Custom Cabinet for 90g Reef (Build Thread) - Page 3

RumLad · #51 10/11/2007, 02:47 PM

How about a plain old lift-up hinge, as used in airplanes and boats?

A set or two should support the full weight of your door.

http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_...ts.asp?Cat=733

http://www.hardwaresource.com/uploads/286142spec.jpg

cannarella · #52 10/11/2007, 02:52 PM

He wants the door to be flush with the carcase when closed. The only overlap would be the moulding.

RumLad · #53 10/11/2007, 03:05 PM

I understand that. But seeing as the bottom half doors are not flush, why not be consistent and finish out the top half the same as the bottom?
Seems to me that having that 1/2 round trim piece on the top half is not in-line with all of the other trim pieces he has made. Come to think of it, there is really quite a bit of differing trim on this cabinet project. Fluted columns, rosette bases, different shoe, door trim, and now the top cover is different yet again. Myself, i try to keep the trim as consistent in both style and material as possible.

cannarella · #54 10/11/2007, 03:28 PM

I think it adds a nice affect to an area that would be baron if there was not a door or some kind of decor there. I think if he uses a very low profile trim it will look very good especially when it is painted. There is nothing in the area that is raised and if you add a door there that is, it will stick out literally and visually. The doors on the bottom are less obvious because of the elevation change and counter top that is there to break it up. It is designed not to look like a door. He put a lot of time and effort to design of what he wants and I am trying to help him achieve it.

RumLad · #55 10/11/2007, 03:45 PM

I'm not implying that there shouldn't be something there. The door needs to be there. It's just my opinion that a door there would look better if it matched with the remainder of the stand, that's all. As for it sticking out, yes it will, but so will the moulding he's planning on using anyway. A well constructed door would be no different. But hey ho, that's why there are a million different stands out there, because there are a million of us

cannarella · #56 10/11/2007, 03:48 PM

True true.

RumLad · #57 10/11/2007, 03:52 PM

One other thing for the OP. When it comes to making the door cut-outs (or any cut-outs for that matter) it is sometimes easier to make the rough cut-out with whatever tool is handy, and then finish with a straight bit router and a straight edge. Makes for a nice clean edge.

RuhiA · #58 10/11/2007, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cannarella
He wants the door to be flush with the carcase when closed. The only overlap would be the moulding.

Like the ones I posted few days ago (Limited Space Stand for 75g). I used hidden hinges which allow flush mount and opens the door to 180.

Never mind... I've seen the picture of the door with the trim after I posted. Please resume your regularly scheduled program...

nanoguy · #59 10/12/2007, 12:04 AM

Looking very good.........I will be following this thread closely.

RedEDGE2k1 · #60 10/12/2007, 08:38 AM

I was able to finish the front panel after work yesterday. Here's a picture, showing the front panel as well as the "access panel" which is leftover from the access panel cutout. Still thinking about how I'm going to hinge this....I'm going to try cannarella's idea and go from there.

Afterwards I cut the top inner-side pieces, of course mitered at 45° to align with the front panel. The top panel was cut afterwards, is perfectly square to align everything, and sits on top of the front/side panels. Below is the result, sitting on the "bottom section"of the cabinet. Keep in mind the entire top section will not be attached to the bottom section, so it can be easily moved off & away from the 90g for maintenance/aquascaping/coral placement/etc.

I used metal angle brackets inside at the miter joints for support, since there will be no additional plywood/glue/screw connections at the base of the top section. Even with these brackets, it still feels fragile. I'm thinking of ways to help beef this up, without losing the ability to remove the top section from the cabinet, while the tank is full and untouched.

Here you can see my bad miter joint...thankfully I'll be painting the cabinet, so I can fill this with wood putty, sand, and paint. Hopefully it will be invisible when complete. I'm worried, however, that when moving the top section, the stress on the joint will crack the wood putty/paint at this joint, and an ugly hairline crack will be visible all the way up my completed cabinet. If this is the case, then I will attach 1/2" corner trim over this joint.....but I'm hoping it won't be neccessary. Time will tell.

That's what I was able to accomplish in 2.5hrs....tonight I can hopefully work longer, since I don't have to work tomorrow. I plan on working all weekend on the cabinet, and I think it's reasonable to assume I can complete the build this weekend. Next week I'll start sanding, priming, sanding, priming, sanding, painting, and painting. I hate that part.

Take care!
Dustin

cannarella · #61 10/12/2007, 09:24 AM

Nix the corner brackets and glue in a long piece of 2x2. That will reinforce the whole miter joint and prevent any hair line cracks that you are suspecting. If I had known and we had time I could have come over with the biscuit joiner to reinforce the miter joints.

I tried with the hinges I had last night and they aren't the same as I linked above. What are you doing tomorrow morning? We can run by Rockler get the hinges and then go by your house and make a mockup to see if they will work. If it works I can have my pocket hole jig available also to attach a support board to mount the hinges. Shoot me a PM if you want to try this. I am available until noon.

Andy

RedEDGE2k1 · #62 10/12/2007, 09:39 AM

I hate to make plans and then let you down; I'm not 100% sure what I'll be doing tomorrow morning (or if I'll even be awake)

I'm definitely going to run by Home Depot at lunch and pick up a 2x2 to glue into the inside corner. That will help ease my concerns; thanks for the heads-up (again).

cannarella · #63 10/12/2007, 09:57 AM

No problem.

RumLad · #64 10/12/2007, 01:50 PM

Are your lights going to be mounted inside the top half of the stand?
I am curious as to how easy that will be to move completely away from the bottom half with all of the wiring (lights/fans etc) attached.

And defo get that reinforcemnt on the seams. They will crack open once you try to move it.

RedEDGE2k1 · #65 10/12/2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RumLad
I understand that. But seeing as the bottom half doors are not flush, why not be consistent and finish out the top half the same as the bottom?
Seems to me that having that 1/2 round trim piece on the top half is not in-line with all of the other trim pieces he has made. Come to think of it, there is really quite a bit of differing trim on this cabinet project. Fluted columns, rosette bases, different shoe, door trim, and now the top cover is different yet again. Myself, i try to keep the trim as consistent in both style and material as possible.

I didn't want the top to look the same as the bottom. It serves a different purpose (wrap around a tank, has shelves) than the bottom (hold 1000lbs, has cabinet doors). I didn't want this piece of furniture to look like a big cabinet door-covered box. That's why I included a 1.5" overhang on the tank base, visually seperating the "bottom" section from the "top section."

As for my reasoning behind the trim selections....

1) The 3" base matches the 8" base in my home.

2) The access panel trim is 1.25" symmetrical chair rail, not 1/2 round.

3) The cabinet door raised panels, drawer front flat panels, and cabinet door edging all match my kitchen cabinetry, which is viewable from the tank's location.

4) The cap/base of the fluted column are 2"x4" and 4"x4" respectively, with the 2x4" being cut off a 4"x4" block, so they match.

5) There are no rosettes; not sure where you got that from.

Hopefully that gives you all some insight into my way of thinking...but like someone said, to each his own

Take care folks!
Dustin

RedEDGE2k1 · #66 10/12/2007, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RumLad
Are your lights going to be mounted inside the top half of the stand?
I am curious as to how easy that will be to move completely away from the bottom half with all of the wiring (lights/fans etc) attached.

The lights will be attached to 3/4" plywood, which will be installed into the top section, with the halides situated 12" above the tank water level. The wiring from the halides and T5s will be with short lengths of extension cord, with male plugs on the end (just long enough to reach the back of the cabinet). The female plug (going down underneath the tank, into the side cabinets, and to the ballasts) will be another extension cord with female plugs (again, only as long as needed). Same with the fans. This will allow me to lift up the access panel, unplug all the lights/fans, and completely remove the top section of the cabinet, lights and all.

Hopefully, this makes sense. If not, here's a quick sketch (PDF).

http://www.auburn.edu/~smithdu/90g/DOC.pdf

-Dustin

RumLad · #67 10/12/2007, 02:06 PM

It absolutely makes sense, and you've obviously put a lot of thought into the whole project.
I guess it's just my nature to not want to go through that much work every time i need to gain access to my tank, for whatever reason.

RedEDGE2k1 · #68 10/12/2007, 02:12 PM

Hopefully it will help me keep my hands out of the tank. With my old 30g reef, I was constantly tinkering with SOMETHING inside the tank. No real "maintenance" was ever really needed, except maybe cleaning the glass with a magnet or scraping the front glass. The hinged access panel will give me plenty of working room to acclimate fish/corals, feed, etc. The only time I'll need to unplug the lights & remove the top section is (hopefully) when adding new corals, initial aquascaping, etc. Things that don't happen too terribly often.

Areas of the setup that do require periodic hands-on tinkering, ie. the protein skimmer, calcium reactor, refugium, etc. are all in the sump area underneath, with a great deal of room to work with. Keep in mind the divider between the sump cabinet doors is removable, and is held in place only by friction. The bottom-front plywood panel carries no weight (a 2x6 header carries the front of the tank, behind the bottom-front panel).

CoralGeek · #69 10/12/2007, 02:14 PM

sweet!

burton14e7 · #70 10/12/2007, 02:41 PM

Hmm I was just messing around with my desk at work and the way my over head filing cabnet works might be something you're interested in. Instead of being a normal flip up cabinet it actually has slides on the backside of the cabinet and the whole cabinet slides up vertically then backwards over the top. There are little ball bearings inside the rail system and its pretty effortless. Maybe you can rig it so that it just slides up.

RumLad · #71 10/12/2007, 02:42 PM

Is the front edge of the tank sitting over that 2x6?
I thought it was seated behind the front edge by a few inches, thereby spreading the load over the entire plywood topsheet and down through the sides, back and front. Either way, it should be sturdy enough.

RumLad · #72 10/12/2007, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by burton14e7
Hmm I was just messing around with my desk at work and the way my over head filing cabnet works might be something you're interested in. Instead of being a normal flip up cabinet it actually has slides on the backside of the cabinit and the whole cabinet slides up vertically then backwards over the top. Maybe you can rig it so that it just slides up.

Too much crown moulding up there on top. Perhaps it could be slid in like a pocket door?

burton14e7 · #73 10/12/2007, 02:54 PM

Yeah I was just realizing that too

Maybe double up on hardware. One bracket that allows the panel to pop out an inch and then the slider to move it vertically.

Kreeger1 · #74 10/12/2007, 02:59 PM

Oak is not the funnest wood to paint, seems like no matter how many coats you still see graining.

cannarella · #75 10/12/2007, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RumLad
Is the front edge of the tank sitting over that 2x6?
I thought it was seated behind the front edge by a few inches, thereby spreading the load over the entire plywood topsheet and down through the sides, back and front. Either way, it should be sturdy enough.

I just noticed that also. I would have liked to see more supports on the sides. Is the back resting on the back piece of plywood? Getting the corners well supported is the key.