Thread: Snake Enclosure

There’s a mountains dweller with a Baron guide - I’m sure when he sees your post he’ll offer it up.

C'mon, NC, that little saw should cut the dovetails on its own; just hold it in your hand and let it guide you...

I s'pose it's easy to forget how I struggled with dovetails when I started - it was a little while ago, now! A good saw certainly helps, but it can't quite do the job on its own - it needs a little guidance from the hand what holds it. We had a long discussion on the merits/demerits of 'training wheels' a coupe of years back, & without stirring that pot again, let me just say but I'm not in favour of them. I think it's better to bite the bullet and learn how to make tools do what you want them to, but that's just my view. The advice of my old cabinetmaker mentor was simple, "Just mark 'em straight & saw 'em straight & they have to fit". Easy to say, but it took me a few gappy dovetails to get to the stage I'm at now....

Keep at it, the skills will accrue after a while (did you hit the bullseye with your first arrow?).

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

.. just hold it in your hand and let it guide you...

I hear what you're saying Ian and I did try that but I'm just not very good at being guided. My hand and (failing) eyes seem to have other ideas about how the cut should progress.
They weren't horrible and I could probably have made them fit reasonably well but I need a bit better for this job as there is a time constraint and I need it to look good as well as be functional.

Originally Posted by IanW

.Keep at it, the skills will accrue after a while (did you hit the bullseye with your first arrow?).

Cheers,

No I didn't hit the gold with my first arrow but I was able to reshoot that arrow many times till I got it right. I do plan to keep practicing but if I wait till I'm good at dovetails, poor old Draco will be bursting out of his current enclosure. He shed his skin again yesterday so he is even bigger. I've ordered the Katz-Moses guide. It should be here any day.

Originally Posted by NCArcher

...... poor old Draco will be bursting out of his current enclosure. He shed his skin again yesterday so he is even bigger.....

Blimey! Cut 'is rations, quick, or 'e'll be sizing you up to see if you'll fit inside 'im, soon!

The Katz-Moses jig arrived earlier this week. I gave it a run after work today.
Still got a bit to do but I can recommend the jig/guide. Just adds that extra degree of accuracy and allows me to have a half decent chance at getting the DTs right.
Store — Katz-Moses Woodworking
Dovetails1.jpgDovetails2.jpg

Got a fair bit done on the weekend.
Chopping the pins.jpgOne End Done.jpg

Marked out the pins from the tail boards and cut them using the KM guide. Chopped out the pins and tuned the fit a little.

I then cut all the rebates in the base and sides to house the back and the lower front rail.
Used the Sargent 1080 combination plane and the Stanley 71 router plane. I cleaned up the long rebates with the No.93 shoulder plane and the Record No.77A shoulder/bullnose plane.

I want to be able to partially disassemble the enclosure for cleaning so I have made the front perspex panel removable. It sits in groves in the top and bottom rail and slides into aluminium channel on the sides.
The top rail is dropped in place into sliding dovetails so it is removable but still holds the sides in place. I cut the sliding DTs with the router because there was no way I was attempting that by hand.

I think I managed to get the plane blade sharp enough. It was shaving end grain beautifully

End Grain.jpg

And yes, you can plane perspex in case anyone was wondering. Tried it on some scrap first though.

Perspex.jpg

Once everything was cut and trimmed I glued and assembled the base and sides.
Dovetails were too tight, there was lots of creaking and cracking as I squeezed them together but no cracks or failures.
I'm pretty happy with how they turned out but I will cut a smidgen closer to the line next time

Dovetails3.jpg

The back has been fitted and I have decided to glue and screw the back panel and the front rail

Assembly.jpg Back.jpg

Should have it finished in the next couple of days so Draco can have a bit of room to move.

Construction is finished.
Putting a couple of coats of satin poly on and it's done.
Nearly Done.jpg

NC, just wearing my 'other hat' here: The poly should be well-cured before you transfer Draco to his new palace. A few days or so will see the bulk of the solvent vapours gone, but there'll still be some, so I'd be making sure the ventilation is adequate. You've probably thought this through already, so apologies if my concern is unnecessary......

Cheers,

Thanks Ian,
I actually finished the box several days ago and have been painting the the other bits and pieces over the last 3 or 4 days. They also had a few days to cure so he should be ok.
He's actually in now but you've got me a bit worried. I might take him out till tomorrow and let the heaters fully cure the finish.
I'l post some pics of the completed palace later

He is a wise man is that Ian fella.

It's all done and after a night with the heaters on to let the finish fully cure and the fumes to dissipate, Draco is enjoying his new palace.
I haven't used a substrate atm. He can get used to the new enclosure with just newspaper. I'll add a substrate when I find one I like the look of.
New Enclosure1.jpgNew Enclosure2.jpg

He went from this (the water dish is a milk bottle top), fast food container.
Baby.jpg

To this
Exploring 4.jpg

There is a temperature controlled heat mat under the right hand side while the left hand side has a separately controlled ceramic heat lamp.
There is also a row of LEDs up the top. They are connected to a socket mounted into the side of the enclosure. Powered by a small plug pack.

Exploring 1.jpgExploring 3.jpgExploring 2.jpg

Very nice Tony, I bet it’s good to get back into woodworking?

How did you find the jig?

Good job Tony! Any complaints from Yorick about being tickled?

Thanks Andy, jig was great. Found it really easy to use.
Alas poor Yorrick, for he is devoid of all feeling. Tickling doth have no effect.