# Ada Style Cabinet Project



## PedroB (31 Dec 2013)

Hello everyone,

Inspired by this thread: DIY ADA'esk cabinet 610x510x636 | UK Aquatic Plant Society
I decided to plan my future tank and cabinet. I want a 100x60x60 opti tank, and so I decided to project the cabinet to hold it.

I'm going to use 25mm thickness MDF, probably having it cut at the local DIY store.

I used Max Cut V2 (MaxCut 2) which is a free software to plan the cuts and Google Sketchup to make the 3D project.








Here is the Sketchup file
Dropbox - tank_cabinet.skp

What do you think? would it be able to withstand the weight? Are my screw locations sufficient?

Thank you


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## sa80mark (31 Dec 2013)

Looks perfect to me, more than enough screws especially if your gluing it as well also 25mm mdf is spot on, are you planning to use 18mm front ? As 25mm doors are so heavy they will put a huge stress on the hinges


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## Greenfinger2 (31 Dec 2013)

HI PedroB , Looks great  And by the look of your design it will hold the weight . One thing the screws on the top will you be sinking them in a bit so they are flush with the surface ?? Silly Q i know  But thought i would ask


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## PedroB (31 Dec 2013)

sa80mark, good question, I was planning on using 25mm for the doors all the same since I was going to use 2x 2440mmX1220mm MDF, but I'm going to see if it makes any difference in the cutting plans, if removing the doors and plinth allows me to save a board I'll buy an 18mm board instead 

Thank you Greenfinger2, it's not silly since some people may not be as good at DIY as others, that's a good pointer  I'm going to drill guide holes and sink the screw heads 1 or 2mm and fill the gaps with wood filler.

Ultimately I'll either seal and paint it or laminate it with vinyl.


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## parotet (31 Dec 2013)

Hi, I finished my ADA style cabinet last week. You can see it in the Journal's thread (tank #2). I was also inspired by (well, let's say I copied) other members cabinets.

I used MDF 19 mm, but it was for a 60 cm tank... Anyway I think it is hard enough for a bigger tank. IMO 25 mm doors will be to heavy. Regarding screws I was advised not to pre-drill the wood but to use special screws for wood... Sorry don't know the name in English, these screws are prepared for wood, they can be screwed very easily on MDF. I used plenty of them, at least one each 20 cm, and then covered them with wood filler.


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## parotet (31 Dec 2013)

Here's a picture, just in case it helps... Bad picture but you can see some details if you make a zoom.


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## PedroB (31 May 2014)

Hello everyone,

Just tought I'd post an update:

Had to compromise for an 80cm tank. My local diy store only stocked 18mm MDF so I went with that, unfortunately I had to redo my math on the spot for the measurements and in the midst of it I forgot to have the back of the cabinet cut.

Fortunately I brought all the "scrap" MDF home and two of the pieces were about enough to cover the back and still offer good weight bearing.

The doors were badly measured and cut, so I had to take a hacksaw to them, which kinda mangled them a bit, but nothing that some filler and maybe a wood trim won't hide.

In my impatience I just took two pictures until now.

http://imgur.com/a/TnIdm

Next steps are filling, sanding, painting and finally, hanging the doors.


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## PedroB (4 Jun 2014)

Here's the finished cabinet. I wrapped it in self adhesive wood grain paper. 3 rolls did the job. Looks like wood from afar and hides imperfections really well.


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## Wallace (4 Jun 2014)

Looks good, was it Dark Walnut you used? Looks identical in colour and finish as my DIY cabinet. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PedroB (4 Jun 2014)

I think it might be. I bought the darkest wood grain they sold at my local B&Q, it sure does look like yours


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## kirk (7 Jan 2015)

Nice Pedro.great job.


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