55g canopy build

[scottayy]

thank you
i'm trying to work up the motivation to stain

 

[Jlsardina]

Lol. Better you than me in staining. Mine is getting painted black. So much easier to paint for me then stain. I can never get a constant flow of the same color in staining. *sigh* oh well. I get paint tomorrow for my canopy and platform and after it dries I am moving the tank across the house. Good luck!!!

 

[scottayy]

wow that's a lot of work ;d
good luck!

I have mine stained and poly'd. Didn't come out like I wanted it to but I still like it. It has this antique/worn/aged look. The stain color is definitely not uniform. It is still oak colorish though so it kind of matches my stand.

I'll post pictures tomorrow after it has dried and I have it on top of the aquarium. It's dry enough to bring in the house but I don't want to get any fumes in the water.

 

[scottayy]

Blah, I don't know what to think. It feels absolutely huge. I'm thinking I might build a simple traditional canopy rather than having a huge stand on top :|

Maybe I'm just not used to it yet.

 

[scottayy]

well guys i'm building a smaller one. since that was my first wood working project i have learned from it

the new one is just going to use a 1x8 for the front and sides.. a 1 x 6 on the back, and 2 1x8s for the top with the front and the foreward most one hinging up

then i will see which one i like better

(boy its good to have lots of free time)

 

[Jlsardina]

Lol. My canopy is the same height. It's not finished yet though. *sigh*. I just spent 5 hours moving the tank. But atleast the stand is done. I'll finish the canopy tomorrow. My house looks like a tornado went through it!

 

[scottayy]

yikes
about halfway through you start thinking 'wtf am i doing' lol

 

[Jlsardina]

Lol. Halfway through I was silently cursing my husband since he was the one with the bright idea of moving the tank. But it looks really good now. I'm just too tired to fix the rock work. Lmao. Once the water clears I'll move it back to "pretty up the tank" in the morning. I was just more concerned about getting the fish and the coral back in and re acclimated.

 

[Jlsardina]

Here's the updated stand...

 

[scottayy]

wow that's really good!
you built that?

 

[Jlsardina]

Yeah. And my back is killing me to proove it. Lol

 

[Jlsardina]

Lol. Ok - I rebuilt the doors , changed out paneling and added a platform to an already made stand. Lol. But the canopy is all me.

 

[MrBeta]

What if you just cut it down so you don't have to start over?

 

[scottayy]

lol well the new one is done
pics soon

 

[scottayy]

Here's the new canopy I built yesterday. I quite like it. It's smaller and more compact and much more like a traditional canopy.

But, my entire family liked the first one I built better and comdemned me for the "small one", lol. And after some getting used to it, I like the first one better, too. It feels like a big showpiece with an aquarium on the middle. Plus I can sit memorabilia on top of it. So, we're going with the first one!

And I'm done with my canopy build!

 

[Jlsardina]

Looks awesome! I agree that the bigger one is better as well. Makes your tank look like it's framed

 

[scottayy]

Thank you! I agree.

 

[bumzc]

Nice work Scottayy, I like the look of the smaller canopy.

How did you design it? can I copy? lol

 

[scottayy]

Nice work Scottayy, I like the look of the smaller canopy.

How did you design it? can I copy? lol

Sure. I'd send you that one if my moms boyfriend didn't already have it in use as a shelf, lol.

The front and sides are 1x8's. The back is a 1x4. The top can be whatever but it is hinged so it can be opened. Then it's stained and polyurethaned.

 

[bumzc]

lol @ shelf.

I'll have to make a stop and pick up some 1x8.