Starting Over Build Thread - Construction Intensive!

[leviburns89]

Lol dancing couple. I had to stare for a while to see it. Looks like dancing hedgehogs.

And yeah, you're probly bitz'd outta your mind.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[thomb]

Got some of the laminate installed. Here is a stand lighting test. All my reef keeping life, I've lived in relative darkness - NO MORE! This is with no flash, and with 50% of the total lights I am installing. And this doesn't include the fuge light.

 

[thomb]

This is the light. Pretty nicely constructed - all aluminum, LED, rated for damp areas.

 

[thomb]

Got the top, bottom and one side in place. It caulked up pretty nicely, I'd planned on covering the joints with molding, I probably still will.
And this shows a bit of where the lights will mount.



Yes the stand is upside down, I'm not so light crazy that I'd uplight my sump... hum... maybe I should uplight my sump, I've not seen that before.

 

[thomb]

The random wire will go to a motion sensor for the lights. Note that that area will be enclosed. The front will be a control panel for the MP40's, Vectra M1, Apex controller. I also bought 2 4 switch DJ "control boards" so I can turn things on and off without pulling cords.

Inside that "box" will be brick storage and cord management. I HATE CORDS>>>

Don't get me started on lighting manufacturers, gads man, who the heck wants to see glorified extension cords dangling from the ceiling.

Yeah canopy, I know... but the space is too small for that magnitude of a structure and my wife and I both like looking down into the tank.

 

[thomb]

Btw, I will have ventilation for that small "attic" space where the lights are installed. While its pretty sealed up, might as well I suppose.

I'll machine the vents from aluminum once I'm finished construction and play around on such things.

That's all I got today - time for oysters and beer for dinner.

 

[thomb]

I've left notes like this everywhere in this house - even found a few when I started this project

There's also at least 1 hammer and a level in the walls.

 

[thomb]

I just had to install those lights and see the stand in place with the lights on this morning.

I run on instant gratification.

I am stoked with the amount of light. And it will be brighter once the rest of the laminated panels go in.

 

[thomb]

My wife and I discussed the stand at length last night. Originally, I'd thought about mimicking the styling of the accursed Elos stand. I even thought about drywalling the stand so it blends into the wall. But... even with water resistant drywall just figured no dice.
And attempting to create that flush euro-look with other materials, I frankly don't know how to do it.
Instead we decided to mimic something I do know how to do, because I did it before
This is the outside of room where the tank goes. That's 100% our work (I'm the designer/carpenter, she's the finisher). Well in full disclosure, I didn't install the windows.

 

[thomb]

I see I have more sanding to do on the "beltline" height boards. We just slapped paint on it before the winter, finish painting is one of this summer's projects.

Gads that lighting makes it look not so great. Well, I believe its important to admit ones failings

 

[Lytehouse]

if you model the stand after that pic,
will look really nice

 

[sfsuphysics]

That is definitely the most interesting cat door configuration I've ever seen

I would love to do something like that... except my cats are too stupid to use a cat door, so unless I prop it open, they won't even attempt to push on outside.

 

[thomb]

Thanks! We have a manx and he figured it out immediately no prompting at all - he's amazing like that. Our other cat is "regular" it took her some prompting but she eventually got with the program.

The idea was hatched, as all good ideas are, over beers between my wife and I. We needed a way for our two, alas getting older, cats to get in and out. We had a chair but figured eventually it would be too tall of a jump. So why not a spiral staircase. It took awhile for them to figure out how to use all three steps. I kinda screwed it up, I reversed the pattern of the bottom tread so it doesn't look as "spiraled" as I wanted.

It was my first attempt at laminating boards together, and trying to create curved "angle iron" (bending and welding flat stock together). It went "ok", not the "stunning look" I was going for, but it works and the cats really like it.

 

[thomb]

I don't normally take in progress finish carpentry... got progress done on the stand.

 

[thomb]

Some flooring on the catwalk.

 

[thomb]

This is for the ventilation duct. It's 3" coming into the stand to save space downstream, but I couldn't find any "ends" so machined this. Machinists on the board turn away! I'm using a cobbled together hobby grade lathe with very little rigidity and struggle getting a good finish, especially when boring.

 

[thomb]

A bit out of sequence, but also got the laminate mostly done. We've done all sorts of things home construction related, but laminate is a material I've never worked with. Overall, surprisingly easy and even somewhat magical - go from raw wood to perfect finish in 30 minutes. I learned that it cuts beautifully after glued down too - make big panels, cut to size.