Custom Cabinet for 90g Reef (Build Thread)

[cannarella]

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]

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]

No problem.

 

[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.

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

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10951383#post10951383 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> 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]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10958608#post10958608 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> 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]

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]

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]

sweet!

 

[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 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]

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]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10958954#post10958954 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> 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]

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]

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

 

[cannarella]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10958966#post10958966 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> 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.

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10958966#post10958966 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> 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.

The front of the tank sits directly above the 2x6 header, as see in this section cut:

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

As does the back:

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10959089#post10959089 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kreeger1
Oak is not the funnest wood to paint, seems like no matter how many coats you still see graining.

I'm going to skim-coat every plywood panel with Elmer's wood filler before sanding. Then of couse sand, prime, sand, prime, and sand again before the first coat of paint. Hopefully that will take care of the oak grain.

 

[cannarella]

The back is close enough to the plywood from the sketch up drawing that I could see. I would have liked to see it directly over the plywood instead of relying on the fasteners to hold it up. What is the possibility of gluing a ledger under those front to back 2x4s for a little extra support?

 

[RumLad]

I thought there was a little more of a front lip involved. The photos on page two seemed to show it in a different perspective perhaps.
Have you placed the empty tank into position yet to verify the fit?
As for the paint, I have had decent results with enamel paint over grainy woods like the oak you are using.