Pulled the trigger

[Axil]

That looks beautiful, and with the 4x4 legs you could probably set your car on it.

 

[NickAVD]

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.

It turned out very beautiful. And the construction is very durable.
Is it necessary to seal exposed areas of pine wood?
Although, perhaps I did not understand what the veneer is made of.

 

[xp29]

That looks beautiful, and with the 4x4 legs you could probably set your car on it.

Yup

 

[xp29]

It turned out very beautiful. And the construction is very durable.
Is it necessary to seal exposed areas of pine wood?
Although, perhaps I did not understand what the veneer is made of.

Thank you I'm happy with it.
It's pine that been artificially weather and stained. The shelf inside is a pine plywood panel.
The veneering has been in my garage for a couple years and it gets insanely hot out there so it doesn't have any off gassing left in it.
The doors are birch that i stained. I left them in the sun enough to bake them also, i can't detect any fumes from the stain now.
I think as long as it isn't inside the habitat with them pine is ok anyway. I think it's the resin that is more the issue than anything. (It's been a pretty good while since i read the article about it so my memory is a little fuzzy)

 

[xp29]

That looks beautiful, and with the 4x4 legs you could probably set your car on it.

The legs were a bit of an overkill but I needed to get it done quickly so I didn't make the legs like I did on the other one I built for chomp. It added some extra weight but it's going to be really stable when the hahitat is on it.

 

[xp29]

So the new habitat came today.
My first impression was WTF! On Zens website they talk about how they started and show their small crew of employees yada yada yada. The first thing i saw besides the box being beat up was a big'ole MADE IN CHINA label. One of the primary selling points for me was I though it was made in America.
When I got it out 3 or 4 joints were dislodged and 1 was broken. (Not enough to render it unusable but still). From the looks of the box it was dropped on the corner so my guess is that's what popped the corners apart. The habitat itself is exactly as advertised and I think I will like it (I would love it if it were MADE IN THE USA )
After I inspected it I promptly took it out in the shop and cut a big'ole hole in it lol. No seriously I did. Now it's setting out there waiting for the glue to dry.
I'm installing a window so Sinatra can continue to enjoy watching the world go by
I'll probably have one more day of glue before I can start moving him in. I managed to cut the hole precisely enough that the window fits snugly in place. I'll have to frame the outside also once the glue sets on the inside frame. The acrylic I bought is the same thickness as the panel so it won't need to be shimmed to keep it from flopping around. All in all it's going to be a big upgrade for him. He is currently in a 36x18x18.

 

[NickAVD]

So the new habitat came today.
My first impression was WTF! On Zens website they talk about how they started and show their small crew of employees yada yada yada. The first thing i saw besides the box being beat up was a big'ole MADE IN CHINA label. One of the primary selling points for me was I though it was made in America.
When I got it out 3 or 4 joints were dislodged and 1 was broken. (Not enough to render it unusable but still). From the looks of the box it was dropped on the corner so my guess is that's what popped the corners apart. The habitat itself is exactly as advertised and I think I will like it (I would love it if it were MADE IN THE USA )
After I inspected it I promptly took it out in the shop and cut a big'ole hole in it lol. No seriously I did. Now it's setting out there waiting for the glue to dry.
I'm installing a window so Sinatra can continue to enjoy watching the world go by
I'll probably have one more day of glue before I can start moving him in. I managed to cut the hole precisely enough that the window fits snugly in place. I'll have to frame the outside also once the glue sets on the inside frame. The acrylic I bought is the same thickness as the panel so it won't need to be shimmed to keep it from flopping around. All in all it's going to be a big upgrade for him. He is currently in a 36x18x18.

I would never have thought that terrariums were made in China. It's no problem to make aluminum guides and laminated panels in an American factory. I don’t understand why all this is being shipped from China Shipping across the ocean adds significantly to the cost.
The window frame looks beautiful. For a long time I could not understand what is "45's" in your message means. Now I understand. In my country, such a connection is literally called a "connection on mustache", don’t ask me why...

PS: Why did you decide to use acrylic instead of glass? Will acrylic be scratched by surfing?

 

[xp29]

Never heard that term before, for some reason it struck me funny.
I went with acrylic because they didn't have glass 1/4" thick, I would have had to triple up to make it the same thickness as the back panel. (Or use foam tape to shim it). I don't think he'll surf there, I've never seen him surf the back glass of his viv. I have an extra piece if he scratches it, or I may add in another window.
Thank you for the compliment also

 

[NickAVD]

I don't think there is a similar term in English.
This is a name for a similar connection type in my local language. I also thought it was funny if translated into English.