mcoomer's 180G Starphire build

[DolphinLVR]

Mike, the canopy looks great! Good Job!

 

[roscoe]

What type of magnets are you using to attatch the wood fram to the stand? I need to find some for my doors on my stand. The ones at the local hardware stores were not strong enough. LMK what magnets you end up getting. Thanks

 

[mfinn]

What type of magnets are you using to attatch the wood fram to the stand? I need to find some for my doors on my stand. The ones at the local hardware stores were not strong enough. LMK what magnets you end up getting. Thanks

I would use neodymium magnets.
www.magnet4less.com
www.magnet4sale.com

is where I've bought many neodyium magnets.

I'd look at the round disk magnets.
Just drill a round hole in the wood and glue the magnets in.

 

[eww]

Nice job so far. I really like the height. Keep up the great work.

 

[roscoe]

Thanks Marty!

 

[mcoomer]

Yep, quarter size neodymium disks for the magnets. Plunge router to mill a hole, adhesive in the hole, and pop the magnets in.

 

[NWDiver]

Oooooh you have one of those awesome countersink on angle things. Which one are you using?
It looks great Mike!!
What finish are you going to use?

 

[mcoomer]

The pocket hole jig was $20 at Lowes. You just clamp it on to the wood, run the drill bit from the kit into the jig, and you've got a pocket hole. Works great and looks really clean. Once I'm done I'll finish the stand in cherry with a satin gloss poly on top.

Finished framing the stand today. I ended up attaching the sides to the front instead of building them separately. I looked at several methods of attaching the molding and trim pieces that would fit together nicely when installed and be strong enough to stand up to removing and reinstalling the pieces. I finally decided that anything strong enough to last and look good at the same time was probably beyond my abilities. So, I left enough slack in the stand so that I can easily pull the whole thing straight off the front.

I attached the sides and spent the rest of the day sanding. I sprayed everything down with water, waited for it to dry to raise the grain, and started at it with 100 grit. Moved up to 120 and 150 and will finish tomorrow with some 220. After that I'll start attaching the molding and trim. Finish sand everything and hopefully I'll be ready for a first coat of stain.

 

[SRWoodcock]

This will be a replacement. I'm particularly excited by the extra depth I'll have to work with in this tank.

Been online all day today looking at lumber. I'm going to be stopping off at Lowe's this afternoon to pick up some supplies, Grainger to get some RTV 108, and my brother in law's to pick up his table saw. I've pretty much decided on how I want to skin the stand. I'm going to build the stand with red oak and mouldings in a style similar to the first picture. With 72" I will use three doors in the stand and canopy for access. I'm also going to split the canopy and use a piano hinge so I can raise the top when it gets hot this summer (or skip that and beg the wife to let me buy a chiller). I'm leaning towards a cherry stain with a low gloss polyurethane finish like the second pic but I could also see myself spraying it black like the first pic.

Anyway, I'm picking up razor blades, acetone, steel wool , and RTV 108 today so I can redo the interior seams. While I'm at Lowes I'll start looking at my wood choices.

Mike

Where did you get those stands for your other tanks? They are really nice!

 

[mcoomer]

The two stands that I posted early in this thread are not mine. I'm modeling my tank after them. I really liked the trim and molding they used in their build. I'm going to finish mine with a cherry stain to match the second tank. Basically, I'm shooting for that stand and canopy but with three doors instead of four. I've got all my stuff sitting in the garage so I'm hoping to have it finished tonight, ready for finish sanding and stain.

BTW...I'm no longer a fan of Mother's Day. I wanted to work in the garage. My wife wanted to celebrate Mother's Day with her mom. All day! Guess who won...

Mike

 

[SRWoodcock]

Keep the pictures coming.

 

[mcoomer]

More to come. I've gotten slowed down trying to figure out how to cut inside and outside corners in crown molding but I think I've got it now so... I have a sliding compound miter saw and thought I had the angles set correctly but I didn't lay the molding flat on the table, I did it in position, so it wasn't turning out. Now I find that all I have to do is set the molding against the table and fence just as it would fit on the tank or a wall, but upside down, and cut at a 45 miter. I was setting it up like this but adjusting the bevel to 45 as well. Let's just say that the first few cuts didn't work out. I did get the casing in place so now all I have to do is get the crown molding in, finish sand with 220, wipe it all down with mineral spirits to remove the dust, and stain it. I'll put up some new pics before I start the staining process.

Mike

 

[SRWoodcock]

Cutting of crown moulding is best accomplished with several mirrors, a shot of tequila, and plenty of spare material.

 

[mcoomer]

Me and tequila usually means that my head will meet the toilet at some point during the night. I loves me some Patron but it doesn't love me back.

BTW...crown molding is finished on the stand. Found a few articles that were simple enough even an old country boy from Arkansas could figure it out. I'm actually pretty proud of myself. I only wasted a foot or two of material trying to figure it out. Once I got the first corner in, the light bulb came on. It's not perfect but it's nothing that a bit of putty and sandpaper can't make look really nice. So, the only thing left on the stand is the base molding and doors. Frankly, it may be a while before I put the doors on. I'm trying to think of a design that will really make the stand pop. I think I'm leaning towards framing them in oak with cherry inserts but I can't make up my mind as to how exactly I want to do it. It won't bother me a bit to run the tank minus doors for a while.

I'll get some pics up tonight.

Mike

 

[mcoomer]

Finally, I'm making progress again. I had planned on working all weekend on the stand and canopy but my wife had other plans for Mother's Day. Ahhh, an afternoon with the mother-in-law. Good times.

I've finished the crown molding, casing, and top lip on the stand. The crown took a couple days to figure out how to cut and actually get it done. It's far from perfect but it will look nice once I finish final sanding and get it stained. I've seen several stands like this and I think they look great. Hopefully mine will turn out as well as theirs.

On to the show...

It's hard to tell from the pics, but the flat lip on top extends 5/8 past the crown all the way around. All I have to do to finish the stand is put on the base molding and sand it. It's going to be a while before I put doors on the stand or canopy because I'm trying to think of some design or inlay that will make them pop. Tomorrow I'll try to get the crown finished on the canopy. I'll be happy to be done.

Mike

 

[DolphinLVR]

Awesome Job Mike!!!!

The stand looks great!

 

[mfinn]

very nice detail work

 

[SRWoodcock]

Wow Mike, you are really a master craftsman. Do you build furniture for a living?

 

[mcoomer]

^^^ Ho, ho, ho....that's rich. I got pissed off at the base molding I was cutting last night, went to the man fridge that is conveniently setup next to the bench, and drank a couple Heinie's to cool me off. Nothing like ruining a long stretch of molding when you cut it too short and believe me, an 1/8" can make all the difference in the molding fitting together nicely or having a gap you could drive a truck through.

On the brighter side, I think I've settled on my stain. I was talking with a neighbor of mine who actually does work with wood from time to time and he turned me on to a water based stain from a company called Country Woods. He used their environmentally friendly Country Colors stains on his stand and it turned out really nice. I had planned on using Minwax Cherry but wasn't happy with the coverage I was getting on a few test pieces I did. Even after 2 coats and two poly coats it didn't look the way I wanted. One coat of his stain, Cranberry Red, gave me really good coverage. Apparently, the unfinished furniture store next to Blue Sierra has this stuff so I'm going to swing by there and pick up a can of Antique Cherry and try it out.

Mike

 

[mcoomer]

BRS order is on the way...bulkheads, valves, and fittings are taken care of. I've got a line on a Reeflo Barracuda so hopefully all I need to finish the plumbing is the PVC.