DIY Enclosures!!

[pugsly]

Good Point Hugsta. We dont want the top two collapsing on the bottom enclosure! That stuff works well too

 

[hugsta]

It sure does pugsly, it holds your car windscreen in place.

 

[Retic]

I think that MDF is totally banned in the States as it is so bad. I do use it but get it all cut by a loacl company so I minimise contact with the dust.
Melamine is better for the health but not as forgiving as MDF when working with it.

 

[BROWNS]

Personally i think you can't go past melamine,no need to seal or lacker or is that lacquer,i use pegboard at the back for good ventilation and heat tape with glass siliconed over the top as a heat source,seal all joins with silicon or silastic so no urine etc can seep in as Hugsta said.

I'm about to have a heap of new enclosures built and they'll all be made the same as the ones pictured but with a good inch kick board at the front which the plastic runners will sit in so they hopefully don't get crapped on as they sometimes do without them and just some nice wood to make a tidy frame but make sure you can still lift the glass out :wink: I work on approx $100 per enclosure for materials maybe a litlle more then come thermostats etc but i run up to 6-8 enclosures from the same thermostat,works well for me...hope this helps a little and here's a pic of how they look but new ones will have a kickborad so i may make a bit wider frame for looks!!!

 

[farmdog]

Dont cut the wood yourselves, firstly it comes in sheets of 1.2 x 600 hence the size i made it. secondly big sheets can be cut for like a buck at bunnings all you do is screw it and seal it!

I wouldn't cut it at bunning thier as rough as guts a lot of cabinet makers would cut the sheets better and cleaner for a small fee, reasons being is that a good cabinet maker will have an accurate table saw with fairly sharp blade that will give a clean cut.
Me personally would just use a circular saw as I'm a chippie's apprentice and any one willing to use a circular saw I recommend you use a straight edge to get the STRAIGHT clean cut.

 

[hugsta]

I agree farmdog, but for those that don't have the means to do so Bunnings is a great alternative for a cheap price.

 

[keelow]

and don't cut the extension lead under the wood your cutting like our trainee did last week.

Lucky we have breakers. scared the SHIZNIT out of him

 

[farmdog]

and don't cut the extension lead under the wood your cutting like our trainee did last week.

I cut the lead off a power saw when I started my chippie apprenticeship

 

[BROWNS]

For those of us not super handy with a circular saw get one with a laser light ones,helps you cut a perfect line too easy!!!

 

[keelow]

lol i love that add, WHAT HAPPENS IF THE SAW MOVES... the light moves to.

 

[keelow]

My uncle was a Joiner back home in england, the guy could cut a straight line in timber with a butter knife... only wish he'd taught me the skills.

 

[Retic]

Yeah that was when we had joiners, today it seems if it can't be done with a machine it can't be done.

 

[farmdog]

For those of us not super handy with a circular saw get one with a laser light ones,helps you cut a perfect line too easy!!!

even if you are not steady with a circular saw by setting up a straight edge you can run the saw base up against the straight edge ( as long as you fix the straight edge with either clamps or screw to the sheet) you can't go wrong if you want more info I'll try to set up a few pics on Saturday so you can see what I mean

 

[hugsta]

Get Bunnings to do it....for a few bucks it saves a hell of a lot of trouble.

 

[snakes_alive]

I think I done the right thing married a handyman.

I had the tank and jim made the frame around it and the stand, it was for fish but quickly became a home for my baby bluies

 

[snakes_alive]

than I brought a larger whip, LOL.

 

[westhamsc]

Get Bunnings to do it....for a few bucks it saves a hell of a lot of trouble.

and get a BAD cut every cut they have done has gone on an angle so now i do it myself