Hello, this is a work in progress but I just wanted to start a topic that I can keep updating. Everything here so far has been done indoor my living room with very basic tools (I have a tiny apartment with no outdoor space).
So far the only tools and supplies I've needed:
-Handsaw
-Clamps
-Sandpaper
-Drill
-Wood screws
-Both 1/2" and 3/4" poplar boards (I'll post exactly how much was needed when I'm done)
-One 1"x1"x4' dowel
-Two squares
I think the only other things I will need is silicone for the glass seal, glass cut at Lowe's, and wood glue.
First I built the base out of 3/4"x5.5"x6' boards. Held together with 1/2"x1.5" boards cut parallel to width. I cut the corners out (sloppily) for the dowels to fit.
Drilled the dowels on:
Then I made the side walls from 1/2"x5.5" boards and held together with 1/2"x1.5" boards. I left a half inch gap at the top for the screen to rest on.
Aaand here's where I made my first big mistake so far. I managed to mismeasure the back wall by almost an inch. It's where I've made my progress up to and I'm trying to figure out where to go from here. I likely will move the top boards down an inch to be level with the others (so the screen will sit flush) and just have the back wall little higher than the front. Since I don't have a table saw I can't just cut it short.
If I take this route it will give me the ability to mount my lights onto the excess ledge so maybe it's not the worse thing in the world.
Any suggestions to improve it would be great
Unfortunately I work 12 hour shifts for the next 5 days but I certainly intend to finish the build next week. After that I just need to stain and finish it. Looking forward to getting my little dude into a larger tank, he deserves it.
Progress. Flipped the back wall and moved the screen supports, doesn't look too bad. Everything is screwed down and square now. I'll just add an inch to the sides to level it out.
I'm gonna use the danish oil for the entire thing. It's the only type of stain/finish that I know won't make the beardie sick, I'm honestly not sure what else I could use. I'm happy with the look of it anyways so I don't really intend on researching other stains
Progress on it. Stained the wood, made some mounts for the lighting, and made the frames for the top screen (waiting for my screening to come in the mail)
Thanks! I used a carving knife and believe it or not I messed up three blocks out of five lol, I just couldn't get the angle right. I'm still worried that it's angled a little too high but we will see