My Best Night Box Design Yet

Tom

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Is it weather proof? For rain ?
Yes. The overhang on the lid extends down about an inch and a half, and the whole thing is sealed with caulking on the inside, and primer and exterior paint on the outside.
 

Tom

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Tom- do you make the top a few inches bigger than the bottom to it hangs over?
Yes. The lid is a full uncut 4x8' sheet of plywood. The 2x4s around the rim are each 1.5 inches wide, so I lose 3" there. Then I want about a half inch of clearance all around for the lid, so that is one more inch. The outer dimensions of the box are roughly 92x44". Then due to the wall thickness, inner dimensions where the tortoises hang out is around 88x39".
 

EllieMay

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I have printed out you step by step pictorial and presented to hubby! He is going to build this for our 3:)
 

EllieMay

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I’ll bet hubby is sooooooo happy now, yeah, a new night box! Good luck.

Lol!! I’m lucky he’s a good sort:). I have been working all week on New larger indoor enclosures for Pickles and Crusher.. he helped me finish up this morning and I didn’t even have to ask[emoji16]. I had to move one out of “the room” because I just ran out of space!
 

Julia1982

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Tom, my father-in-law is in the process of building your design for me and has a question:

Tom, How did you get such nice straight cuts for the corners of your front door of your house? What tools did you use to cut your front door out? I was thinking a drill to make holes for a Jigsaw Blade to go through, but both corners for the door look to straight for that. I'm not really sure how you did it, can you explain your process. The cuts look really straight even the corners. I'm thinking their is a process you used, that I'm not aware of.
Thanks for any information you are willing to pass on.
 

Tom

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Tom, my father-in-law is in the process of building your design for me and has a question:

Tom, How did you get such nice straight cuts for the corners of your front door of your house? What tools did you use to cut your front door out? I was thinking a drill to make holes for a Jigsaw Blade to go through, but both corners for the door look to straight for that. I'm not really sure how you did it, can you explain your process. The cuts look really straight even the corners. I'm thinking their is a process you used, that I'm not aware of.
Thanks for any information you are willing to pass on.

Its sort of a long explanation to explain how the whole box is built and in what order, but for the step you are asking about, I put the front on the box and put a few screws in it to make sure everything is lined up properly, then I trace the bottom of the door area with a pencil. Then I take the front off again, and measure and make my door using the traced part to make sure it is in the perfect spot.

Now the part you are asking about: I use a Skil Saw (aka: Circular Saw) to make the cuts. I've done it so many times that I can eyeball it and line it up by hand. I hold the saw in my left hand, raise up the back of the saw so that it is resting on the front only and the blade is lifted clear of the wood, and start the saw, then I lift the safety gate out of the way with my right hand. Next I line up the rotating blade over my lines and very carefully lower the blade into the wood, minding the line the whole time. Once the saw is resting flat and the cut so far is nice and straight, I slowly and gently pull the blade backwards along my line until it reaches the corner, and then I simply push it forward and finish the rest of the cut along the line. Next I lift the blade up and out of the plywood, move it over, and do the corresponding parallel line. After that, I rotate the piece and do the same thing for the other two lines.

This technique leaves just a little material in each corner, and I have a little thin bladed hand saw that I use to clean up the corners. Then I save the cut center piece to use to make the door. Not surprisingly, it is a perfect fitting door every time! I drop the spinning blade into the work very slowly and carefully, maintaining a firm grip on the saw. I always anticipate some kick back or stuttering, but it never has happened. Likewise, I don't think you are supposed to drag the saw backwards, but I'm only doing it for an inch or two, and the saw has never bucked or jumped while I'm doing this. I'm not a construction guy. I'm a self taught novice, so I'm not sure that this is the "correct" or safest way to do this, but it works for me without having to drill holes that will ruin my door piece, or use a jigsaw which is slow and doesn't make the straightest or cleanest cuts for my untrained hand.
 

wccmog10

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Its sort of a long explanation to explain how the whole box is built and in what order, but for the step you are asking about, I put the front on the box and put a few screws in it to make sure everything is lined up properly, then I trace the bottom of the door area with a pencil. Then I take the front off again, and measure and make my door using the traced part to make sure it is in the perfect spot.

Now the part you are asking about: I use a Skil Saw (aka: Circular Saw) to make the cuts. I've done it so many times that I can eyeball it and line it up by hand. I hold the saw in my left hand, raise up the back of the saw so that it is resting on the front only and the blade is lifted clear of the wood, and start the saw, then I lift the safety gate out of the way with my right hand. Next I line up the rotating blade over my lines and very carefully lower the blade into the wood, minding the line the whole time. Once the saw is resting flat and the cut so far is nice and straight, I slowly and gently pull the blade backwards along my line until it reaches the corner, and then I simply push it forward and finish the rest of the cut along the line. Next I lift the blade up and out of the plywood, move it over, and do the corresponding parallel line. After that, I rotate the piece and do the same thing for the other two lines.

This technique leaves just a little material in each corner, and I have a little thin bladed hand saw that I use to clean up the corners. Then I save the cut center piece to use to make the door. Not surprisingly, it is a perfect fitting door every time! I drop the spinning blade into the work very slowly and carefully, maintaining a firm grip on the saw. I always anticipate some kick back or stuttering, but it never has happened. Likewise, I don't think you are supposed to drag the saw backwards, but I'm only doing it for an inch or two, and the saw has never bucked or jumped while I'm doing this. I'm not a construction guy. I'm a self taught novice, so I'm not sure that this is the "correct" or safest way to do this, but it works for me without having to drill holes that will ruin my door piece, or use a jigsaw which is slow and doesn't make the straightest or cleanest cuts for my untrained hand.

As far as I know this is an acceptable use for a circular saw. I think it is called a “plunge cut” or something like that. My suggestion would be not to run it backwards- I’m glad you’ve never had any kickback- but I have had some before. It didn’t hurt anyone- but it made the edges pretty rough and ugly, and we want our tortoise boxes to be pretty :). What I would do is make my plunge cut, the push forward to my stopping spot. Then just remove the saw, turn it around and insert the blade back into my already cut portion, then finish the cut. This way the saw is always cutting when it is moving forward.
 

Julia1982

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Tom, where do you get the metal heat shield for above the heater?
 

Julia1982

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Tom- do you have the heater plugged into a timer? What do you use to check temperature?
 

Tom

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