Comedy of errors: canopy build journal

[apachepony8]

Ugggggg.

If it could go wrong, it did.

Dad and I spend an hour and a half battling yardners in Lowes this morning trying to get supplies in the horribly stocked madness. They didn't have 3/4" plywood, so I had to go with 1/2", and they didn't have any suitable sized screws, so I used a hodgepodge of leftovers at home.



I actually think I did a darn good job cutting the plywood. Dad showed me how to clamp a guide on the wood so I could just run the saw along instead of trying to cut straight. Being a leftie, that was a plus! Stupid right handed saw...





Of course, he told me that the best way to cut to not have tearout (I think that's the right word) was from good side to bad...welllll....I cut the first piece and had really bad tearout. So I had to go back and redraw everything on the other side.

Then I had to sand everything, especially those pieces that got torn up.



I didn't intend to put this together with brackets, but it just kind of happened that way. Getting the corners on was a nightmare! I accidentally put one of the back pieces on wrong and had to pull it all off and redo it.





Almost done. It doesn't exactly all line up, but maybe no one will notice? Dad's well known for his ghetto/tacky approach to things. He seriously wanted to put a mail slot on the front to feed the fish through instead of a door. Men...



That's enough for one day. Tired, cranky, back hurts. Neighbors think they have a sailor next door with all the cussing going on. At least I still have all my fingers (for now).



Next time I think "I can build..." or "It would be cheaper to...", someone please slap me. I need to stick to making jumps.

[NeonShrimp]

That's enough for one day. Tired, cranky, back hurts. Neighbors think they have a sailor next door with all the cussing going on. At least I still have all my fingers (for now).

Thank you very much. I am laughing with you not at you. You are cool just for trying it

[lauraleellbp]

Hey it looks all good now- no one would ever know!

And beautiful form over that jump! Can't find anywhere to ride English locally any more- it's just too expensive here. My first love is jumping but my last instructor kept pushing dressage (I needed it though), then that stable sold out to a developer and now there's nowhere left...

[Orlando]

You did a great job! I will say you made me laugh and I scared the dogs. Man your funny! Well done...

[frozenbarb]

Your dad is cool =D, My dad helped me with my canopy too and it is awesome.

[BiscuitSlayer]

Originally Posted by apachepony8

Almost done. It doesn't exactly all line up, but maybe no one will notice? Dad's well known for his ghetto/tacky approach to things. He seriously wanted to put a mail slot on the front to feed the fish through instead of a door.

apachepony8 -

Excellent job so far! While it sounds like you got fustrated with the conditions and lack of necessary equipment/hardware to get the job done it sounds and looks like you were able to improvise without any major issues. From what I can see, it looks like it came out pretty good.

Can you provide some close up shots of where things don't line up exactly right? Maybe if I see it, I can help come up with an idea to make it closer or look better. You never know. A trim piece in the right spot can do a lot to cover up a fudge point.

Using the 1/2" ply shouldn't present any problems. If anything it will make it easier to get the canopy off the tank should the need arise.

[apachepony8]

I must be a glutton for punishment.

I got home and decided to go ahead and "finish". I originally intended to have both halves open like yours will biscuit, but I was a bit worried about the stability, warping and lining up. Oh...and I was lazy. I had already bought a 48" piano hinge.

Obviously not learning anything from earlier, I managed to put the piano hinge on wrong at first. Luckily I only put three screws in. The bad part is that they were crappy screws, and I stripped them trying to get them out. 20 minutes and much grunting and griping later, the pliers and I had a come to Jesus moment with the screws and all was well.

Apparently 2nd time's a charm though.

In true lolcat style, Sammy says: "ur doin it wrong"




Now...drumroll please:



I'm still missing a few brackets, but i'll try to fix that tomorrow. It's not quite as large as it looks. It was only sitting about halfway back on the tank.

Biscuit, i'll take some up close pictures tomorrow. I give myself an A+ for straight sawing, but apparently the wood and I had a misunderstanding somewhere in the measurement stage. A few of the pieces are slightly off. I mostly managed to sort them to the back where it won't matter, but the top by the hinge has a little blip in it.

I probably will go with some thin trim. The edges aren't very noticeably banged up, but you're right, it will hide some sins.

Now finally:

[NeonShrimp]

It is looking good

[fishman9809]

ooooo, nice!!!!!

[Craigthor]

good job...

[LS6 Tommy]

Wow, a Lady who has aquariums, does DIY stuff, rides & likes cats. Where were you before I decided to get married? Seriously, that canopy came out great!

Tommy

[Jace]

you could probably get some wood putty for that center crack in the canopy too. Just sand it down after it dries

[honor]

cool canopy

[BiscuitSlayer]

apachepony8 -

One thing I am a bit confused about is the front lifting sides of the canopy. Do they lift independantly?

[apachepony8]

Originally Posted by BiscuitSlayer

apachepony8 -

One thing I am a bit confused about is the front lifting sides of the canopy. Do they lift independantly?

I originally intended them to, but got lazy and used the 48" piano hinge I already had, and screwed the pieces together. Oh well.

I meant to get more pictures today, but was way to busy sleeping 16 hours.