is so
close to the hardwood floor (which I dont want to scratch) that it wont
fit under.
Barging the door with my shoulder - failed and hurt
Kicking the door as hard as possible - failed but opened the door a
slight bit more
Taking the door handle off - failed becuase in their infinite wisdom
the people that made the house glued it on and I cant get it off no
matter how hard I try.
sliding a long metal ruler under the door - failed due to lack of room
banging the door a lot in an attempt to move the clothes horse up a
little - failed - didnt work at all
Used harsh language at the door - failed but made me feel better

My thoughts now are to:

Drill through the door and reach through and move it
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.

There's absolutley no other way into the cupboard I can think of.

Anyone got any ideas!

Cheers

Tom

[Mary Fisher]

Post by Bouffont
Hi All,
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
Getting a coat hanger under the door - failed becuase the door is so
close to the hardwood floor (which I dont want to scratch) that it wont
fit under.
Barging the door with my shoulder - failed and hurt
Kicking the door as hard as possible - failed but opened the door a
slight bit more
Taking the door handle off - failed becuase in their infinite wisdom
the people that made the house glued it on and I cant get it off no
matter how hard I try.
sliding a long metal ruler under the door - failed due to lack of room
banging the door a lot in an attempt to move the clothes horse up a
little - failed - didnt work at all
Used harsh language at the door - failed but made me feel better
Drill through the door and reach through and move it
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.
There's absolutley no other way into the cupboard I can think of.
Anyone got any ideas!
Cheers
Tom

Open Sesame?

Mary

[VisionSet]

Post by Bouffont
Hi All,
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
Anyone got any ideas!

I take it the hinge pins are on the inside?
Otherwise drift them out, sawing any peenings as necessary.

--
Mike W

[Chris Bacon]

Post by Dave Fawthrop
"Bouffont"

Post by Bouffont
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
Anyone got any ideas!

I take it the hinge pins are on the inside?
Otherwise drift them out, sawing any peenings as necessary.

"Angle grinder".

[Guy King]

Post by Chris Bacon
"Angle grinder".

Variable sword?

[Chris Bacon]

Post by Guy King

Post by Chris Bacon
"Angle grinder".

Variable sword?

Eh?

[Eric The Viking]

Post by Guy King

Post by Chris Bacon
"Angle grinder".

Variable sword?

Eh?

Black & decker Scorpion Saw?

ETV

MENTUM REV JOSH HOLM

[Guy King]

Post by Guy King

Post by Chris Bacon
"Angle grinder".

Variable sword?

Eh?

It's a Larry Niven - Ringworld thing.

[Huge]

Post by Guy King

Post by Guy King

Post by Chris Bacon
"Angle grinder".

Variable sword?

Eh?

It's a Larry Niven - Ringworld thing.

It's a molecular monofilament supported by a Slaver stasis
field. It's called a "variable sword" because the monofilament
winds back into a handle, so you can have it any length you
like. It has a little red button on the end so you know where
it is and don't cut any of your own appendages off by mistake.

William Gibson uses a similar device in one of his "Sprawl" novels
("Neuromancer", I *think*) where Case comes out of the Gentleman
Loser and a ninja assassin tries to kill him with a bolas made of
monofilament. No Slaver stasis field, since they haven't been
invented in Gibson's universe... :o)

(Yes, I read too much science fiction.)

[d***@gglz.com]

You have unlocked the door haven't you?

I take it this is an inward opening door? (unusual for a cupboard).

No hinge pins you can get at?

You'll probably have to cut a hole lare enough to grab and move the
object, or just cut up the whole bloody door and chalk it up to
experience.

Maybe you could market the contraption as an anti-burglar device.

[Dave Fawthrop]

On 19 Apr 2006 08:37:19 -0700, "Bouffont" <***@gmail.com> wrote:

|Hi All,
|
|I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
|the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
|in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
|point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
|
|I've tried the following:
|
|Getting a coat hanger under the door - failed becuase the door is so
|close to the hardwood floor (which I dont want to scratch) that it wont
|fit under.
|Barging the door with my shoulder - failed and hurt
|Kicking the door as hard as possible - failed but opened the door a
|slight bit more
|Taking the door handle off - failed becuase in their infinite wisdom
|the people that made the house glued it on and I cant get it off no
|matter how hard I try.
|sliding a long metal ruler under the door - failed due to lack of room
|banging the door a lot in an attempt to move the clothes horse up a
|little - failed - didnt work at all
|Used harsh language at the door - failed but made me feel better
|
|My thoughts now are to:
|
|Drill through the door and reach through and move it
|Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.
|
|There's absolutley no other way into the cupboard I can think of.
|
|Anyone got any ideas!

Push a steel rule by the handle to force back the latch, if the door opens
away from you.

Otherwise Jemmy (floorboard lifter) it open, then repair the damage caused.
The lock/latch side of the door will break dead easy.

[Eric The Viking]

Post by Bouffont
Hi All,
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
Getting a coat hanger under the door - failed becuase the door is so
close to the hardwood floor (which I dont want to scratch) that it wont
fit under.
Barging the door with my shoulder - failed and hurt
Kicking the door as hard as possible - failed but opened the door a
slight bit more
Taking the door handle off - failed becuase in their infinite wisdom
the people that made the house glued it on and I cant get it off no
matter how hard I try.
sliding a long metal ruler under the door - failed due to lack of room
banging the door a lot in an attempt to move the clothes horse up a
little - failed - didnt work at all
Used harsh language at the door - failed but made me feel better
Drill through the door and reach through and move it
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.
There's absolutley no other way into the cupboard I can think of.
Anyone got any ideas!
Cheers
Tom

Sprinkle some peas on the floor just outside the door and leave a tap
running in the bathroom.

When the horse comes out for a pea jam your foot in the door.

ETV

[Chris Bacon]

Post by Bouffont
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
Getting a coat hanger under the door - failed becuase the door is so
close to the hardwood floor (which I dont want to scratch) that it wont
fit under.

If a flat air-bed can be pushed under the door, you could
try that, then inflate it from the bit left poking out.

Post by Bouffont
Barging the door with my shoulder - failed and hurt
Kicking the door as hard as possible - failed but opened the door a
slight bit more

Put a bit more beef into it.

Lay some 4x2 across the room (onto a packing piece against
the opposite wall). Put a packing piece against the door.
Use another 4x2 as a lever.

Post by Bouffont
Taking the door handle off - failed becuase in their infinite wisdom
the people that made the house glued it on and I cant get it off no
matter how hard I try.

Not sure how that'd help, unless you could get a wire
through the hole..

Post by Bouffont
sliding a long metal ruler under the door - failed due to lack of room
banging the door a lot in an attempt to move the clothes horse up a
little - failed - didnt work at all
Used harsh language at the door - failed but made me feel better
Drill through the door and reach through and move it
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.

Perhaps you can do this in a place that you can fill
easily afterwards.

Post by Bouffont
There's absolutley no other way into the cupboard I can think of.
Anyone got any ideas!

Re-hang the door so that it opens outwards.

[Dave]

Post by Bouffont
Hi All,
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!

snip

Post by Bouffont
Drill through the door and reach through and move it

That will involve a lot of make good work.

Post by Bouffont
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.

This is the option that I would go for. Easy to get in and easy to
repair without being able to see the repair.

Dave

[Phil L]

Post by Bouffont
Hi All,
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest
in the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen
down in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall
to the point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
Getting a coat hanger under the door - failed becuase the door is so
close to the hardwood floor (which I dont want to scratch) that it
wont fit under.
Barging the door with my shoulder - failed and hurt
Kicking the door as hard as possible - failed but opened the door a
slight bit more
Taking the door handle off - failed becuase in their infinite wisdom
the people that made the house glued it on and I cant get it off no
matter how hard I try.
sliding a long metal ruler under the door - failed due to lack of room
banging the door a lot in an attempt to move the clothes horse up a
little - failed - didnt work at all
Used harsh language at the door - failed but made me feel better
Drill through the door and reach through and move it
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.
There's absolutley no other way into the cupboard I can think of.
Anyone got any ideas!
Cheers
Tom

If the cupboard is upstairs, go up into the loft and cut out a hole in the
plasterboard ceiling of the cupboard, say about 100mm square, reach down and
move the offending horse, if it's too far use a hooked implement.
Repair hole in ceiling when you get nagged into it.

[Owain]

User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 (Windows/20041206)
X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
MIME-Version: 1.0
Newsgroups: uk.d-i-y
Subject: Re: Stuck Door
References: <***@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> <h%t1g.55949$***@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk>
In-Reply-To: <h%t1g.55949$***@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Complaints-To: ***@clara.net (please include full headers)
X-Trace: f3f2141283e73153780e207143303133d322940635e92303e3239464444759f7
NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:52:55 +0100
Message-ID: <***@doris.uk.clara.net>
Lines: 13
Xref: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com uk.d-i-y:640298

Post by Phil L
If the cupboard is upstairs, go up into the loft and cut out a hole in the
plasterboard ceiling of the cupboard, say about 100mm square, reach down and
move the offending horse, if it's too far use a hooked implement.

Possibly easier to use a really strong magnet, or even better an
electromagnet, on a rope, which can be swung around until it connects
with the steel clothes horse and then pulled. Should be able to do that
with a hole not much bigger than the magnet (or two small holes, one for
magnet and one for looking using a small webcam/cctvcam/borescope)

Owain

[Rob Morley]

Post by Bouffont
Hi All,
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
Getting a coat hanger under the door - failed becuase the door is so
close to the hardwood floor (which I dont want to scratch) that it wont
fit under.
Barging the door with my shoulder - failed and hurt
Kicking the door as hard as possible - failed but opened the door a
slight bit more
Taking the door handle off - failed becuase in their infinite wisdom
the people that made the house glued it on and I cant get it off no
matter how hard I try.
sliding a long metal ruler under the door - failed due to lack of room
banging the door a lot in an attempt to move the clothes horse up a
little - failed - didnt work at all
Used harsh language at the door - failed but made me feel better
Drill through the door and reach through and move it
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.
There's absolutley no other way into the cupboard I can think of.
Anyone got any ideas!

Go through the ceiling? Cut through the hinge screws with a bolster?
Remove the door stop and pull the handle hard?

[Dave H.]

Post by Bouffont
Hi All,
I have a cupboard with a full size door on it (same door as the rest in
the house). Unfortunatley a sterdy steel clothes horse has fallen down
in the cupboard and wedged itself between the door and the wall to the
point where the door wont open at all, not even a little bit!
Getting a coat hanger under the door - failed becuase the door is so
close to the hardwood floor (which I dont want to scratch) that it wont
fit under.
Barging the door with my shoulder - failed and hurt
Kicking the door as hard as possible - failed but opened the door a
slight bit more
Taking the door handle off - failed becuase in their infinite wisdom
the people that made the house glued it on and I cant get it off no
matter how hard I try.
sliding a long metal ruler under the door - failed due to lack of room
banging the door a lot in an attempt to move the clothes horse up a
little - failed - didnt work at all
Used harsh language at the door - failed but made me feel better
Drill through the door and reach through and move it
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.
There's absolutley no other way into the cupboard I can think of.
Anyone got any ideas!
Cheers
Tom

How about the most powerful magnet you can find, and *through the door* drag
the (steel?) clothes horse up until he door will push it out of the way? CB
"mag-mount" bases are pretty powerful, and can hold a 7-foot aerial at 100
mph...

Dave H.
(The engineer formerly known as Homeless)

[Mungo]

Post by Bouffont
Drill through the door and reach through and move it
Cut through the plasterboard and do the same.

If you drill in the right place you may be able to cover the drilled
hole with some
sort of design or nameplate or something.
Drill high enough to be able to get some fencing wire in and hopefully
hook
the offending item and pull it clear.

Don't force it - take a break and think over the problem.

Mungo

P.S. My eldest son informed me that our upstairs bathroom door had
slammed
shut and managed to lock itself with no-one inside the room.
Having seen many cop shows where the door gets kicked in he was first
in line
to volunteer to do the same with the loo door. I told him to wait until
I returned, whereby
use of a long thin shafted screwdriver worked the mechanism from the
hole in the
front of the lock.
Of course they don't show THAT in cop shows... so don't rush at
the "brute force and ignorance" solution.

[Mary Fisher]

Post by Mungo
P.S. My eldest son informed me that our upstairs bathroom door had
slammed
shut and managed to lock itself with no-one inside the room.
Having seen many cop shows where the door gets kicked in he was first
in line
to volunteer to do the same with the loo door. I told him to wait until
I returned, whereby
use of a long thin shafted screwdriver worked the mechanism from the
hole in the
front of the lock.
Of course they don't show THAT in cop shows... so don't rush at
the "brute force and ignorance" solution.

A few months ago Spouse and I were in the dining room. When I tried to open
the door it wouldn't, something had come loose inside the 70yo handle
mechanism and the steel tongue (?) was firmly in the steel holder.

The door opened inwards. All Spouse's tools were in the workshop (garage)
outside the house. The only opening windows in the room are the transomes,
he didn't want to climb through one because of all the spiky bushes
underneath.

Luckily we keep a canteen of rarely used posh cutlery in the sideboard in
that room and he managed tocut through the timber to get to the mechanism.
By that time my legs were crossed, I'd wanted to leave the room to go
upstairs.

The woodwork still hasn't been repaired and the handle hasn't been replaced
because he mended it. He says lightning doesn't strike twice ...

Mary

[John Rumm]

Post by Bouffont
Anyone got any ideas!

Use a stout chisel/jemmy to prise the latch side and top door stops off
so that you can pull the door open a bit towards you (i.e. pulling the
hinges the wrong way). It ought to come far enough to let you get an arm
round the edge.
--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

[Bouffont]

Well boys and girls I've sorted it - I had a good think and I looked
all the way around my cupboard and found that my coat hooks are secured
onto a large piece of wood which is in turn screwed to the wall, around
the side of the cupboard.
Given that all my tools were in the cupboard (and I couldn't be
bothered going across town to get my freinds) I got a dinner knife out
and unscrewed the screws that attach it to the wall.
Then I got a sharp kitchen knife and cut a hole in the plasterboard.
Then cut through the insulation then through the other side.
I then got a coat hanger and attached that to the washing line and
tried to hook it up but it was not strong enough and kept bending.
So I donned my MacGuyver head and tied a couple of knives to the line,
dropped one through with lots of slack, sat the other in the hole then
smacked it really hard. It shot out into the cupboard.... and stuck in
the wall the other side.

Sigh.

So a couple of goes of that managed to hook it around the clothes horse
- pull and hey presto it's moved out of the way and I'm in!

The coat hook is back up and you cant see the hole. The other side just
needs a little plaster and paint and Its as if it never happened!

Thanks for all your tips - The magnet idea I loved but couldn't find
one to borrow!

Sadly this now means I have access to all the cleaning products in
there so I no longer have an excuse to live in a messy house

Cheers

Tom

[Mary Fisher]

Post by Bouffont
Well boys and girls I've sorted it - I had a good think and I looked
all the way around my cupboard and found that my coat hooks are secured
onto a large piece of wood which is in turn screwed to the wall, around
the side of the cupboard.
Given that all my tools were in the cupboard (and I couldn't be
bothered going across town to get my freinds) I got a dinner knife out
and unscrewed the screws that attach it to the wall.
Then I got a sharp kitchen knife and cut a hole in the plasterboard.
Then cut through the insulation then through the other side.
I then got a coat hanger and attached that to the washing line and
tried to hook it up but it was not strong enough and kept bending.
So I donned my MacGuyver head and tied a couple of knives to the line,
dropped one through with lots of slack, sat the other in the hole then
smacked it really hard. It shot out into the cupboard.... and stuck in
the wall the other side.
Sigh.
So a couple of goes of that managed to hook it around the clothes horse
- pull and hey presto it's moved out of the way and I'm in!
The coat hook is back up and you cant see the hole. The other side just
needs a little plaster and paint and Its as if it never happened!
Thanks for all your tips - The magnet idea I loved but couldn't find
one to borrow!
Sadly this now means I have access to all the cleaning products in
there so I no longer have an excuse to live in a messy house

You don't have a wife, I gather. If you have you're going to be in trouble
for all that ruined kitchenware. Or have to buy a new lot :-)

Mary

Post by Bouffont
Cheers
Tom

[Owain]

User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 (Windows/20041206)
X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
MIME-Version: 1.0
Newsgroups: uk.d-i-y
Subject: Re: Stuck Door
References: <***@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> <***@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
In-Reply-To: <***@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Complaints-To: ***@clara.net (please include full headers)
X-Trace: 08123374e03230f188d1190445333333322ee130031e3f1829003c2544526a10
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 20:16:32 +0100
Message-ID: <***@ersa.uk.clara.net>
Lines: 11
Xref: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com uk.d-i-y:643607

Post by Bouffont
Well boys and girls I've sorted it -
Sadly this now means I have access to all the cleaning products in
there so I no longer have an excuse to live in a messy house

Ah, but you can't possibly start cleaning till you've fixed the door
properly. Which could take *ages*.

Owain