DIY - Projects & Ideas • I'm not a wood guy.....

[13razorbackfan]

I've been looking into replacing them with Beamswork LEDs.
I have an old Coralife 2xT5 and another Coralife 2xT5HO, looks a bit different than the pic above, there's just one actinic now as opposed to the 2 that were running previously. It was too blue.
They sit on the glass.

Gotcha....I am looking into the beamswork marine/reef bright also. Maybe in a month or so I will get it. I just hope it is not too yellow and more white because I currently have 2 10000k plus 2 actinics and I like the coloration.

[Mike_G]

OK, all done structurally. Going to go into phase 2, after payday anyway.

I'm thinking oak. With just a light dye to bring out the grain. Then clear... Lots.



No really good angles for the bottom shelf, so I'll step back for this one

How about some of you guys (and gals) show off some of your first projects.... Or mistakes.....

I'm pretty proud of myself on this one

That's gonna be hard to skin because the 2X4s on the corners aren't flush with the front face- you may want to add a piece of 2X2 as furring so you have something to nail/glue the plywood to.

[SobrietyRocks707]

That's gonna be hard to skin because the 2X4s on the corners aren't flush with the front face- you may want to add a piece of 2X2 as furring so you have something to nail/glue the plywood to.

Good point.

[SobrietyRocks707]

A little progress.......



I got to thinking about my project, and really liked the idea of doing all the work
myself. Making my own mistakes, but being proud of the work.

Tomorrow.... Sand, Stain, Doors, and Hardware. Also on tap... Canister filter.

If all goes as planned, and we get a dry spell here, the leveling and reinforcing will be done
this week.

[13razorbackfan]

That really looks good. I know the feeling when a good DIY project comes together. It is so much more rewarding. Are you going to use trim? Have you thought about doing a matching canopy? If so then I would consider doing it at the same time and trying to get it all to match with the stain and trim.

[SobrietyRocks707]

Yeah..... Going to be a little difficult matching that grain, unless 1/4" plywood will work
for a canopy..... Which I don't think it would....

But like the title says, I'm not a wood guy LoL

Either way, I was thinking of using a different wood for the doors.... Kind of a contrast thing. I could easily match That wood to the same for the canopy. Could be pretty nice looking.

[13razorbackfan]

Yeah..... Going to be a little difficult matching that grain, unless 1/4" plywood will work
for a canopy..... Which I don't think it would....

But like the title says, I'm not a wood guy LoL

Either way, I was thinking of using a different wood for the doors.... Kind of a contrast thing. I could easily match That wood to the same for the canopy. Could be pretty nice looking.

Be sure to continue to post progress pics.

[SobrietyRocks707]

Slow and steady wins the race I suppose....cut outs for the doors today. Gotta buy
the finishing trim, wood for the doors and start building tomorrow.

Lessons are being learned.... Like measure TWICE, cut ONCE And doing it
right the first time, means the rest of the project goes MUCH Smoother



Ordered my canister as well. Should be here Wed

[13razorbackfan]

Slow and steady wins the race I suppose....cut outs for the doors today. Gotta buy
the finishing trim, wood for the doors and start building tomorrow.

Lessons are being learned.... Like measure TWICE, cut ONCE And doing it
right the first time, means the rest of the project goes MUCH Smoother



Ordered my canister as well. Should be here Wed

Yep...measure 3 times cut once is my motto!!

I can see where it looks like your circular saw ran kind of long on both cuts for the door. A little tip when needing precise cuts when you are cutting either 90 degree cuts like an L shape or when you are cutting out square holes...when you get close to the end of the cut...stop. Use a jigsaw or handsaw to finish the cut because it is more precise with the straight up and down motion versus the spinning circular saw.

[SobrietyRocks707]

One was a circular saw.... The other was actually due to one of my earlier mistakes.....

I actually borrowed a plunge router and bit for most of that.... there were 2 spots where
I did need the circular. Good to have wood pros across the parking lot from me to help
me with my mistakes

Also, I'll probably get all the parts into their spray booth soon, and may get some help, or at least tips the rest of the way.

[13razorbackfan]

I bet that sucker is heavy! It sure looks sturdy though. Are you going to paint or stain it? What color?

[SobrietyRocks707]

Gonna use a different, darker plywood, and some solid stock for the doors, and try and
match the darker to the wood for a canopy.

In other words, the body of the stand will likely be a light stain to bring out the grain, and the
doors will be darker, along with the canopy. Sort of an attempt at contrast.

I already made a big mistake, as far as the pros go.... I have the grain running horizontally LoL

Oh well.... Next one will be better

[13razorbackfan]

Have you thought at all about matching it to your tank trim? I painted my setup all black...trim, stand and even the standard light strip fixture which sits in front of my t5HO lights to kind of mask the light that shines through.

You can paint your tank trim as well.

Also...before you get your tank set up you should consider painting the back glass if that is something you want to do in the future. Once you get fish in there it will be too late.

[SobrietyRocks707]

I'm going to paint the tank trim I think. No way I can deal with that PT Cruiser
wood grain LoL

Painting the tank..... Well first thing I did was clean it. The second was...

[Cursor]

So what is your secret to obtaining straight 2x4's and 2x6's? I've had a heck of a time building things due to warped wood.