Acrylic fabrication questions? I can help!

[Acrylics]

Great to know! thank you, could you please recommend a height you would use with 3/4" thickness, also is 1" solid or just doable, i'm hoping to keep this for a long time.

For 3/4", I'd say no more than 36" H on the front rather than the 48" you presently have. Normally 3/4" isn't real good for 36" in height, but given the span is only 30" - not too bad

Additionally, is this correct image for the crack you described? and is there additional bracing I could put here to help, like 1" strip across the side/touching the bottom?

It's exactly how they tend to crack. Nothing you can really do about it other than have this in mind when engineering it, as you are doing now

James

 

[peppie]

James,
Building a 32'' x 25'' x 22'' high tank out of 3/4'' Plexiglass-G. Do I need to use corner bracing? I will brace top at the center with a 3-6'' strip. Does it need to be eurobraced? I have some hang on equipment that needs to be dealt with.

Thanks, James

 

[CJBROWN]

I notice Acrylite GP on the 'approved list', I have some ACRYLITE FF, what's that? I was going to make a top-off reservoir out of it.

 

[peppie]

Is Spartech Polycast suitable for aquarium use?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I notice Acrylite GP on the 'approved list', I have some ACRYLITE FF, what's that? I was going to make a top-off reservoir out of it.

Acrylite FF is extruded. For a smaller device, it should be OK as long as you follow proper sizing requirements and fabrication techniques. Double check by posting specs on the size of the device.

Is Spartech Polycast suitable for aquarium use?

Polycast is the #1 choice for aquarium use. Polycast, Acrylite GP, Plexiglas-G, in that order.

 

[peppie]

Thanks Floyd,
That is what the paper says on the material. I'm good to go.

Still need help on the bracing issue.

 

[Acrylics]

James,
Building a 32'' x 25'' x 22'' high tank out of 3/4'' Plexiglass-G. Do I need to use corner bracing? I will brace top at the center with a 3-6'' strip. Does it need to be eurobraced? I have some hang on equipment that needs to be dealt with.

Corner bracing??? not sure what you're referring to here. 3" eurobrace and that's it. No crossbracing or anything else necessary

James

 

[Acrylics]

I notice Acrylite GP on the 'approved list', I have some ACRYLITE FF, what's that? I was going to make a top-off reservoir out of it.

FF is Acrylite's extruded material...for a TO - it'll be fine

James

 

[peppie]

James, your killing me here. I have some HOB equip. I need to use in this build. Is it OK to drill a 2 1 1/2'' holes at 7'' apart in the eurobrace? I also want to hang an 10'' long power filter on the back of the tank. Is it ok to notch out for that? The drilled holes would be on the right side of the tank.

 

[Acrylics]

James, your killing me here. I have some HOB equip. I need to use in this build. Is it OK to drill a 2 1 1/2'' holes at 7'' apart in the eurobrace? I also want to hang an 10'' long power filter on the back of the tank. Is it ok to notch out for that? The drilled holes would be on the right side of the tank.

Shouldn't be a problem, just increase the width of the euro-brace by the width of the slot. So if making a 10 x 1.5" slot, just make the euro-brace 1.5" wider on that side

Unless you specifically engineer a tank to be rimless, *always* count on using a euro-brace on an acrylic tank

James

 

[peppie]

Thanks James.
Slotting will make my build go smoother.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

James,

I've been looking into building my own router table. My plan is to make a frame from either 2x6s or 3" square steel, however the steel option is not very DIY, at least for me - I would have to have someone build it for me. So I think I'm going to do 2x6s with a very sturdy area for an MDF top, and leveling screws at the bottom of each leg.

The top will be 2 layers of 3/4" MDF with formica laminate on top. The dimensions will be 5' long and 2' wide, with the router positioned on the long center line, about 6" from one edge. This will allow me to work on anything up to 48" long.

One of the problems I am running into is trying to figure out the mounting plate. I've looked at pictures of your table on that one build thread you reference quite often and have read that you just mount a 3/4" steel plate in the table and mount your router to that. I have not been able to find anything like that. My local woodworking store just carries the standard 1/4" thick aluminum type of plates where you need to cut a big rectangular hole (12 x 8) and then set the plate in.

So did you just have a steel shop cut a chunk out to your specs, and tap a couple of holes for the router? I want to use this

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1617EVSPK-4-Horsepower-Variable-Collets/dp/B00005RHPD

Can you describe how your router mounts to the table?

I can't seem to picture this. It seems like the thickness of the mounting plate would set the router deeper into the table, and the bit wouldn't stick up as far.

Also, did you mount the plate and then laminate over the top of it?

 

[Acrylics]

James,

I've been looking into building my own router table. My plan is to make a frame from either 2x6s or 3" square steel, however the steel option is not very DIY, at least for me - I would have to have someone build it for me. So I think I'm going to do 2x6s with a very sturdy area for an MDF top, and leveling screws at the bottom of each leg.

Fair enough

One of the problems I am running into is trying to figure out the mounting plate. I've looked at pictures of your table on that one build thread you reference quite often and have read that you just mount a 3/4" steel plate in the table and mount your router to that. I have not been able to find anything like that. My local woodworking store just carries the standard 1/4" thick aluminum type of plates where you need to cut a big rectangular hole (12 x 8) and then set the plate in.

So did you just have a steel shop cut a chunk out to your specs, and tap a couple of holes for the router?

Can you describe how your router mounts to the table?

I can't seem to picture this. It seems like the thickness of the mounting plate would set the router deeper into the table, and the bit wouldn't stick up as far.

Also, did you mount the plate and then laminate over the top of it?

top layer of MDF has a cutout for 18 x 18 x 3/4" aluminum, so the aluminum is inlaid into the top. Lower piece of MDF has a cutout allowing for clearance of the router base - roughly 10" diameter. Router base is bolted to the aluminum plate which is tapped for this as well as the bolts that mount the plate to the table. The whole thing is then laminated over so there are no edges for paper to catch on.

The bits stick up just fine, can easily get the bottom of any cutter to be above the table surface

James

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Ahhh...now that makes sense! Thanks!

 

[peppie]

What should I use to clean the edges/face before I weld the seam?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Denatured alcohol followed by de-ionized air (like the kind they sell for blowing off keyboards)

 

[peppie]

Thanks Floyd.

 

[mitchwelt]

i just got a 540 acrylic tank 1 inch acrylic
build the stand all level and used 3/4 foam, but not the white styrofoam, the foam i got has a silver paper coating on it, heavier density foam i think, i put the tank on it and the ends of the tank have about a 1/4 inch gap under the ends, tank is level on stank all around, will the tank level out when i add water or did i use the wrong foam?
i think this foam is used for walls for something..

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

If your stand is perfectly flat and level, then your foam is not. I'm not the expert here, but most people I've talked to / read about use the pink foam. I would not count on the tank leveling out or compressing the foam. That would be bad. Foam is not there to compress and distribute, it is there to make sure that some imperfection in the stand doesn't cause a point load and crack the bottom.

Is the tank flush with the stand when you put it directly on that?

 

[mitchwelt]

Here is some pics so u can see what I mean

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