Size For Glass Panels

[Oddbod]

I'm making a screen to fit on top of the 'breakfast bar' between kitchen & living room.
Going to be a pair of bifold panels (as in four panels total) so they can fold back against the side walls.
Frame parts have been made using ogee coping bits & the channel for glass/wooden panel is 7mm deep, giving 884x291mm(HxW) without clearance/space for clear silicone.
I've looked around for advice but everything's for full size doors & they're saying 5mm clearance, which sounds a tad much for narrow glazed panels.
Any suggestions from those who've done this kind of thing, as I'm definitely a novice.


Thanks

 

[HOJ]

Your looking at the specs for DG units with a 5mm margin, and presuming you only want single glass you just need to measure your aperture and take 4mm off all round (2mm off each side), and you should be using toughened glass.

 

[Jacob]

Yes 3 to 4mm total smaller than the actual rebate opening but check that everything is square or you might need to take a bit more off.
You say "channels" does this mean you are hoping to build the glass into slots? Not easy - much better to put it into rebates after the doors are built and pin in beads all round.
For internal glass you don't particularly need silicone or putty - a bead will be enough, unless everything is so loose that the panes rattle about. Even then just a dab of gunge in one or two places will stop it.

 

[imageel]

Only advice I'd give is don't underestimate the weight of the glazing - it's waay denser then timber...!

 

[Ollie78]

As stated above this could be a tricky assembly if you are going to use the groove for the panel to glaze it.
You won`t find many glazed doors made this way, partly because you could never replace the glass if it broke, partly because it makes the glue up and finishing much harder.
A couple of mm all around is enough gap, use glazing packers to keep it central if required. It should be laminated or toughened as well just for safety.

Ollie

 

[Oddbod]

Only advice I'd give is don't underestimate the weight of the glazing - it's waay denser then timber...!

Aye - 3.8kg per panel.
The only reason I'm doing it this way is originally I intended to use solid panels but I realised it was going to leave the living room too bloody dark, thus the reason for glass.
6mm toughened will take some serious effort to break & if it happens, I guess I'll be making a replacement frame too.

 

[gcusick]

Internal, why not use polycarbonate or acrylic? Much lighter weight, easier to work.

 

[Oddbod]

Internal, why not use polycarbonate or acrylic? Much lighter weight, easier to work.

Costs more & scratches far too easily.
I can get all four glass panels for £104 locally against £135 for polycarbonate.

 

[Lard]

+1 for acrylic

 

[Doug71]

6mm is a bit overkill, could you use 4mm with some kind of glazing tape to make up the difference?

 

[gcusick]

Costs more & scratches far too easily.
I can get all four glass panels for £104 locally against £135 for polycarbonate.

Don’t know where you’re getting your price for polycarbonate, but they must be profitable!

Online pricing (sheetplastics.co.uk - the first place I checked) have 4mm polycarbonate at £21 for a 900x600 piece. 4mm is more than sufficient for the size of those panels. I’ve used lots, and scratches have never been an issue.

 

[J-G]

Don’t know where you’re getting your price for polycarbonate, but they must be profitable!

Online pricing (sheetplastics.co.uk - the first place I checked) have 4mm polycarbonate at £21 for a 900x600 piece. 4mm is more than sufficient for the size of those panels. I’ve used lots, and scratches have never been an issue.

Hmmmm....
I hadn't come across Sheetplastics, I usually use Direct Plastic or Simply Plastics but as an exercise I have looked at their web-site and that returns a price of £41.98 per sheet for 900 x 600 x 4mm so, allowing for their 5% discount for orders over £50 that comes to £159.53.

Taking a 'pro-rata' approach and looking at Direct plastics I calculate that they would charge £35.20 per sheet (they only list 1200 x 600) which would come to £140.82.

Notwithstanding the cost issue, I would still recommend Polycarbonate on safety grounds - - Price is not the only consideration. I haven't used enough to make a reasoned comment on 'scratching' but that would not feature high on my considerations.

 

[Richard_C]

When you order glass be clear about what dimensions you are providing. The local supplier I use will do it from 'tight' sizes, the actual rebate, and they work out the allowances for clearance, or the actual size you want. It matters not as long as they know - I once ordered an actual size, they thought it was a tight size so took a few mm off so it was smaller than the hole, only a cheap pane and they were happy to do me another but for a bigger order it might be a bigger issuse.

 

[gcusick]

Hmmmm....
I hadn't come across Sheetplastics, I usually use Direct Plastic or Simply Plastics but as an exercise I have looked at their web-site and that returns a price of £41.98 per sheet for 900 x 600 x 4mm so, allowing for their 5% discount for orders over £50 that comes to £159.53.

Taking a 'pro-rata' approach and looking at Direct plastics I calculate that they would charge £35.20 per sheet (they only list 1200 x 600) which would come to £140.82.

Notwithstanding the cost issue, I would still recommend Polycarbonate on safety grounds - - Price is not the only consideration. I haven't used enough to make a reasoned comment on 'scratching' but that would not feature high on my considerations.

The OP’s panels are 884x291 - that’s why I looked at 900x300.

 

[J-G]

The OP’s panels are 884x291 - that’s why I looked at 900x300.

So why did you specify 900 x 600 ??

 

[J-G]

Simply Plastics do a cut to size service - Clear Acrylic 4mm thick at 291 x 884 would be £17.63 each.

They also do a 'Glass Look' which has a green tint but they don't do 4mm - 5mm would be £25.52 each.

There would be a £10 delivery charge on top

 

[gcusick]

So why did you specify 900 x 600 ??

Sorry - typo - Fat Finger Syndrome!