Originally Posted by
bill109
http:///forum/post/2602830
would it be expensive for them to cut it? shoudlnt i make a smaller tank considering it is my first diy tank? lol
so once i use weldon to put it together.. i just clamp it? come like one pice to another? like across the tank?
what about a top brace?
and lastly if you weldon the tank on the inside, outside, at the top corners and just like almost over do it with the weldon it should be stable i would assume water ready after it cures?
IMO a DIY is not cheap unless you already have the tools to do it. An hour of a shop's time to properly and squarely machine each piece is money well spent if you can't do it yourself. You have to ask yourself why you are going to DIY. If you are doing it because you think you can do it for less $$ - you will most likely be mistaken if you don't have your own tooling. If you are doing it for experience or as a hobby of sorts - you won't mind (within reason) how much it costs (remember you are doing this for experience)
Yes, IMO you should build a couple of display cases first, something that isn't necessarily water-tight, just to gain the experience and get the hang of it. Then maybe a small tank or sump, then once you've built up a little experience - you should be able to handle a tank such as a short 5 footer.
Only clamps that should be needed are $3 spring clamps to hold the parts in place. If you have to use bar clamps for any of this - you will most likely have larger problems down the road.
The necessity and style of the top brace cannot be determined from where I sit. You need to determine the size of tank and material thickness you are comfortable with. Generally speaking though, you will need a top brace - it's importance in structural integrity cannot be overstated.
Your last statement is somewhat confusing to me, sorry. What Weld-on product are you referring to? If made correctly - you should have a total of 4 gluing sequences and that's it provided there is no overflow.
Step 1) glue the "ends" to the front with the front being horizontal and the ends being vertical and sitting on top of the front. Your "glue" will actually be a solvent such as Weld-on #4 *only*.
Step 2) flip this assembly over to glue it onto the back
Step 3) flip this 4-sided assembly over onto the top and glue it
Step 4) flip this assembly onto the bottom and glue that
Step 5) there is no step 5, the rest is all finish work. No additions of any kind, no "sealing" or caulking, the gluing is done and if you did your job right - will be water-tight.
Do a search on -- for a thread called "DIY tank, step by step", it will show you all the entire process. And again, *everything* you need except for the router table and solvent w/ applicator bottle is available at any hardware store. It's up to you to cut & machine the parts squarely, or have it done for you.
FWIW, do not *ever* count on the material's factory edges to be smooth, straight, or square. Every edge to be glued should be machined.
HTH,
James
