DIY Nano Cube Stand
- Thread starter redfishbluefish
- Start date
- Tagged users None
OP
OP
redfishbluefish
Stay Positive, Stay Productive
Staff member
Super Moderator
Reef Squad
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
Article Contributor
NJRC Member
Hospitality Award
Thanks Kevin.
Door Attachment
Going with no hinges. Don't like how most hinges rust up. In addition, if hinged, you'd have to have the room on each side of the stand to swing the doors open.
For hingeless doors I first made a jig to drill two holes in the shelf of the stand and the bottom of the doors. With the doors, only half a hole was drilled (by clamping a scrap piece of wood to the frame and drilling the hole). To this half hole, a 1/4" dowel was glued with only a short portion protruding from the frame. Each door had two of these dowels on the lower frame of the door.
To the holes in the shelf of the stand, they where slightly enlarged and a taper added to the top of the hole. The lower frame of the door simply aligns to the holes in the shelf to hold the lower portion of the door in the stand. Here is the door approaching the stand:
And here's a picture with the door in place (from inside the stand).
The plan is to use one or two neo magnets per door along the top frame member. They've been ordered and shipped....but coming from China, so it will be a few weeks. The magnets will be countersunk in both the door and a portion of the stand using epoxy. The magnets I ordered are 12 mm x 3 mm discs.
Door Attachment
Going with no hinges. Don't like how most hinges rust up. In addition, if hinged, you'd have to have the room on each side of the stand to swing the doors open.
For hingeless doors I first made a jig to drill two holes in the shelf of the stand and the bottom of the doors. With the doors, only half a hole was drilled (by clamping a scrap piece of wood to the frame and drilling the hole). To this half hole, a 1/4" dowel was glued with only a short portion protruding from the frame. Each door had two of these dowels on the lower frame of the door.
To the holes in the shelf of the stand, they where slightly enlarged and a taper added to the top of the hole. The lower frame of the door simply aligns to the holes in the shelf to hold the lower portion of the door in the stand. Here is the door approaching the stand:
And here's a picture with the door in place (from inside the stand).
The plan is to use one or two neo magnets per door along the top frame member. They've been ordered and shipped....but coming from China, so it will be a few weeks. The magnets will be countersunk in both the door and a portion of the stand using epoxy. The magnets I ordered are 12 mm x 3 mm discs.
OP
OP
redfishbluefish
Stay Positive, Stay Productive
Staff member
Super Moderator
Reef Squad
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
Article Contributor
NJRC Member
Hospitality Award
This project has been sitting on the back burner too long.
Door Attachment (continued)
I had ordered approximate half inch Neo magnets from China, and they finally came in. I cut little pieces of wood that were drilled with a Forstner bit. The magnets were epoxy glued into the holes and the wood was cut and shaped, and they just-so-happened to look like Mickey Mouse ears (Use your imagination!).
Similarly, the doors were drilled just to the depth of the magnets and the magnets epoxy'ed into these depressions. Two magnets per door in the upper corners.
The Mickey Mouse ears were attached to the stand, in line with the magnets in the doors.
And here's the stand with doors complete!
The magnets do a very nice job in pulling in the door and holding it in place. The one concern I had was that they'd be too strong, and I'd have to put knobs on the doors. That isn't the case. You can get your fingernail in there and pull it open.
The one problem I did run into was that one of the doors was warped. My options were to build a new door or straighten it out. I decided to straighten it out using a threaded rod and two blocks in the corners. The threaded rod was covered with a piece of tubing to make it look a little prettier. Either way, it won't be seen, so no biggie.
Door Attachment (continued)
I had ordered approximate half inch Neo magnets from China, and they finally came in. I cut little pieces of wood that were drilled with a Forstner bit. The magnets were epoxy glued into the holes and the wood was cut and shaped, and they just-so-happened to look like Mickey Mouse ears (Use your imagination!).
Similarly, the doors were drilled just to the depth of the magnets and the magnets epoxy'ed into these depressions. Two magnets per door in the upper corners.
The Mickey Mouse ears were attached to the stand, in line with the magnets in the doors.
And here's the stand with doors complete!
The magnets do a very nice job in pulling in the door and holding it in place. The one concern I had was that they'd be too strong, and I'd have to put knobs on the doors. That isn't the case. You can get your fingernail in there and pull it open.
The one problem I did run into was that one of the doors was warped. My options were to build a new door or straighten it out. I decided to straighten it out using a threaded rod and two blocks in the corners. The threaded rod was covered with a piece of tubing to make it look a little prettier. Either way, it won't be seen, so no biggie.
