1 cabinet for 2 snakes

[Porkbones]

Ok so the last thread I got @J-A-X to kindly alter the title, since the 3 pages were about heating for this enclosure instead of the actual conversion.so now this will actually be more about the conversion itself.
So here is the cabinet I picked up


Plan is to put the spotted up top and bredli down the bottom. Using a heat panel under the shelf for heating, that should give the bredli enough heat and also heat up the shelf enough for the spotted for belly heat.
once home with the cabinet I saw tht the bulk of it (sides,shelves,top N bottom) were construction ply. The back wall was flimsy bracing ply and had a hole for the plug. so I decided to take it off and replace it.
tht then for some stupid reason made me want to sand back the enclosure. So after 10 mins of sanding and getting absolutely nowhere at all, I took myself down to my 2nd home (bunnings) and picked up a cheapie belt sander. So along with that and my multi tool, with the detail sander attachment (that the kids got me for Xmas ) it made life alot easier for me




A few hours Saturday then an few hours here N there I had it sanded back enough

 

[Porkbones]

Yep Im still trying to work out why pics are rotating when posted

 

[OldestMagician]

Looking good mate. Electric sanders are a godsend!
I think it's a good idea to sand it back. It'll give you a cleaner finish and you can now stain it to match your existing furniture, or paint it however you like.
Looking forward to seeing how it ends up. Are you planning on sliding glass doors?

I've flipped your pictures too:

 

[Porkbones]

@OldestMagician mate hold did u flip them?? Lol I couldn't find anywhr on how to rotate thm.but they r right way up in my album on my phone.thanks for doing so
yes ws going sliding glass door definitely for the top and was tossing up a hinged door for the bottom.but for the ease of it I will probably go sliding glass doors too.have started staining it but never put pics up until I figured out why they are turning lol
Also that was the best money I spent buying tht belt sander. Ild still be sanding the shelf if I hadnt

 

[OldestMagician]

I just saved them to my computer, flipped them and reuploaded them. I don't think there are any tools within the forum that allow you to flip them.

I think sliding glass for the top is a good idea for sure. I'd probably go for hinged doors on the larger section though. It would probably be fine to have sliding doors but I'd be a bit worried about the weight of glass in that section if you're going with the plastic Bunnings door track, you'd have to secure it very firmly on the top and bottom. Maybe something to consider.

Plus it'd be a learning experience making doors that fit snugly

 

[Porkbones]

[MENTION=38010]OldestMagician[/MENTION] my other cabinet conversion I nailed & glued both bottom and top track.
with the door idea I wasn't to sure with the weight of the glass for the frame & hinges and if it would warp slightly at all over time so thought ild just stick to sliding glass tracks

 

[Porkbones]

So I recommend if you are going to sand back a cabinet, make sure you have a sander of some sort lol it really is a lot easier.
So with the sanding done now came to the stain and varnish.wow definitely a bit trickier than painting lol I found that with the first lot brushed on it soaked up pretty quick any by the time I quickly brushed next area underneath it, where it overlapped was obviously darker.hmmmm will probably use a roller for the larger flat areas next time

 

[mjcarpentry]

Pine is a Little tricky to stain ive noticed. Best way I found other than using a sander sealer is to wipe it on with a rag then straight away wipe it with a clean cloth to pick up the excess. Seems to give it a very uniform cover. Good luck and keen to see it finished.

 

[Porkbones]

[MENTION=38550]mjcarpentry[/MENTION] my other cabinet conversion, I made a wooden frame and meshed it for the outside of the vents. For that I just used stain whr u apply it then wipe it off between 2-10 mins depending on what look ur after.the stuff I have now is a stain and varnish in 1.will give it another coat so it may come out a bit better 2nd time round lol

 

[dragondragon]

The name of this post reminds me of a certain video inolving a cup lol

 

[Porkbones]

The name of this post reminds me of a certain video inolving a cup lol

Fortunately for me I was pre warned and never ended up watching it lol must b getting soft in my old age

 

[dragondragon]

Yeah ive seen a few to many disturbing videos thank god i didnt see humancentiped

 

[Porkbones]

Decided to try my hand at painting a background scene for the 2 boys.undercoated the inside cabinet, still to undercoat the back piece of ply thts still laying in the shed.gotta give it 2 more coats of stain/varnish

 

[Porkbones]

[MENTION=16369]J-A-X[/MENTION]
any chance you can turn these pics for me please? I may have to start going on the computer and turn them once posted.i was hoping it may of came out the correct way but its still not working

 

[J-A-X]

turned as requested,
stain and varnish in one sucks, its MUCH easier to do seperate stain and varnish. i lightly spray (more of a mist) water on the pine, wipe it down (helps to remove any excess dust too) as long as its not 'wet' then the coverage with the stain should be more even than applying straight to dry timber, the stain tends to 'grab' at the dry timber

 

[OldestMagician]

I find stain and varnish comes out looking so much better than when I just stain and then varnish. Maybe next time I'll try you tip next time though

 

[blackhead13]

I have just sanded and re-finished a table, luckily for me I just discovered the wonder of stain and varnish in one easy tin. Yeah it is a little expensive but i'm guessing when you add it up it is around the same price as buying stain and varnish individually. If you have a half decent finish on your timber it is an awful lot easier.

 

[Porkbones]

[MENTION=16369]J-A-X[/MENTION] thanks for turning.so much better when they are up the correct way. And yes!!! I know exactly what u mean with it * grabbing* at the dry timber. Even tho its stain and varnish I will still probably give it all a coat of varnish once finished

 

[Porkbones]

[MENTION=38010]OldestMagician[/MENTION] [MENTION=38977]blackhead13[/MENTION] i followed the instructions and did give it the 3coats it says to give.only 2 coats and it says to do another coat of varnish only. It looks good enough for me lol and I will still probably give it 1 clear coat after its finished

 

[blackhead13]

@OldestMagician @blackhead13 i followed the instructions and did give it the 3coats it says to give.only 2 coats and it says to do another coat of varnish only. It looks good enough for me lol and I will still probably give it 1 clear coat after its finished

The more coats the better once you have the finished colour you desire. Nothing wrong with a clear coat over the top.