Would this work?

[ikkie78]

I was going to build a crossfire enclosure and I was looking over all the pics of the vivs on here and noticed some really nice "converted" furniture people have made some really nice vivs out of. Then I remembered I had this entertainment center in the garage and was wondering if it would be easier/cheaper to convert this into a viv than building a crossfire. Any opinions would be welcome. My Dad is an excellent woodworker so I know he could do it just didn't know if it would be worth the money. I was thinking of maybe dropping the top down a little so there wasn't so much vertical space and then making the are where the TV would sit extend through the whole length and taking out the left side door obviously. The enclosure dimensions would be about 60"x24"x36". What do you guys think? Here is a pic of the unit...its in excellent shape and looks nice so thats why I'd kind of like to use it.

 

[tarian]

i say go for it, dropping the top down isnt really nessasary. as you can mount the lamps lower or build a platform they can climb up to get to the uv and basking spots. the opotions are limitless use your imagination and have fun :mrgreen:

 

[tarian]

i think the hardest part would be taking the divider out, i am pretty sure it is vaneer (not solid all the way through) so be carfull removing it, then i'd cut it on a table saw. one piece for a support and the other to bridge the gap where the door is on the left. some screws and small angle brackets and then you only need a pice of glass. phone around for reclaimed glass is way cheeper. i bet you could do everything easy for under $100 good luck and have fun !!!

 

[ikkie78]

Thanks for the responses! I think I might still drop the top down for a couple reasons: 1. So it will fit in my vehicle! 2. I wanted to be able to stack another unit on top of it down the road without it being too high. I don't want to drop it too much but it would be a little easier to move around and add to later if it was just a little bit shorter. I'm getting a little excited to start...can't believe its been in the garage this long and I never thought about using it for a viv! haha! Now I just have to get it to my parents house so I can use all my Dad's stuff (and him also! ) and see what I can do. I was gonna put tile down for the floor and seal it good on the inside of the enclosure at least. Whats a good sealer to use? Thanks!

Oh and the divider is actually solid all the way through...I just checked. It is a really good quality unit...the only one I could find not made out of pressboard. Its strong as hell! haha! (I used to work at a furniture place so I got it cheap otherwise i wouldn't have been able to afford it! )

 

[ikkie78]

Should I bother sealing it on the inside or do you think that it will be ok as is? It does have a finish on it but I was thinking of getting some non-toxic min-wax or something similar and putting an extra coat on the inside just to be safe and make sure there isn't any moisture soaking into the wood that would cause mold/mildew to get into the wood. I will also be caulking all of the inside seams on the wood also.

 

[tarian]

wow thats rare that it's solid, NICE!!! but i bet it's pretty heavy eh?? i wouldnt worry about finishing it, it already has a finish on it, unles your worried about dirt from sitting too long. but i think a good wash should do just fine

 

[ikkie78]

Yeah its heavy enough! haha! Thats another reason that I wouldn't mind shortening it up a bit in height! Take a little weight off! haha! I thought about maybe just sealing the inside part that will be used as the actual enclosure just to be safe but I'll probably just leave the rest of it as is. It was in the house until this last August so it still looks really nice. I'll hopefully be able to start on it soon and I'll post some pics as I go.

 

[ikkie78]

Oh and does anyone have the dimensions of a megaray bulb? I was planning on using a megaray mounted in one of the outdoor floodlight type fixture that is in the crossfire enclosure and just kind of wanted to know the dimensions of this bulb so I can plan how much I want to drop the top of the enclosure and still be able to adjust for basking temp if necessary. If anyone knows the dimensions and could post them I would appreciate it!

 

[ikkie78]

Here is a better picture of the unit. If I just knock out the divider and bring the floor straight across the inside dimensions of the enclosure would be roughly 58"L x 22"W x 34"H. Would this work out good? I realize that the 22W is a little less that the 2' recommended but its what I have to work with. Otherwise I could always try and find a way to extend the width of the enclosure a little bit. What do you think? I was also thinking of not cutting the top down but instead installing a drop ceiling in a sense. That way I could recess the MVB into it a little bit and have a clean way to run the wires without seeing a lot of them. Then I was going to make the area under the new floor another cabinet and just cut the original door down so it matches. Any more suggestions from those of you that have either done this before or are good at woodworking are most welcome. Here is the picture with all the doors open so you can see what I'm working with. Thanks!

 

[tarian]

you can check out what i did in encosures "old radio to encosure" and dont worry about only having 22 for width, i only have 18. in a perfect world yes 2 feet is better, why stop there 3 feet is even better ect. ect. lol especially if your getting a baby. that will be good for his entire life, but i bet after a year you will want something different. is just the natrure of the beast(lol) pun intended. also beardies are addictive, so you might end up with more than 1. anyways the point is that will be just fine...stop talking about it and build the darn thing already :mrgreen:

 

[ikkie78]

...stop talking about it and build the darn thing already :mrgreen:

Haha! I know, I know! I gonna make my Dad help me because he's an outstanding woodworker and he says he's not sitting in the garage until its a little warmer out! haha! So I should be able to start in a couple weeks. Gotta let the roaches breed anyway when I get them! So I have a little time!

 

[ikkie78]

Ok...me and my Dad went over the plans for making this an enclosure...the inside dimensions will be 57"L x 25"W x 34"H...what would be the best way to setup the lights in this? I will be using an MVB (Megaray) and was wondering if it would be better to put a drop ceiling into it and recess the light, use a floodlight unit, or use a hanging dome lamp that could be adjusted up or down? I was just wondering if its gonna be a pain to get the temps right with it being 34 inches high. I will also have a 48" strip light in there and i'm going to install 2 other light fixtures...one in the middle and one off to the "cool" side in case I need to add a CHE or another bulb to adjust temps. I'd rather have extra in case I need them. Anyone have any good pics of how they set up their lighting in a homemade enclosure? Or any where they used a recessed MVB? Any help would be appreciated...I have about a week and a half to plan everything out and then its on to building! Thanks!