Beginner builds a table

[houseofcutler]

Hi All,

Thought I would share some pictures and experiences of making my first tort table.

I opted for MDF as there was a fair chance I may balls it up as I’m an IT guy and the only thing Ive made before was a shelf! The MDF has been coated with Yacht Varnish to seal it and make it waterproof. (if your buying this don’t pay wikes or B&Q price buy it form somewhere like Toolstation instead £8.50 a litre)

If anyone is buying MDF from B&Q (or similar stores) you should be mindful of their crazy pricing policy:
18mm MDF – 1220mm x 607mm - £14.88
18mm MDF – 2440mm x 1220mm - £17.48 (this is four times the size!)
Of course you won’t get the second size in your car but if you got to one of the larger stores they offer free cutting services and kindly chopped it into three sections all bigger than the smaller one I listed and for only an extra £2.50!
Still not as good as a lumberyard I suppose but as I don’t have one I thought this was a pretty good price.

I decided to use seed trays to hold the substrate as this makes it easy to swap things around, clean the table out and enables me to grow things in spare trays ready to go in. I didn’t use a seed tray for the top level as this made it so high the ramp would have had to be much longer and take up too much space.

Heres the empty table:



I will be using 4mm polycarbonate sheet to raise the height of the wall on the left to match the wood. This will let extra sunlight in from the window that the table will be facing. I used a piece of skirting board for the top level wall

Heres the table with the trays in – I haven’t added a rail or grips to the ramp yet.



Heres the table with the lights added (and some other bits) – The light on the side isn’t attached properly yet.



These are 12inch T5 link lights (Toolstation £7.20) (designed for under kitchen cupboards) They are only 8W which is good for the old electricity bills and you can ‘daisly chain’ them together so multiple lights only need one plug. They manage to brighten things up quite nicely

Just need to get the substrates in now and start properly testing the temperatures.
Considering the total cost of the table, polycarbonate, varnish and Lights (excluding Basking lamp) was only £55 and i have loads of MDF and Polycarbonate left over I'm pretty please with it

Anyway I hope this is of interest and maybe helpful to some people, I’ll post some more pictures when it’s finished.

[knottyedge]

looking good so far,i like the idea of the polycarbonate sheet to let extra light in,keep us posted on your progress

[secret-tortoise]

If your going to varnish MDF its a very good idea to prime it 1st with sanding sealer or a PVA as the varnish will soak into the MDF if not and wont give a good finish.
Also the edges will all need to be coated as the slightest moisture getting into the MDf will cause it to "blow" .Another note on MDF is be very careful cutting it as the dust is evil (can be compared now to Asbestos) so only cut it with a mask on and very good ventilation.I must admit we don't use it anymore than we really need to as pound for pound your better off using ext Ply if you can and its safer.

Stuart
www.secretgardenwoodcraft.com

[nooddle]

Looks fantastic
Lucky tort!

[pagan queen]

Looks very good. Is the lamp you are using a UVB bulb or just a heat lamp? If it's just heat will you be supplementing the tort/s with D3? The reason I ask is because you say it will be near a window for light. The light from the window will not give UVB as UVB does not pass through glass.

[houseofcutler]

Originally Posted by secret-tortoise

If your going to varnish MDF its a very good idea to prime it 1st with sanding sealer or a PVA as the varnish will soak into the MDF if not and wont give a good finish.
Also the edges will all need to be coated as the slightest moisture getting into the MDf will cause it to "blow" .Another note on MDF is be very careful cutting it as the dust is evil (can be compared now to Asbestos) so only cut it with a mask on and very good ventilation.I must admit we don't use it anymore than we really need to as pound for pound your better off using ext Ply if you can and its safer.

Thanks for all the advise although it it somewhat after the horse has bolted

The first coat did soak in as you said but the second coat was fine, slightly bumpy in a couple of places but this isn't for sale and I don't think the tort will notice. I made a special effort to coat the edges well as I had read quite a few things about how easily MDF soaks up moisture.

I had no idea the dust was considered evil - I did all the cutting outside but didnt have a mask

My torts (i will be getting) should be about 6 months old and I guessing will need a bigger table in 12 months. Also I hope they will live outside as much as possible. Outdoor enclosires are the next project - although MDF will not be featuring there

[houseofcutler]

Originally Posted by pagan queen

Looks very good. Is the lamp you are using a UVB bulb or just a heat lamp? If it's just heat will you be supplementing the tort/s with D3? The reason I ask is because you say it will be near a window for light. The light from the window will not give UVB as UVB does not pass through glass.

It isnt a UVB and I will be supplementing the torts - I am actually having a conversation with Cal about this in another post

[secret-tortoise]

Originally Posted by houseofcutler

Thanks for all the advise although it it somewhat after the horse has bolted

The first coat did soak in as you said but the second coat was fine, slightly bumpy in a couple of places but this isn't for sale and I don't think the tort will notice. I made a special effort to coat the edges well as I had read quite a few things about how easily MDF soaks up moisture.

I had no idea the dust was considered evil - I did all the cutting outside but didnt have a mask

My torts (i will be getting) should be about 6 months old and I guessing will need a bigger table in 12 months. Also I hope they will live outside as much as possible. Outdoor enclosires are the next project - although MDF will not be featuring there

Its the formaldehyde in the MDF that causes the most concern which is released when its cut along with very fine dust,formaldehyde is in all man made boards but i think MDF gets the most concern because the dust is so fine.But at least you know for the future and yes you really don't want to use it outside so good call.

[gwenq]

the table looks fantastic. love the second floor idea. I'm getting a two tier table built and they will have a second floor in each - I'm due to get pictures of it soon from the builder and I can wait to see it!!

Gwen

[houseofcutler]

Originally Posted by gwenq

the table looks fantastic. love the second floor idea. I'm getting a two tier table built and they will have a second floor in each - I'm due to get pictures of it soon from the builder and I can wait to see it!!

Thanks - Im sure you and your torts will love it when it arrives