Building a Cabinet

[Andy_1984]

ive been meaning to replace the table that my aquarium has been sitting on for almost a year. ive been looking for some sort of display/wall cabinet but they have been extremely expensive and not configured the way i want or even the size i want and whats more important the max load it can handle is crap 15kg was the most i seen.

 

i calculated the weight of the water in the aquarium and it adds up to 275lb not including glass, gravel & the 2 rocks.

 

ive also been contemplating and researching about Bearded Dragons, i really want one.

 

so ive been thinking about building my own wall cabinet, i wouldnt call my self an experienced d.i.y'er but more "Sufficient" d.i.y'er

 

ive measured out and drew up plans that i think would be ideal for my needs but what i dont know is if its going to work as ive planned, it could all fall apart due to some piece of wood being in the wrong place or not being capable of holding 400lb (400lb to be on safe side) ?

 

i was going to get the wood cut by who ever i get it from so its more of a flat pack assembly but need advice on what fixtures i would need to use for such a project.

 

i have attached my plans i drew up in Sketchup, measurements are in feet & inches.

 

All white panels are exactly 1.5 inch thick EXCEPT the red panels which are part of the bearded dragon enclosure which will be a lighter type of wood as i think its not needed as that part of the cabinet wont have to be super strong plus the dragon enclosure will only be sitting on top of the cabinet so i can remove it to get access to the aquarium when removing things like filter and rocks.

 

ive left enough room to do minor water changes without removing the dragon enclosure. the panel that the enclosure sits on will be hinged.

 

the green blocks you see are meant to be corner brackets. are these acceptable, if so which ones are best or is there a better way ?

 

also what kind of wood is recommended, keeping in mind that the dragon enclosure cant be pine or any other type of wood that would be toxic.

 

im also thinking of coating the wood in some sort of iron on white glossy vinyl.

 

appreciate your help on this one guys.

[corydoras]

ive been meaning to replace the table that my aquarium has been sitting on for almost a year. ive been looking for some sort of display/wall cabinet but they have been extremely expensive and not configured the way i want or even the size i want and whats more important the max load it can handle is crap 15kg was the most i seen.

 

i calculated the weight of the water in the aquarium and it adds up to 275lb not including glass, gravel & the 2 rocks.

 

ive also been contemplating and researching about Bearded Dragons, i really want one.

 

so ive been thinking about building my own wall cabinet, i wouldnt call my self an experienced d.i.y'er but more "Sufficient" d.i.y'er

 

ive measured out and drew up plans that i think would be ideal for my needs but what i dont know is if its going to work as ive planned, it could all fall apart due to some piece of wood being in the wrong place or not being capable of holding 400lb (400lb to be on safe side) ?

 

i was going to get the wood cut by who ever i get it from so its more of a flat pack assembly but need advice on what fixtures i would need to use for such a project.

 

i have attached my plans i drew up in Sketchup, measurements are in feet & inches.

 

All white panels are exactly 1.5 inch thick EXCEPT the red panels which are part of the bearded dragon enclosure which will be a lighter type of wood as i think its not needed as that part of the cabinet wont have to be super strong plus the dragon enclosure will only be sitting on top of the cabinet so i can remove it to get access to the aquarium when removing things like filter and rocks.

 

ive left enough room to do minor water changes without removing the dragon enclosure. the panel that the enclosure sits on will be hinged.

 

the green blocks you see are meant to be corner brackets. are these acceptable, if so which ones are best or is there a better way ?

 

also what kind of wood is recommended, keeping in mind that the dragon enclosure cant be pine or any other type of wood that would be toxic.

 

im also thinking of coating the wood in some sort of iron on white glossy vinyl.

 

appreciate your help on this one guys.

Your vivarium should not be any type of wood, it should be glass all round. IF I were going to build something like this I would use exterior or marine ply but that will cost you a small fortune Andy. Go and have a look in some decent pet shops. I'd start here

 

M and R Dogfish

 

466 Paisley Road West

G51 1PX

01414273615

[Andy_1984]

Not necessarily, Cory. Glass doesnt need to be used and infact is not the number one choice by the majority of bearded Dragon keepers. it doesnt contain heat as well as wood does and would cause more humidity in the enclosure than wood. bearded dragons need it 30% humidity, 50% at most.

 

There are several types of wood that can be used safely, any toxic ones can be used but must be sealed properly but ill be going for a non toxic plywood, sealed and coated with reptile safe materials, thats for the dragon enclosure only and built in a way that it looks like part of the entire cabinet. still undecided what i need for the actual cabinet to support the weight of the aquarium.

 

i gather chipboard is out of the question since water from aquarium might become an issue if it ever got under the vinyl.

 

Thanks.

[Andy_1984]

Sorry Cory, i got it the wrong way round. glass tanks dont hold more humidity than a wooden one, though a wooden one can be regulated quite easily with good ventilation, another reason why i want to make it out of wood so i can cut vents.

Edited April 13, 2012 by Andy_1984

[corydoras]

Not necessarily, Cory. Glass doesnt need to be used and infact is not the number one choice by the majority of bearded Dragon keepers. it doesnt contain heat as well as wood does and would cause more humidity in the enclosure than wood. bearded dragons need it 30% humidity, 50% at most.

 

There are several types of wood that can be used safely, any toxic ones can be used but must be sealed properly but ill be going for a non toxic plywood, sealed and coated with reptile safe materials, thats for the dragon enclosure only and built in a way that it looks like part of the entire cabinet. still undecided what i need for the actual cabinet to support the weight of the aquarium.

 

i gather chipboard is out of the question since water from aquarium might become an issue if it ever got under the vinyl.

 

Thanks.

Fair enough, if you really want a wooden one your going to have to build it from solid oak or solid beech. This is going to get expensive, and hardwoods are difficult to work with if you don't have the experience. Buy a vivarium and a cabinet for your tank from a pet shop or on line. It'll save you money and grief and will look better too.

 

You won't build a better vivarium than that for the money.

http://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/reptile-su...ech-138754.html

[Andy_1984]

problem is cory i dont have any more space in this small flat to put a vivarium and be space efficient at the same time or i would have bought a viv like the one you linked. i was looking at those first and had decided on one exactly like that at 4' x 2' x 2'

 

because of the space issue the only practical option was a wall cabinet like i drew. i cant find one that can handle 275lb+ or big enough to house the shop bought viv i really wanted. the prices were unbelievable for ones that were smaller than my aquarium

 

The experience shouldnt be an issue, what i need advice on is wither the cabinets would hold together or collapse like a house of cards.

[Steve Walker]

I'm not sure what my large Juwel aquarium cabinet is made from, I am pretty sure that it isn't solid wood though. I do remember it being surprisingly heavy. It's about 15mm thick and four vertical sheets of it hold up a 260 litre tank with a lot of rock in it.

 

Even if you intend making the vivarium out of wood, I wonder if you should make it removable/replaceable from the cabinet?

[Andy_1984]

I'm not sure what my large Juwel aquarium cabinet is made from, I am pretty sure that it isn't solid wood though. I do remember it being surprisingly heavy. It's about 15mm thick and four vertical sheets of it hold up a 260 litre tank with a lot of rock in it.

 

Even if you intend making the vivarium out of wood, I wonder if you should make it removable/replaceable from the cabinet?

 

Hi steve. i put together a marina aquarium stand for someone a few months ago and it was made of chipboard and covered in wood effect stuff like most flat pack furniture. im guessing they do something to the wood though to stop it crumbling if it gets wet. his aquarium weighed a little more than mines too, water weighed around 300lb

 

the plan is to make the viv detachable, i even said so its not structural to the cabinet. i was going to hinge the top of the cabinet also, so i can get better access to the tank when needed

[Brian Carragher]

If you're going to build a cabinet as shown then DONT use corner brackets to hold it together, you won't get the required strength in the cabinet build

 

The screws will only be gaining a light hold into whatever you make the carcass from and won't be as long as the carcass is thick (so they don't poke through)and are more likely to slip and pull out when you're looking at the weight of water. A cubic metre of water is a ton in weight so make your calcs on that

 

You can make the sides of the carcass from 18mm MDF and the shelves from the same but make your intermediates under the tank from the same, you can use 12mm MDF for lighter materials like a vivarium above

 

All the joints need to be rebated (slotted) so the whole lot can be glued and screwed(drill screw holes first as MDF does'nt like direct screwing) and the sides and top and bottom of the frame can be rebated to take a 6 or 8mm panel to fit in the back to stiffen the whole lot up

 

Nail and glue the back panel in place and it'll keep everything tight and square

 

Your measurements need to be spot on when you're rebating and cutting shelves and inters otherwise you lose all the strength and rigidity

 

Moisture resistant MDF will be a better buy but dearer but will last a lot longer given what you're intending using it for

[corydoras]

I'm not sure that MDF and reptiles are a good mix.