Build your own electric sliding door opener

The width and height of sliding doors on a metal building makes them favorable in certain shop situations, but electric overhead doors are touted for their ease of use. Alex Marschalk wanted the best of both worlds, so he created his own solution. On a metal plate, he assembled a ¾-hp electric motor, a 50:1 reducing gearbox, and a two-sided cable drum. He mounted this assembly to the shop floor.

Marschalk was working with a pair of sliding doors. Here’s his advice to rig the electric opener: With the doors open, attach 1⁄4-inch cable to the farthest door, threading

through the necessary pulleys, and secure to the left-hand side of the cable drum (as shown). Allowing a couple extra wraps of cable onto the drum, wind in a counterclockwise rotation. While rolling up this cable drum, close the doors.

Now attach the door-opening cable to the closest door, thread through the appropriate pulleys, and secure to the right-hand side of the cable drum. Again, allow a couple extra wraps onto the drum, winding in a clockwise manner this time. The cable needs to be attached and tightened snugly on the farthest door.

The final step is to attach your chosen electronic controls to operate the door.

Alex Marschalk

Alex Marschalk loves tinkering and figuring things out in the shop, as well as hunting for gophers and prairie dogs in Wyoming with friends. He farms about 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans with his aunt and uncle in Aiden, Minnesota.

"I wouldn't be doing this without them," he says. "They are great." Marschalk also has a 15-year-old daughter who makes him laugh all the time. She is the pride of his life. "With my daughter, the operation, and my hobbies, I am living the dream," he says.