Cupola pulley system..pic's wanted

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

Cupola pulley systems.. going to be working on my cupola doors and wondered if any body got any pic's of there pulley systems.

I have an idea how I'm going to do mine but would love to see how others built theirs, nice to have reference photos available...

I will take pic's of my set up once complete. Just for others to see, hopefully it will work..

[Haynes Forest Products]

Now the big question is are you going to have them open up or down. Mine open down and I havent had a problem with that. I think having the doors drop open and pulled shut lets more steam out than doors that open up. I never had snow build up on them so I cant say if its a problem. If you do a nice overhang on the coupla roof they will be water tight when closed so I say have them open down and let them lay on the shack roof. I think pulling them up will require a bigger coupla roof or a frame to mount the pully to. Attach the lines to the upper corners run thru pullys in the upper corners of the coupla frame and then using pullys to route all the lines to a centrel area and your good to go. Use as many pullys as you want it wont change the ratio. Go to a bike shop and get one of the cycle hoists they have nice pullys and rope. Having the pullys on the inside pulling the doors up keeps all the roap and pullys out of the weather when they are closed.

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

They will be opening downward as yours do, i have a bunch of pulleys salvaged from old garage doors I'm going to use on the inside of the shack being built now. my cupola doors are only 2x5 so they wont weigh a ton.. thank you for the imput...any pic's?

[steve J]

Very timely discussion as my next step is to build my new cupola

[Haynes Forest Products]

No pics but you can see the doors in my Photo Bucket site they are big 4 X 8
Mine are built with a slight angle to help them open with a little gravity. They can be hard to open if the wind is blowing against them.

[Paddymountain]

I just finished my cupola doors about two weeks ago. they are appr. 2x6'
I have two 1 inch pulleys mounted on the bottom of the ridge board, with a 1/4 inch rope on each one. I need a stick to push them open and they fall flat onto the roof like haynes does. But they pull up real easy, a bigger pulley would probably make it easier.

[SeanD]

Haynes is right about the number of pulleys not affecting the ratio, but that's only if they are fixed pulleys. Add one moveable pulley into the mix to create a block and tackle and you cut the weight in half. Add another and it is cut to a quarter. A larger pulley wheel will help a little with friction, but won't give you any mechanical advantage. Your doors probably aren't heavy enough to be worth the moveable pulleys, but if they are, it's worth a try.

Sean

[Haynes Forest Products]

My doors are heavy and hard to pull the wife cant close them that well so Im working on a warren winch. I would also make each door independent so you can fine tune them depending on the wind.

[adk1]

The place I help they open down, but open down inside not outside, and they are hinged so they drop straight down

[Dennis H.]

My cupola doors are on the small size compared you guys but they all work the same. I have to use a length of 3/4 pvc pipe to poke open the doors, I am going to try and rig up a spring setup that will push the doors open just enough that gravity then will take over. Not sure how I will do this but that is the fun part right.

I agree that having each door open and close seperate is the best option. There has been a few times that it was rainy or windy and I closed up one of the doors alittle and it kept the rain or wind from coming in.

[brookledge]

It is easy to make them open with a spring. I just use a compression type spring and took a flat washer at the end with a sheet rock screw holding it to the wood then as the door comes up to it it compresses the srping. Then when you let the rope lose it pushes the dooe enough to the point that gravity takes over
Keith

[red maples]

I still have to put in the spring I will do it this year. I just used a long piece of wood to give them a little push.

[maple flats]

I have no pictures but mine open down. They are 2' x 6', one on each side. I built a hinged knee nocker to open them. When I pull down on a rope it pushes a nocker against each door to trip it outward, sometimes I need to pull a second time because one might open but not the other. I use no pulleys to reduce the pull, just a common rope going up into the cupola and then 2 individual ropes , one to each side, thru pulleys to close both doors with one pull of the rope . My wife can close if necessary too. I run the rope to one side of the sugarhouse and thru a pulley then down to a tie cleat (like the ones used by boats at docks. A few turns thru this and then pull the middle between the cleat and the pulley above and the force is multiplied. I did however need to put a knot in the rope going thru the uppermost pulley on each side to restrick travel. Originally the doors laid flat against the roof and the rope pull angle was wrong to close them easy enough for others to operate. I now restrict the drop so it is just slightly angled down below level when open fully and an easy pull on the one rope closes both at once. I hope this is clearer than mud. I have no pictures. to describe the opener better, it goes like this. Each side has a pivoting free swinging board (3' and pivot on a large bolt at the middle, the boards are basically vertical) that goes against each door. These are then connected at the bottom by a couple of steel straps about 13-14" long and joined at the middle with a loose bolt and a loop to tie the rope to. Then a pull down on the rope puches the tops of the boards against the doors and pushes them open.