# Hoppy's DIY Hood



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I'm going to have egg on my face if this project flops, but I plan to update this as I progress. My plan is to make a hood covering the entire top of this tankNote that there are no square corners on the tank or the stand, so a simple box hood would probably not look great.)










First: I made a template, using photo matting, which I already had. It looked like this:










Then I visited Home Depot and got an 8' long oak 1 x 4, an 8 foot length of oak quarter round, and a 2' x 4' piece of 1/4" thick oak plywood. Today I cut out the pieces for the frame of the hood. Note that the curved piece will be on the top, the sides are 1 x 4's, and 1/4" plywood will fill in the curved front and the top. I will assemble these using "finish" type stainless steel screws, in counter bores where they wont be hit when I round over the corners with a router. The parts laid out are:










Tomorrow, I hope to assemble the frame!!


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Looks pretty good. I'm no wood worker. But it looks like you got something good going there. Everything looks clean and good to go for your awesome Jebo tank. I assume you are gutting out your old AH kit from your old 29 gallon, and putting it in this hood?

-John N.


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## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

Looks pretty sweet!
Do you plan to add any cute little extras? fans, LEDs etc?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I have a 3 inch fan that will go in one end, and the lights will be swapped from my 29 gallon tank hood. The hood will be cut in about half and hinged with a piano hinge so the front half will fold back and rest on the back half for maintenance and feeding. All of this with only powered hand tools - a skilsaw, a jigsaw, a hand drill, and a couple of sanders. Now that I live in a condo, my workshop is a memory only.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I just finished glueing the four pieces that make up the "skeleton" of the hood, using ordinary "carpenter's glue", yellow glue. No screws used. There will be enough glue joints, with enough surface area to hold it all together permanently.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Its looking nice Hoppy, looking professional too! Can't wait until its finished!


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

hoppycalif said:


> I just finished glueing the four pieces that make up the "skeleton" of the hood, using ordinary "carpenter's glue", yellow glue. No screws used. There will be enough glue joints, with enough surface area to hold it all together permanently.


Nice collection of clamps!!

Hood looks good to.

Brian


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

No woodworker in the history of mankind ever had too many clamps!! (I have several more!)


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

hoppycalif said:


> No woodworker in the history of mankind ever had too many clamps!! (I have several more!)


Amen

Brian


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I just got the top glued in, and the vent fan installed. The first pic is just to show that you can make things among the clutter of a garage after a move to a smaller house (condo).


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Now the ledges that will support the curved 1/4" plywood front are glued on:


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Now, the 1/4" Oak plywood front is glued on.
















Now, I need to buy a 3/4" roundover router bit, do some routing and sanding.


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## RoseHawke (Jan 4, 2005)

bpimm said:


> Nice collection of clamps!!
> 
> Hood looks good to.
> 
> Brian


Droooooool . . .

Need . . . more . . . clamps . . . !


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

When you do woodworking, "Oops!" is a word you learn to use, often! Well, my oops moment is that the top plywood extends about 1/32 inch above the sides, where the cut edge shows, and apparently I shattered some of the oak veneer when I sanded the cut edge of the plywood. So......I will cut a thin strip of 3/4 oak and glue it on top of the end to make it stick up above the plywood. Then, I suppose I'll have to use wood putty to repair the shattered veneer. Maybe sometime before I hit 80 I'll manage to make something like this without an "oops!"


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## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

Its looking beautiful!
I love those old jorgensons I buy every one of those clamps I can find. The old ones just seem to work better.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Hoppy, that looks great! If the only 'oops' I ever had, the few times I did some woodworking, was as minor as yours, I'd be ecstatic. My oops are more like a complete screw up of a four foot piece of wood, where I have to go buy another one. Great job. :thumbsup:


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Thanks Bert! Now if it would just get a little cooler I would go back to working on it. My garage does double duty as a pizza oven this time of the year.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

I once heard that the difference between a Master woodworker and the rest of us amateurs is how the master hides his oops'es.

Brian


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I don't know about real master woodworkers, who I assume just don't make oopsies, but the rest of us quickly learn that a design is what you thought you wanted to make, but what you really make is what your mistakes let you make. So, you cut the most important piece first, then match the next one to how that came out, etc. You can make a beautiful jewelry box having started to make a book case!


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

hoppycalif said:


> I don't know about real master woodworkers, who I assume just don't make oopsies, but the rest of us quickly learn that a design is what you thought you wanted to make, but what you really make is what your mistakes let you make. So, you cut the most important piece first, then match the next one to how that came out, etc. You can make a beautiful jewelry box having started to make a book case!


Ahhh I cut it off twice and it's still to short...


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## RoseHawke (Jan 4, 2005)

bpimm said:


> I once heard that the difference between a Master woodworker and the rest of us amateurs is how the master hides his oops'es.
> 
> Brian


I find it's amazing what you can cover up with molding [smilie=u: .


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

bpimm said:


> I once heard that the difference between a Master woodworker and the rest of us amateurs is how the master hides his oops'es.
> 
> Brian


This quote actually came from the best woodworker I have ever known, made absolutely beautiful furniture. My dad wired his shop... oh man what a shop... The stuff dreams are made of.

Brian


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I finally got to feeling good enough to go back to my project. I got a 5/8 radius corner radius router bit and went at it! If you look carefully you can see that I went at it a bit too enthusiastically when I got close to the fan cutout, so.....one more oopsie! Anyway, the overall shape looks pretty good with the tank and stand, but I still have a lot of sanding to do, plus cutting it in half, etc.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Looking good.


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## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

Question about the electronics... That looks like a PC fan. How do you plan to get the correct power source to that fan? I have a "few" fans from salvaged PC's and have thought about using them to cool my 60g. It has 4 JBL 65w bulbs run off of 2 ballasts. I can't get my tank under 85 with the light's on.

Thanks,
dale


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I went to my Radio Shack store and found a universal DC power supply that gives a variable output voltage from about 3 to 12 volts DC. It is operating my little 40 mm dia fan now and will operate the three inch dia fan I put into this hood. I just cut the output wires from the power supply and splice them to the fan leads, waiting to see if I have the fan running in the right direction before taping the connections. The idea works great because you can slow down the fan a bit to reduce the noise.


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## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

Thanks, I will look into that.

dale


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Someone emailed me for a plan for this, so I whipped up a quick sketch:


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Yesterday I applied the wood finish, after staining the hood with "golden pecan" which almost matches the fake wood of the tank and stand. I used glossy polyurethane, 3 coats inside and out. Here is the finished product:






























For some of the inside details:
























The next and last step is to install the AHS light kits from my other hood, and wire up the fan. That will probably be done the day before the switch of the tanks.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

That is one nice looking package, Nice job.


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## stevenhii (Mar 9, 2005)

Better than original tank cover, hope to see latest update.

Did you DIY the light set in this cover as well?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

The lights are the AH Supply 36 watt light kits - 2 of them. They overlap in the middle quite a bit, so the tank is a bit brighter in the middle than the ends, and since the lights are in the back half of the hood, the light at the back is brighter than in front. But it still works very well.


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## essabee (Oct 11, 2006)

Greetings Hoppy and congrats for a great work.

How did you manage to make the fan hole so well? Mine never comes out well. I mark the circle and then make numerous small holes, join them to make the hole, then use a rasp; but it never so neat. Please let me know the secret.

I am presently making the top for my new 135G. I have aquired a 4" AC fan for it. The smaller hoods have those retrieved PC fans, powered by 12V DC supplies, I adjust the zenner output to make them silent.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

essabee said:


> Greetings Hoppy and congrats for a great work.
> 
> How did you manage to make the fan hole so well? Mine never comes out well. I mark the circle and then make numerous small holes, join them to make the hole, then use a rasp; but it never so neat. Please let me know the secret.
> 
> I am presently making the top for my new 135G. I have aquired a 4" AC fan for it. The smaller hoods have those retrieved PC fans, powered by 12V DC supplies, I adjust the zenner output to make them silent.


I used a hole saw to cut the fan hole. That made a nice round smooth hole, but then when I used a router with a round over bit to put a corner radius on the top of the hood I messed up and butchered part of the fan hole, because the guide bearing for the radius bit didn't contact wood as the bit went past the hole, so it chewed our a large chunk of wood. I "fixed" this with some sanding, and convinced myself I did it on purpose to improve the air flow thru the fan. When I make a mistake I am very skilled at convincing myself I did it for a purpose!


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## essabee (Oct 11, 2006)

'hole saw'??? Do you mean a jig-saw, one with very thin blades for cutting designs?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

essabee said:


> 'hole saw'??? Do you mean a jig-saw, one with very thin blades for cutting designs?


No, a hole saw is:http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-49-...7-0187934?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1184471880&sr=1-34


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> No, a hole saw


What drill speed do you use with a hole saw?


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Why would you use yellow glue and not urethane glue?


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

Wanna make me a hood for my 5.5AGA tank? Nothing fancy just a vented box basically?


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## essabee (Oct 11, 2006)

wiste said:


> What drill speed do you use with a hole saw?


I have been researching hole saw on the net and only found ref. to 500rpm for cardide tips.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

wiste said:


> What drill speed do you use with a hole saw?


I use a ordinary 3/8" hand drill - that's all I have now. The speed is whatever speed the drill will drive it at, which is probably about half of the full speed. I drill from one side until the pilot drill penetrates the other side, then finish it from the other side. And, I have learned that this is something to be done before gluing things together, not after.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

rs79 said:


> Why would you use yellow glue and not urethane glue?


Yellow glue sets up, with about 50% strength in less than a hour. Urethane glue takes a lot longer. Plus, I have so much experience with yellow glue that I know what it is going to do and can use it well. Urethane is in some ways better, and I have used it a lot, but my routine glue jobs are always yellow glue.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

eklikewhoa said:


> Wanna make me a hood for my 5.5AGA tank? Nothing fancy just a vented box basically?


About 4 years ago I would have said yes! I was working as a handyman/cabinet builder for supplemental income then. But, I also had a fully equipped wood shop then too, so it was a lot easier to do good work. Now, I just work at the back of my garage, using hand power tools. That 3 year run building cabinets, etc. caused severe carpal tunnel problems for me, so it isn't all fun and games, as much as I enjoy the work.


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## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

Hoppy, its beautiful!!! It is making me itchy to get back to work on mine.
Will you be linking the fan into the timer that drives the lights? I did that and it seemed to work fine, but I don't know how much heat you'll make compared to mine.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

This is a year old thread that was resurrected, so the hood has been in use for a year now. I keep the fan running 24 hours a day, all year around. I keep the voltage down so it is quiet, and I rarely even know it is there, but it does reduce the water temperature about 3-5 degrees F. Since I use a continuous water change system, that drips water into the tank continuously, evaporation of the water doesn't affect me.


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## essabee (Oct 11, 2006)

The fan (resurrected from the failed PC SMPS) is keeping the temperature down by 3C. I have it on the light timer.

Thank you Hoppy I am now a proud owner of a 9Ps. set of hole-saw. Bought it of the shelf for less than 10$ US. Very convenient.


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## Nymph (Apr 6, 2005)

hoppycalif said:


> Since I use a continuous water change system, that drips water into the tank continuously, evaporation of the water doesn't affect me.


Do show us your water change system! BTW, beautiful stuff you've made there! Marvellous! rayer:


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...cts/29066-continuous-water-change-system.html is the thread here that discussed my water change system.


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