The stand is the easy part...

[Chin_Lee]

check craigslist for cabinet doors. many people with oak cabinets or "upgrading" to other cabinets and will often sell them for cheap.

[lastlight]

I did the same thing as Sphelps but not as nice looking. It is a door it's just not hinged. It's easier to mount, remove entirely for access and no hinges visible. You get it flush this way where I find even with the hidden hinges it sticks out a touch.

Why does it need to be hinged?

And nice work Sphelps.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Why does it need to be hinged?

The design has 4 doors, since it's a bit over 6' long. I didn't want one panel to remove, since then you have to put it down somewhere, move it here, drop it against the wall over there, etc. And if I just want to check something, it's easier to swing door open, take a look, close door. Over my different tank builds, I've had both, and prefer real doors. My current stand has nothing, and that's kinda fugly, so overall, for aesthetics and ease of access, I went with doors. Since I have the centre beams in place, there's no going back

[phi delt reefer]

Originally Posted by lastlight

I did the same thing as Sphelps but not as nice looking. It is a door it's just not hinged. It's easier to mount, remove entirely for access and no hinges visible. You get it flush this way where I find even with the hidden hinges it sticks out a touch.

Why does it need to be hinged?

And nice work Sphelps.

this happens for two reason, one hinge was not aligned or correctly installed. though the eurohinge does have a couple adjustment screws so it has some forgiveness built into it.


the other is the door isnt cut prefectly straight. I experienced both of this problems but was able to remedy them. You need to get the correct euro-hinge as well - they have 5-6 different types; overlay, half overlay, inset, etc.


use a router and straight edge and your door will be perfectly square. make sure the frame that the door closes against is prefectly flat. 2x4's and other structural lumber has subtle's bows in it so be aware of that as well.

take your time, measure 3x then cut. don't guess anywhere

dont mind the wood filler, i have a ton of sanding to do;

[SmallFry]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Now I need doors. Anyone got any ideas on DIY doors that can be made with a hammer and a screwdriver? Other option is order doors from a cabinet company, unless I can find matching pre-made doors...

Dunno about a hammer and a screwdriver, but you can do something decent with that plus a tablesaw or/and a router.

Basically you use 1/4" ply for the centre panel and 3/4" solid wood usually sold as (1x whatever - 1/4" is lost in the planing process) for the edges. You use tablesaw or router to cut a 1/4" groove down the middle of one edge of all the edge pieces and then cut a 1/4" thick tenon in the ends of the top pieces which fits into the groove on the side pieces. You then cut the centre panel so it fits into the grooves. Assemble the edges around the centre panel with a few dabs of glue in the groove so the panel doesn't rattle.

It's pretty easy if you work out all your dimensions beforehand so you know what you're doing.

They end up looking something like this:


My wood and ply came from Windsor Plywood, they have ready planed wood, though I used a planer to do my own because rough wood was cheaper. If you have any questions I'll do the best I can to help...

[Skimmerking]

Ya rob has some great wood working skills I saw his stand u can put Victoria island that stand could hold the cn tower too all at the same time

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by SmallFry

They end up looking something like this:

Ya, that's kinda what I'm looking for! Not sure I can cut the corners as you did tho, wouldn't know where to start.
Did you cut the 1/4" groove down the centre of the frame?

[SmallFry]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Ya, that's kinda what I'm looking for! Not sure I can cut the corners as you did tho, wouldn't know where to start.
Did you cut the 1/4" groove down the centre of the frame?

Corners are easy because of the way it's put together - no mitres.. The 1/4" tenon you cut in the end of the one piece fits into the groove you've already cut in the other. I'll see if I can scan some sketches or something over the weekend and put them up..

If you're planning on using expensive hardwood, you could always do a test run on some cheap softwood to get the hang of it..

[SmallFry]

OK, sorry it took so long I couldn't scan it because I realised I don't have a scanner any more.. I ended up taking a photo of a piece of paper...



Hope it helps anyway..
Rob.

[Aquattro]

Rob, thanks, that does help. It would help more of someone cut that for me tho