Author Topic: My first DIY project (Read 5071 times)

hatcher2014 · « **on:** October 01, 2011, 14:31:07 »

Ok so my beadle is a little bit of a lie I had the meeting at my house and slandis and hunger turned me on to the idea of auto top off and a salt mixing tank. So I have built my stand for my trash cans I am also building a cabinet next to it to hide alot of my clutter doesn't look to bad so far considering that I am cutting it all with a hand saw a little uneven but hey not like I'm trying to sell it lol. So the part about me lying I'm not real for sure how to hook it all up so hunger and slandis said they would come over and help me put it all together once I bought all the stuff so today me and the wife went and got all the supplies hint hint (HUNGER, SLANDIS) lol so 225 dollars later and some fish I'm ready I'll post some pics of my stand and my ugly cabinet when I get home so you can kind of see my progress of what it looked like before and were it's going

Kenn · « **Reply #1 on:** October 01, 2011, 14:33:23 »

Awesome ! Cant wait to see the pics !

HUNGER · « **Reply #2 on:** October 01, 2011, 14:34:16 »

who is this hunger guy he owes me money

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #3 on:** October 01, 2011, 14:40:59 »

cant wait!

lazylivin · « **Reply #4 on:** October 01, 2011, 15:09:31 »

I am sure it looks good, cant wait to see it.

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 01, 2011, 17:02:59 »

well update on the cabinet i kind of did a bad job so i just bought a drill so im going to take it apart and build it 2X2 and screw it back together. and hopefully it will look a little better but im getting rdy to put up some pics so you guys can have an idea of what i was working with and were im going with it.

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 01, 2011, 17:07:44 »

here is what i had all the clutter.

cleared it all out

cutting in my living room lol

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 01, 2011, 17:26:12 »

here it is im rebuilding the cabinet on the side. but my big problem is now i dont know how to build a door i want a two part half for the top and half for the bottom any ideas.

lazylivin · « **Reply #8 on:** October 01, 2011, 17:50:26 »

Looks good so far.

HUNGER · « **Reply #9 on:** October 01, 2011, 18:14:36 »

not bad man

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 01, 2011, 19:11:45 »

its alright going to redo my cabinet so good luck there.

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 02, 2011, 22:29:07 »

Alright everyone who has been keeping up with my DIY cabinet and shelf for my holding tanks. I had a design flaw in my cabinet so after tearing it apart and taking out the whole box of nails i had in it. So after a couple hrs of looking at in like a retard i have came up with this just have to get the plywood for the shelves and the oak for the outside and figure out how to make a two part door. the bottom to shelves are going to be for pluming and external pumps for my auto top off when i get my 400 built and my other 150 set up so hope it looks better than my old one i had
i had to assemble in the room cause it was bigger than the door way.

getting both pieces in for the whole pic

heres the new shelf

HUNGER · « **Reply #12 on:** October 02, 2011, 22:33:19 »

looks good man well done

Boonjob · « **Reply #13 on:** October 02, 2011, 22:35:37 »

I was wondering why you had ran the braces on the outside of the upright beams haha, looks good... get a router man, and watch a few videos on youtube

you'd have yourself some cabinet doors made in no time.

lazylivin · « **Reply #14 on:** October 02, 2011, 22:38:30 »

That looks good, consider adding a 2x4 across the front of each shelf section to keep the shelf from bowing just like you did on top and bottom.

Boonjob · « **Reply #15 on:** October 02, 2011, 22:38:49 »

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 02, 2011, 23:06:41 »

good call on the braces in the front lol i wasnt even thinking ill fix that right away and get a new pic up and i dont really want to spend the money on a router Boonjob and i dont really have a space to build things yet except in my living room i have a shed out back just dont have a heater or a door or light so kinda of limits me on were and what i can use. i cant even go to lowes to get plywood cause i dont have a truck so trying to get that one figured out at the moment but thanks for the compliments

lazylivin · « **Reply #17 on:** October 02, 2011, 23:42:01 »

If you are going to paint the doors you can cut them out of 1/2 or 3/4" MDF and attach some hinges to them. Go with 3/4 and you can use it also to make your shelves as well. Once you have the shelves in place you can brush on some fiberglass to protect the wood from moisture.

Boonjob · « **Reply #18 on:** October 03, 2011, 00:07:54 »

Not sure what look you are looking for, but if your looking to make a raised or more elaborate door and you change your mind, you can usually pick up a router + table on Craigslist for about 50bucks and most small tables will work for making a simple door. you can pump out a door in 5-10 mins. just an idea.

you can also get a plunge router/base so your not locked down to a table.

MDF... Bleck

make sure you get MDF screws, or your most likely going to be hanging/making alot of those doors... might even consider going with a euro cup hinge to help share the weight...(IMO)

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #19 on:** October 03, 2011, 00:24:54 »

dont know what those hinges are lol but ill look around not really wanting a fancy door but also not wanting something that is going to look like shit in a couple of months.

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #20 on:** October 03, 2011, 01:06:04 »

so here we go i made some changes and now it has an edge all the way around it the only thing im thinking is maybe one going down the center any ideas yes or no. also i have come to figure out that its not my cabinet that isnt square my house is in a vortex so its all good but here is the new changes.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #21 on:** October 03, 2011, 07:52:45 »

Looking good man. I have a router for my dremel, havent even had a chance to use it yet. Figured it would be good for some small things, but I'm going to be looking to upgrading soon to a more usefull tool.

Center brace, i wouldnt worry about it. it looks like you have enough support there and if you go with some cheap plywood from lowes it will hold anything, and it makes great doors.

HUNGER · « **Reply #22 on:** October 03, 2011, 08:20:04 »

u can allways use paint like a watter saeler paint

Boonjob · « **Reply #23 on:** October 03, 2011, 08:24:39 »

Anyone at lowes or home depot, should show you where the euro hinges are... They are your standard "hidden" hinge... I didn't recommend them simply because they are "hidden" hinges but because on the door you are mouting them too you will drill a tight bore hole to fit over a "cup" on the hinge itself... If you use MDF, most times screws have a terrible time starting or even staying in over long periods, so the cup will help hold the weight of the door instead of the screws themselves. It's not needed, just a suggestion... I personally dont like mdf over plywood, but MDF does have it's advantages... I have a router and bits, but you are like an hour + away from me I believe.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #24 on:** October 03, 2011, 08:49:23 »

Quote from: Boonjob on October 03, 2011, 08:24:39

Anyone at lowes or home depot, should show you where the euro hinges are... They are your standard "hidden" hinge... I didn't recommend them simply because they are "hidden" hinges but because on the door you are mouting them too you will drill a tight bore hole to fit over a "cup" on the hinge itself... If you use MDF, most times screws have a terrible time starting or even staying in over long periods, so the cup will help hold the weight of the door instead of the screws themselves. It's not needed, just a suggestion... I personally dont like mdf or plywood, but MDF does have it's advantages... I have a router and bits, but you are like an hour + away from me I believe.

I made a rolling night stand out of MDF with those euro hinges. They are nice and they are adjustable. MDF though over time will warp under it's own weight no mater how you brace it, and depending on how heavy the oject is that you are sitting on it. Other than plywood, you hae osb and hardwood. OSB is cheap but to me ugly looking, plywood can be made to look really nice with stain or even just a coat of poly. Hardwood, unless it's pine, is kind of expensive. But pine likes to warp and crack over time depending on how you use it.

Boonjob · « **Reply #25 on:** October 03, 2011, 09:10:12 »

The biggest thing with MDF; or any softer wood for that matter is all in how you seal it... As Brian has already stated, a good coating will cut out alot of your water asorbtion in the material, which in turn will help the material to fight warping/rot.

Pine is not a hard wood

and the type and grade of pine will make a great difference in it's likely hood to "split/warp". Some Pine is great to work with, with little to no chance of splitting or warping. Example White pine over your more common Southern Yellow Pine which is far more likely to shrink and decay.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #26 on:** October 03, 2011, 09:19:50 »

Pine is not a hard wood

, but i was more so refering to other solid woods. Plywood is cheaper, stronger and lighter than MDF. http://woodworking.com/forum/showthread.php?7163-plywood-vs.-MDF-in-cabinets these guys seem to agree as well. But it's ultimately up to Hatcher on what he wants to use.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #27 on:** October 03, 2011, 09:37:50 »

I'd like to get a router though like that guy has in the video you posted boon. I like things that have a nice port that you can hook up to a shop vac so that it cuts down on dust. Currently my dad and I are buildin a huge Pole barn, where I'll be moving my business too by next spring, abot 10min more north of me. So we have more room to build things and etup a nice fish vewing area

I plan on building a huge tank in there if he agrees to it, he just doesnt know that i have plans for that yet

lol

I was looking up some router/table combos. Theres a guy selling one on craigslist for 20 bucks, but doesnt mention a brand or anything and anoher guy is selling a craftsman pro table/router combo for 160. I'm going to try and snag one of them as I have some cabinet doors to make. another 600gal tank, and i really need to finish up my tank if i can get the time, i got to put the skirting around the stand and build a canopy for the LEDs i have.

Boonjob · « **Reply #28 on:** October 03, 2011, 09:49:46 »

A Router would not be a bad investment for you or your company Darin. The router he is using in the video is a Plunge router, almost all newer routers(table models incuded) have some form of attachable port for vacuum. Each table and Plunge have there up's and downs, I would research them for which you would use more... anything in the 1.5hp range would be sufficent for most the common DIY projects that would call for a router... I would not invest in anything above 2.5hp unless your making a lively hood off of it. Most the craftsman combo's are great for beginners as they are dependable and are what you need for most applications and they come with lots of accessories, including plunge bases(for most models) to turn your table router into a plunge router. If your router has the rpm's(10k-20k) it is the choice method for cutting acrylic.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #29 on:** October 03, 2011, 09:59:33 »

THanks for the advice boon, i havent had much time to look into it. But I have been debating on what to get because i dont forsee myself using it a lot, so i was thinking that a basic cheap model might work, but if i start getting a lot of people asking, i could always upgrade. And then of course there are the options of a table router or a plunge, which i'm debating as well. I'll def have to see what would suite me best.

Boonjob · « **Reply #30 on:** October 03, 2011, 10:05:05 »

N/p if you have any question feel free to ask, also I should mention that all the newer model craftsman routers have an option called "soft start" which is going to be a god send for anyone new to using a router over using a router without that ability.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #31 on:** October 03, 2011, 10:20:58 »

Which would you recommend? The plunger or the table? I think that i would mostly be doing edging and such for cabinet doors or to round edges and such which i think would be good for a table. I have the Plunger for my dremel which i think is only good for really small projects though. Hmm, maybe I'll check out the Pawn shop and see if they have a Plunger for sale.

Boonjob · « **Reply #32 on:** October 03, 2011, 10:46:11 »

I would recommend the table to start with... they both will more or less do the same job, its just one may be easier to use than the other at that particular task... I would advise a table for almost all beginners, as they make the router easier to manage.

Though most newer models can easily be converted from plunger or table with a few simple screws.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #33 on:** October 03, 2011, 11:28:19 »

I think thats what i'll be looking for, one that can be converted.

Boonjob · « **Reply #34 on:** October 03, 2011, 11:36:38 »

look at the craftsman 2hp routers. They will tackle almost all jobs you would even consider doing, they have good stats for a beginner tool, they come with the craftsman warranty, and they are easy to convert(depending on the model you get)... and you will 100% want the soft start until you are used to using routers.

There are other viable routers from other mfgs, but craftsman is usually the best bang for the buck for novice or entry level work, yet they can still tackle even more intricate work. I have 2 craftsmans 2hp, and a 3hp Dewalt Plunge.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #35 on:** October 03, 2011, 11:43:37 »

alright, cool, thats what i'll be looking for then. thanks

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #36 on:** October 03, 2011, 12:29:43 »

i dont know how to use a router lol i kinda of know what they do but other than that i would prolly waste more wood trying to figure it out.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #37 on:** October 03, 2011, 12:33:32 »

i have seen people use them, they seem pretty straight forward.

lazylivin · « **Reply #38 on:** October 03, 2011, 12:44:44 »

Cody may be a natural born with the talent. Some times it comes easy for some. For me making styles and rail door was the hardest woodworking project I have ever done. Routers are dangerous in an novice hand when removing large amount of wood. The rpm they spin at can kick out a peice of wood at super speeds. Doing simple round overs and other edge effects is best to start and with softer woods.

DarinSchmidt · « **Reply #39 on:** October 03, 2011, 12:52:11 »

Yeah, thats why i think i might start with the table type till i get comfortable with that and move onto the plunger if needed. I'm wanting to get one thats a hybrid though so i dont have to go out and buy another piece of equipment.

Boonjob · « **Reply #40 on:** October 03, 2011, 13:07:36 »

Do what you feel your confident with Hatcher, It was just a suggstion... yes it can be dangerous if used improperly(just like all other power tools). To be honest a table mounted router, provides little danger to anyone; novice or expert provided you are using common sense... a plunge router is a bit different(which is why I did not recommend it to Darin.)

I understand some people may have trouble with the router(or power tools in general), but honestly I think alot of it comes from their own uncertainty/confindence with the tool(no offense Brian). Yes, it can kick a board out at a realtively high speed(just like a table saw or any other large mounted powertool). If you are using a mounted table router and feeding it correctly, you will NEVER have this problem. a Plunge router is a little different, but provided you are going the correct direction in relation to the cut and on a solid mounted surface you again will never experience this...

Honestly making sure your measurements/alignment are good is harder than the actual operation of the router itself. Learing to use a router will increase the quality of your DIY stands and cabinets(for this hobby or for general around the house)... But again it's what you feel is best for you, but using a router is not "rocket" sceince.

If you or anyone else want to learn how to use it, we can maybe set up a Workshop, and I can show those interested in how to make a simple base, cabinet, hood or whatever with one, and guide you through the process...

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #41 on:** October 07, 2011, 13:48:36 »

ok everyone well my fish have recently gotten ick so through coahing and great advice about needing a quarintine tank im going to build a shelf that goes above my ATO stand that i can put my tank when i get one. so i will get on that today and keep you all posted on what it looks like hopefully with very little skill and a whole lot of luck it will look pretty decent.

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #42 on:** October 08, 2011, 19:10:30 »

just want to say thank you to mike and dave for coming out to my place and helping me setup up my auto top off and getting it ready and helping me dial in my skimmer thanks again guys.

HUNGER · « **Reply #43 on:** October 08, 2011, 19:15:39 »

no problem man

slandis3 · « **Reply #44 on:** October 08, 2011, 19:43:27 »

no problem, I looked for that ballast. I have it but it runs a single 96w bulb instead of 2 65w. You could use it if you wanted to and just run a single bulb instead of dual bulbs.

hatcher2014 · « **Reply #45 on:** October 09, 2011, 01:26:01 »

yeah that will work fine man if you can just hold on to it for me and when me and the wife make it up there ill grab it from you. thanks alot man

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Author Topic: My first DIY project (Read 5071 times)