Stoneyscoral
New member
Thats a great house!! Don't you just love older homes.
Your kids must love the rockwall and slide, more good idea's for me.
Your kids must love the rockwall and slide, more good idea's for me.
Jessezm's 200g Pentagon Corner Tank
- Thread starter jessezm
- Start date
I do love it. When we first moved in there was an above-ground pool where the "playground" is. We had it taken out for peace-of-mind with the kids being so young, and we just had a bare half-deck there, so I built some railings and put in the slide and rock wall. Funny thing is that the hallways in the house are so wide open that they ride their tricycles through the house all day instead of playing outside! My older son can navigate corners like an MX rider, and he actually wears my MX helmet when he does it!
Okay, back on task... I've been too busy this week and will be too busy this coming weekend until next Friday to actually do much in terms of labor on the stand and canopy, but here's what I've got planned:
I finally ponied up and ordered a 400lb linear Actuator and control, and will be buying rails at HD this week to put my canopy (when it is built) on a moving track with 30" travel stroke. I can't tell you how cool this will be if I can actually do it!
I also went to this place called Atlanta wood products, which sells domestic and exotic hardwood and lumber, and all I can say is WOW! I could not afford maple or cherry, which I had planned on using, and ended up with some beautiful 3/4" Red Oak ply and 1X2's to skin the stand and canopy. I'll be giving it a very deep finish when all is said and done, and should be gorgeous. I've got to get into my cousin's woodshop in Atlanta to make the cuts and joints (he's go a jointer, table saw, router table, etc., for making fine furniture, and will hopefully give me some good guidance).
I'm working on the Google Sketchup renderings right now for the canopy lift. Should turn out pretty neat if I can pull it off. Oh, I also got some 40mil PVC sheeting to line the floor under the stand--hopefully I can make that look clean, too.
I finally ponied up and ordered a 400lb linear Actuator and control, and will be buying rails at HD this week to put my canopy (when it is built) on a moving track with 30" travel stroke. I can't tell you how cool this will be if I can actually do it!
I also went to this place called Atlanta wood products, which sells domestic and exotic hardwood and lumber, and all I can say is WOW! I could not afford maple or cherry, which I had planned on using, and ended up with some beautiful 3/4" Red Oak ply and 1X2's to skin the stand and canopy. I'll be giving it a very deep finish when all is said and done, and should be gorgeous. I've got to get into my cousin's woodshop in Atlanta to make the cuts and joints (he's go a jointer, table saw, router table, etc., for making fine furniture, and will hopefully give me some good guidance).
I'm working on the Google Sketchup renderings right now for the canopy lift. Should turn out pretty neat if I can pull it off. Oh, I also got some 40mil PVC sheeting to line the floor under the stand--hopefully I can make that look clean, too.
Next, support posts had to go in for the heavy duty drawer slides to attach to. I mated together a 2X6 and a 2X4 to create a solid post with a groove for the slide so that each sliding post is well supported in two directions.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65325613@N00/424760171/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/424760171_a333796748_o.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Canopy lift 006" /></a>
Next I attatched the slides themselves:
And then reinforced the posts some more with heavy duty shelving supports and 90 degree braces:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65325613@N00/424760171/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/424760171_a333796748_o.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Canopy lift 006" /></a>
Next I attatched the slides themselves:
And then reinforced the posts some more with heavy duty shelving supports and 90 degree braces:
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Skipping ahead a bit.... I got the canopy back up on the tank, then attached the moving part of the slides to 4 2X4's and screwed them into the canopy. After a bunch of tinkering and re-positioning, I found that there was no way to pull this off without an actuator on both sides--there's just too much weight pulling down no matter where you push from. I think I'll get another actuator, but for now, I just have to push up on one side to support it while I raise and lower the canopy, and then stick a 2X4 under it once it's up. I still think it's pretty sweet. Tell me what you think:
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drummereef
Team RC
OMG! :eek2: At least you are organized. 
The tank is looking great, btw.
The tank is looking great, btw.
bleedingthought
New member
Jesse, what happened to the tank? 
Avast Marine
.Registered Member
me 3
showtime305
Premium Member
You've been slacking on us over here at RC. I bet you've been providing your fancy pants reef club some updates.
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