Need help with DIY hood!

[Guest]

Okay the dilema is just how do you go about bending a piece of wood for the front part of my hood canapy on a bowfront aquarium? I was thinking that after the initial framing of the piece I could take a sheet of ply on pine and soak it in water. Once fully saturated and hopefully pliable connect it to the frame of the canapy and secure it. Does this sound like a plan yes or no? If any one has any better experiance with doing this please chime in. TIA

 

[DeFeKt]

Once upon a time ago, my bro in law and I built a kitchen with all curved doors, we steamed thin pieces of ply and glued them all together over a jig.
the problem with water and steam is that wood glue won't stick to it if it's wet. well it will but it will take days/weeks to dry. so we had to use an epoxy. if you can get say 2 thinner sheets instead of one thicker you'll be able to form it alot better without wetting it.
hope this helps mate

Matty

 

[Guest]

Never thought of that but I darn sure like that idea a whole lot better. Sounds a whole easier to. Hopefully get starting on it this weekend. Going to the LHS tomarro after work to pic up the material. Thanks again!

 

[Jester75]

What size bowfront do you have ? I built a custom canopy for my 46 bow front and would be more than happy to share some pics of it while it was in progress!

 

[fish_4_all]

A lot of places you can actually buy vanier, the sheets for plywood or finishing wood whatever way it is spelled. The stuff is really easy to bend and my dad used it to finish an archway and around arched windows.

 

[Guest]

Its a AGA 72 bow. Yeah pics would be awsome. Always in the market to see how other people do there projects. The vanier is a good idea. Its just used for the finish on the thing and does not hold any weight. Lights and hood assembly would be supported by frame. Cool


Just glad this thing is not up and running yet due to the fact that I might have to go to the LHS and pick up some 2x4 and plywood for yet another aquarium crate. The joys of yet another possible move. :censor:

 

[Jester75]

Cool, if yours is a 72, it should be alot easier than my 46 because I think the bow is actually less and spans a greater distance. All I did with mine was cut two rings out of MDF using a template traced from the top of the tank..

In the above image you can see the ring that sits on the bottom ( looks like an upside down "U") and the one on the top is complete ( looks like a "D).

Then I took 1"x2"s and cut them to the height that I wanted and made a bare frame. Sorry I dont have any pics of this part but it looks similiar to wall joist.

Afterwards, I just used 1/4" Oak sheeting and skinned the sides and the back....

Then I took a full 2x4 sheet of the Oak, which already had quite a bow in it, and ran a bead of glue along the frame work where it would sit. Started on one side and tacked it down with 2 finishing nails. Then I used clear tape, and while my wife put a lil pressure on the sheet and bent it down to meet the curve, I put the clear tape on real tight and let it set overnight till the glue dried. I also tacked it in several places with finishing nails.

In the above pic, you can see the tape still on it while I test fit the canopy on the tank.

I dont have any pics of it now that it is painted and finished but, I caoted the entire insides with a thick layer of Killz to seal the wood and then topped that with several layers of Gloss White Enamel in a spray can. The outside was sealed as well and painted a Satin Black Enamel to match the stand.

I hope this helps you out on yours and post some pics with your progress!!


EDIT: Im such a dolt, after looking through my Album I found one pic of it finished..

Hope that helps!!!

 

[Guest]

Nice. You made it look easy. Yeah I will definantly post some pics when I go threw my buildup, however I have to see what this move is going to entail first. Thanks again!

 

[Jester75]

Actually, it was a whole lot easier than I thought it would be!!! If you have any questions at all on how I did something on mine, feel free to ask!! Good luck with the move thing too!!

 

[MattAquaBio]

lol you could do like my dad did whenever he was building the spice cabinet. Get some ply wood, wet it, bend it a little, then use a hair dryer to dry the wood, it takes forever, repeat until you ge the right bend.
Jester, we're from the same city lol, i've never met anyone online from the same city as me before.

 

[Jester75]

WOW , that is pretty cool!! I have seen a few from Georgia online, but never met someone from the same place in Georgia!