I was planning on trimming out the bottom section last night, but it seemed more exciting to get started on the top section so that's what I ended up doing.
I never imagined the front panel (where the tank is viewed) would take so long -- I spent 3hrs on it last night, and it's still not finished. In that time I was only able to miter the side edges to 45° and layout/cut the tank opening. It wasn't exactly difficult, just time consuming, because I want the maximum possible amount of my tank being viewable, while hiding the plastic tank trim as well as the silicone joints with wood trim built into the cut-out. So, some precise measurements were involved.
The biggest reason for it taking so long was my method for cutting out the tank opening. For the cabinet door openings, I used a jig saw. Jigsaws have very thin, flexible blades, and even the quality DeWalt jigsaw I dropped $120 on wouldn't make straight cuts, either up & down through the wood or horizontally along my cut line. It wasn't a big deal, because the cut line will be covered up by the 1/2" overlay of the cabinet doors. However, the tank opening cutout is a completely different story, as it will be 100% viewable and will also be trimmed out with 1/4" pine stop trim. So, any crooked lines will stand out like crazy. For this cutout, I used my rotary saw jig and handheld rotary saw (Skilsaw). I used the plunge-cut method, where the depth-of-blade lever on the saw is left loose, allowing the blade to move up & down freely. I held the blade all the way up, placed the saw base on the cutl line, lined up with the edge of the jig, then dropped the saw blade down and into the wood. I then moved the saw down the cut line, getting as close to the corners as possible. After all four lines were cut, I finished off the corners very carefully with the jigsaw. This method worked flawlessly, and I couldn't be happier with the perfectly straight cuts.
I also layed out the opening for the access panel above the tank, but at that point it was 9:30pm and I called it a night. Tonight I will cut it out, and hopefully finish the top section except for the trim & crown moulding.
The front panel so far:
Sitting on the bottom section, for a slight feel of how the finished cabinet will look:
I've been thinking about the access panel above the tank...when I make the cutout in the front panel for it, I will be using the cut out piece of plywood as the access panel. I'll mount it flush with the front panel, using 1 1/4" trim to hide the seam & block light from the halides.
It sounds simple enough, but I'm unsure how to mechanically attach the access panel to the front panel. As far as I know, normal hinges won't work, because of the 1/2" overlap of the trim. Euro hinges won't work because of the trim overlap coupled with the access panel being flush with the front panel.
For clarification, here's what I'm trying to accomplish:
Anyone have any ideas? I'm hoping there is some cabinet door hardware out there somewhere that allows me to do this, without the trim binding with the cabinet.
Take care folks....more updates/pics to come.
Dustin
