Canopy Design Help

Looking at the DIY Canopy threads and the DIY Canopy article in the DIY area of here, I've come up with a design combining two popular styles:



The Idea is that if all you want to do is feed the fish or change the water, you can open up A. However, if you need to do full-tank maintenance, add a large decoration or fish, or change the bulbs on the hood, you can rotate B up (along with all of A) as a solid piece.

That's the idea...the problem is how to design the insides, with all the supports, into a structually sound hood...problem is I can't seem to get it right. Anyways, any ideas on how to build this? My biggest problem isn't Part A...I can get that and I'm happy with the design if that's my only consideration. I can't figure out how to get the rest of the stand to support Part B without an excessive amount of support.

My Hood will need to be about 50"x19" in the end (the rim of the tank I'm designing)...give or take a few inches here or there.

rbishop said:

A piano hinge?

One at the back of "B" so it and a can be lifted.

One where "A" meets "B" so "A" can be lifted.

It seems you will need some type of hood prop, like on a car hood to hold "A" and "B" up together; tha support would attach at the front part of "B"...?

Click to expand...

Either a Piano or a set of regular butt hinges should be find between A and B...I'm thinking Gravity on A will hold it to B as a solid piece as long as I don't excede a 90* on B.

A piano hinge would probably work well on B...and the prop thing was perplexing me as well...I've seen that look like slides or two longer pieces of metal (kinda like an old-school protractor) which work, though I don't know how much weight they're designed to hold as I can't figure out the name/find them anywhere...just remember seeing them. That'd solve my problem just as well as a "prop" to hold it up, the problem is figuring out what they are.

rbishop said:

http://www.cabinetmart.com/cat-hardware.html

Click to expand...

:22_yikes:
OMG that's what I was looking for! Search around everywhere and find nothing, and there you go and find it in less then 5 minutes...I feel so...well they don't have a blushing smilie so this will hafta do: :duh:

Oh, and in case that link stops working, I'm looking/was thinking of a "Lip Stay". Awesome RB, just awesome. Now to figure out how to support it so it doesn't sag and all.

Think a 1x2 will be enough? And are you picturing it so the 2" side lies flat against the top of the canopy, or the 1" side is?

Oh, and the items I'm planning on placing under the hood (that the roof of the hood will need to support): 2 Ballasts and 4 bulbs (ODNO Florescent lighting). 2 "Cold Cathode" moonlights. 2 PC Fans. 2 - 12v power supplies for the Moonlights/PC Fans. 3 Switches for seperately controlling 3 sets of lights (in case I decide to do a Night/Dawn/Day/Dusk setup).

The Ballasts, power supplies, switches and fans I'm planning on placing near the back of the hood. The bulbs will be evenly spread across the surface (one will be on the inside top of A).

Hope it saves my edit this time.