Pulled the trigger

[xp29]

I finally settled on and committed to the Zen habitat!!!
I ordered it last night
I went with the Merridian wood.
Now I've got to build a stand, figure out the window installation..... BAAHHHH beardies are a lot of friggen work lol
On a side note i went back and double checked the panels are 1/4 thick and laminated (with real bamboo) I found it in the faq section.

 

[NickAVD]

Cool! I already want to see the window for Sinatra!

 

[xp29]

I'm going to build the stand as well. I have some barn lumber accenting stuff I'm going to dress it in

 

[Rocky2022]

I can't wait to see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[xp29]

I'm building the stand this weekend and i have to put the window in when it gets here, but I'm hoping to have him in it mid-week.

 

[xp29]

It isn't finished yet but I've made a huge dent in it. The structure is completed, and some of the dressing, I've got about half of that done. I deliberately didn't cut the 45's or work the seams in. I grew up in the heart of the Appalachia and rustic wasn't a trend, it really was how a lot of stuff was done. Since I'm using imitation barn lumber i decided to stay true to the way real rustic looks. On a side note, this thing is SOLID. I think it would support an entire house with a beardie in it lmao I also managed to get it perfectly square. It doesn't rock at all and sets flat on all 4 legs. All the framing lined up perfectly as well

 

[xp29]

This is what I'm going to frame the window in with. I will cut in the 45's for the window. I'm debating on installing one on each side.

 

[xp29]

Zen Habitats did inform me if i cut the panel i would void the warranty. (I emailed them to see if i could disassemble that panel without breaking it)
PPPfftt window (or two) it is lol

 

[NickAVD]

It isn't finished yet but I've made a huge dent in it. The structure is completed, and some of the dressing, I've got about half of that done. I deliberately didn't cut the 45's or work the seams in. I grew up in the heart of the Appalachia and rustic wasn't a trend, it really was how a lot of stuff was done. Since I'm using imitation barn lumber i decided to stay true to the way real rustic looks. On a side note, this thing is SOLID. I think it would support an entire house with a beardie in it lmao I also managed to get it perfectly square. It doesn't rock at all and sets flat on all 4 legs. All the framing lined up perfectly as well

Thank you for posting photos of the making process!
The design looks very solid! It reminded me of the drawing of a carpentry workbench from Wood magazine for June-July 2005.
I really like this style! And I did something similar for my table saw too. This is a very strong constraction, you can be sure that it will withstand anything.
But I was a little lazy, I didn't cover it with veneer, I just made holes for the screws and then closed the holes with wooden plugs. If you are interested, I can show my product if I find a photo.
You are doing very beautifully, I will look forward to continuation in this topic.

 

[NickAVD]

This is what I'm going to frame the window in with. I will cut in the 45's for the window. I'm debating on installing one on each side.

I think this will work. It is also worth providing an easy way to replace the glass if necessary in the future.

 

[NickAVD]

Zen Habitats did inform me if i cut the panel i would void the warranty. (I emailed them to see if i could disassemble that panel without breaking it)
PPPfftt window (or two) it is lol

I doubt that a warranty is necessary for such a simple terrarium construction, all that can happen to it is physical damage and it is unlikely that they will recognize as a warranty issue

 

[xp29]

Thank you for posting photos of the making process!
The design looks very solid! It reminded me of the drawing of a carpentry workbench from Wood magazine for June-July 2005.
I really like this style! And I did something similar for my table saw too. This is a very strong constraction, you can be sure that it will withstand anything.
But I was a little lazy, I didn't cover it with veneer, I just made holes for the screws and then closed the holes with wooden plugs. If you are interested, I can show my product if I find a photo.
You are doing very beautifully, I will look forward to continuation in this topic.

Yeah for sure post up some pics
I need to build a stand for my table saw as well, it would make work a little easier. The chop saw to. The girlfriend and her sister kindda made the garage into a storage unit and i never really got a chance before hand lol.

 

[NickAVD]

Yeah for sure post up some pics
I need to build a stand for my table saw as well, it would make work a little easier. The chop saw to. The girlfriend and her sister kindda made the garage into a storage unit and i never really got a chance before hand lol.

As I wrote earlier, I used an idea from Wood magazine 2005 (#163 June-July). I don’t know if I can publish drawings from this magazine, perhaps this would be a violation of copyright, but the magazine is publicly available on the Internet or you can write to me and I will send you an electronic version.
It was enough for me to make a frame, but the magazine tells how to make shelves, walls and drawers for this workbench.
I'll tell you more about it, maybe someone else will want to use it to make a stand for a terrarium

I resized the frame width and depth to match the dimensions of my saw, and also changed the height so that the saw table was at 3 feet (which is a comfortable height for me).

The legs were glued together from two boards to form a square beam

The entire frame was assembled with screws, the holes from the screws were closed with wooden plugs

The frame is covered with stain and water-based varnish

 

[xp29]

Oh yeah, I like that, I'll probably copy it for mine. It would be worlds more convenient than what I've been doing.
On my other habitat stand i built i did the same things for the legs, but i decided to be lazy on this one and just use 4x4's lol

 

[xp29]

All but done now (finally)
I still have to add the trim at the top, but I'm going to wait till the habitat is there so i get the measurements right.