Frustrating: Building my canopy!!

cliffrouse11bas

cliffrouse11bas

Active Member
I started building my canopy tonight and it is very frustrating. I am at the very beginning stages. I am measuring the pieces and marking them off with a pencil. I cant seem to get the right measurements. Will somebody please give me some advice to help me in my journey...
 
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alti

Guest
i made a few mistakes when i built mine. what is your problem exactly?
 
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alti

Guest
circular saw, drill, level, square, hammer. what lines do you mean. lines as in drawing lines or as cutting straight. its kind of hard to help withou knowing your design. do you have a pic of what you are trying to copy or any plans?
 
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alti

Guest
for the basic box that sits on top of the tank i cut the two side pieces 1/2" bigger than the sides of the tank trim. for the front and back pieces i measured the front trim of the tank plus thewidth of the wood for the side pieces and added 1/2" to that.
 
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alti

Guest
oops, now that i think about it i added an inch extra to each piece not 1/2".
 
cliffrouse11bas

cliffrouse11bas

Active Member
I am using 3/4 in oak plywood. The top is going to be 32 3/16 in by 14.5 in. The sides are going to be 14.5in by 10 in tall. The front and back is going to be 32 3/16 in by 10 in tall.
 
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alti

Guest
besides the 2 side pieces being a little long, it sounds pretty good to me. what exactly is the problem? from what i understand, you seem to be having trouble cutting the pieces out of the plywood and getting them to be perfectly square, right?
 
cliffrouse11bas

cliffrouse11bas

Active Member
I have done no cutting yet. Please give me the dimensions you would use and I am going to go from there. I am clueless with wood.
 
reefersx2

reefersx2

Member
When you lay out your lines make sure you use a square to get staight lines to cut straight lines try clamping a piece of wood along your line to use as a jig to keep the cut staight.
Joey
 
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alti

Guest
i actualy did mine the easy way. i made the front, back and side from a 12 foot piec of 1x12 lumber.
i know how i did it, but explaining it is not my expertice. ill try my best. first off i want to clarify that in the basic construction of the box the two front and back pieces sandwich the 2 side pieces:rolleyes: . i hope you understand that. i measured the side of the tank and i added 1/2 to 3/4". in your case i would have cut the sides 13.00". you dont really need to add much to the sides because the front of the side pieces will end up flush with you tank trim and you dont want the back of the canopy to rest too far behind the tank trim.
for the front and back i measured the length of the trim, added the width of the side pieces of wood(remember that 3/4" plywood is really 5/8" i believe) and added 1". for you it should be 30 3/16(trim) + 10/16(side pieces) + 12/16 (extra)= 31 9/16.
i would round that up to 31 3/4.
your measurement and mine are almost the same for the front and back. its only .5" difference, so you might as well go with you first measurement just in case you mess up the edges and have to do some sanding. the sides are what concerned me since with your measurements you would have the canopy hanging 2" over the back of the tank.
 
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alti

Guest
i read a good way to check your measurements before you cut the wood. buy a long piece of 1x3/4 wood and cut the pieces the size you planned on cutting the plywood. nail the pieces together and test the fit in top of your tank. it may take you a little longer, but is an easy way to make sure you dont make a mistake.
 
scarybo

scarybo

Member
Sorry to jump on your thread cliffrouse...I'm getting ready to build a canopy myself. Where is a good place to get a plan or diagram to follow.
 
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alti

Guest
no cliff, the top needs to be 13 plus the width of the front and back pieces. i would add at least an inch extra so you have a little overhang to make the top easier to lift.
i really need to ask you a question cliff. are you going to be cutting these pieces with a table saw or a hand saw? if your doing this by hand you may want to reconsider your choice of materials. working with handheld tools is not the most precise. you are more likely than not to cut some of the pieces at a slight angle and you could end up doing all this work for nothing and have to start all over again.
 
cliffrouse11bas

cliffrouse11bas

Active Member
What I might do is go to a hardware store or lowes and get them to cut the wood for me with there saw if not I am going to try to find a table saw..
 
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