Ricket's Reef 90

[lastlight]

It's funny...I found a thread on RC tonight and the guy has drawer slide doors and a powered light lift. I'm glad the build inspired a few people before it became history. I have no idea how to make a small cube unique...I'm going to have to actuate the whole damn thing into the ceiling or something for some WOW.

I saw your tile job man. Brought a tear to my eye. Hell at first I thought those WERE my tiles! Have any sag yet with the hinges? How thick are those tiles?

[Bzar]

I'm going to have to actuate the whole damn thing into the ceiling or something for some WOW

LOL. Well make it good cause I need more idea's to steal for my next build :P

The doors have no sag yet. Well sort of actually. I had some really terrible sag when I first made the doors to the point that I almost gave up on tile doors.

I liked the drawer stile and wanted that but my space doesn't allow for that. So hinges was my only options. If I did sliding it'd have to be THICK plywood to prevent sag.

-----long story about tile doors starts here-----
As you can see in the stand making video I simply took 2 pieces of 1/2" plywood and mortared the tiles to it for the doors. And you can probably see there's two 2x4's on the inside of each door. What you don't see in the video is why the 2x4's

Here's why.... when I first made the doors I simply mortared tiles onto the 1/2" plywood. The next morning when I checked on the doors they were curved like a "C" from the tile weight. So I turned them over and piled bags of concrete and my DIY rocks on them in hopes they'd straighten/flatten out.
Didn't work.
However, during that process the mortar became weak and most of the tiles popped off with ease; and so I had a fresh start on the doors. I figured the tiles/mortar wouldn't be able to bend a 2x4. So I screwed 2 pieces of 2x4 to the inside of each door just big enough to fit snug into the cavity of the stand. This can't be done with the drawer style because it'll stop the doors from sliding; but it can with swinging hinged doors, and even it helps as added vertical front supports when the doors are shut And so far so good. No sag in the doors and the hinges are holding fine. The stength of the inner 2x4"s is greater than the weight of the tiles. I may need to replace the hinges with something more heavy duty in the future, but atm they're holding true.

[lastlight]

Funny you mention those strengthening 2x4s. I was planning to do the same with the first plywood doors i put on to combat the curve. I was almost ready to attach some 1x2s to the backside and realized my slides wouldn't work with them there! My solution was a furniture grade plywood...straight as an arrow and 3/4" rather than 1/2".

[Bzar]

Rickets Reef - Day 80 - Update
Rickets Reef - The Sweet Spot.
Rickets Reef - HowTo Flood the Basement.
Rickets Reef - Day 100 - Growing Pains Part 1
Rickets Reef - Day 100 - Growing Pains Part 2
Rickets Reef - Skimmer and Biopellet Info
Rickets Reef - Monterey Bay Aquarium