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DIY Bowser New Home

Josh&Bowser

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
95
Location
Clovis, NM
Ok I have started my build for Bowser. I have been wanting to do this for awhile now but just did not think I could do it. Well today I pulled the trigger and I looks pretty good so far well I think. I will post more pictures as I go on. I have gotten alot of ideas from everyone else's build on here so thank for the encouragement.

I really have to thank Mungi Buddha his post gave me the push I needed.

Enjoy.
Dimensions 48X20X20
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This is the front I am going to cut it out and router the edges to look like a frame and to give it a good finish. Then insert two sheets of glass to make a sliding door. Still trying to figure that part out.
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Will this stuff work ok I was not sure what to get to seal the inside. I am going to paint the outside.
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He was just a little baby last time I posted a picture
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Josh&Bowser

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
95
Location
Clovis, NM
My daughters are excited to help build the inside. We have been looking at a lot of different ideas, it looks fun. Oh the box took me about 6hrs to make.
 

Mungi's Buddha

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,122
Location
Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Very cool, Josh! Just curious at what type of wood you are using. In the pics it kind of looks like MDF which may not be the best choice but still may work with a dry climate enclosure. I'm not sure on that. Most oft folks use hardwood plywood and melamine or a combination of the two. For Mungi's big house (which I am now waiting on glass track to finish it up) is made of all melamine board. I chose to do it that way for ease of cleaning. It weighs a ton and was more expensive to build that way but oh well..lol:)

I appreciate the shout out and am certainly happy if I inspired you to create and build your dragon's home for sure! It will be a fun project and will give you a lot of great satisfaction without a doubt and I look forward to the updates on your project :)

Enjoy!!
 

Mungi's Buddha

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,122
Location
Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
MDF when it gets wet will tend to separate and buckle. It also breaks very easily. It's usually very cheap comparatively and used for a lot of inexpensive furniture but not really made to last.
Another and more pressing concern using MDF is that it constantly releases urea formaldehyde and the heat inside the enclosure will cause it to emit those toxic fumes more. Since your dragon will be enclosed in it then he will potentially be exposed to those toxic fumes. I say potentially because if all surfaces are painted then it is supposed to seal the urea formaldehyde inside but then it may not totally seal it still presenting a dangerous atmosphere for him.
I know that you have already put in a lot of work and time on your build but were it me I would scrap it and go and pick up a sheet of hardwood plywood or melamine board and build with those.
I would hate for you to spend all of the time and energy creating your dragon a perfect home only to have him get ill or worse when you put him in it. That kind of avoidable risk is not worth it anytime in my book as I am sure in your book either!
 

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
4,493
Location
North America
I beg to differ, Brett. Medium Density Fiberboard is much denser & stronger than any melamine, is very hard to break. I have never read of concerns over fumes being emitted from it. Properly sealed MDF will withstand much more than Melamine any day, but is seriously much heavier than melamine too. MDF is very easy to machine (Edges can be decorated, routed & sanded easily), paint, seal & is very difficult to dent. I am a Cabinet Maker by trade & am very familiar with Melamine & MDF. The poor qualities that you have described would more seem to fit 'Particle Board' than MDF.

I think I would paint the inside white to make it brighter & reflect the heat\light & UVB, rather than use a Varnish that will make it quite dark.
 

Mungi's Buddha

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,122
Location
Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
I'm not sure on that particular sealer cause I haven't used it. Most times when I seal stuff I tend to go with Exterior Polyurethane instead of Varnish. As long as the poly is exterior grade then it shouldn't yellow because it has additives that protect it from UV. Besides to me poly is easier to apply a uniform coat that varnish is. Now were I to build a boat which is one of the things on my bucket list then I would probably use varnish for sure as it is more traditional for marine use.

Just my opinion:)
 

Mungi's Buddha

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,122
Location
Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
I would also agree with Germ that acrylic latex gloss paint would be my first choice in this particular project as it will essentially cover the wood in a hard plastic like coat. Polys and Varnishes are mainly needed when you want to protect a wood without covering the wood grain.:)
 

Josh&Bowser

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
95
Location
Clovis, NM
Ok good to know. I guess that is why I am an aircraft Mech and not a wood guy lol. I will take back the varnish and get the other stuff in the morning.
 

Mungi's Buddha

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,122
Location
Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
I'm not a wood guy either really..I have just grown up with it...My father is the man who invented the process used to make pressure treated lumber and is the world's authority on wood preservation,literally...lol:) We all are new to things at some point and me personally I believe any day I learn something new is an awesome day indeed!! Aircraft Mechanic is very cool...I have an uncle that was a B-52 bomber mechanic in the service years ago...now he is the head of Alcoholics Anonymous where he lives in Louisiana..lol...he has told me many times that if he could go back and do things again it would be to relive the days he worked on the "Big Birds"! Very Cool:)
 

Mungi's Buddha

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,122
Location
Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Yeah they are awesome...I actually got to go up with him in one one time when he was temp stationed in the States down in Texas..he spent most of his service time though over in Okinawa.
Have a great weekend and looking forward to updates on your project and btw I think it is pretty awesome that you are sharing the build with your daughters..That will be one of those great memories that they will remember for a very long time!:)
 

Josh&Bowser

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
95
Location
Clovis, NM
UPDATE!!!!

Ok I did not get a hole lot done today but I did get some so here are the pictures.

I added some trim pieces to the inside of the frame to give it a cleaner look. I am still trying to find the Glass door track. Lowes does not carry them.
IMG_0735.jpg


First coat of primer on the outside, I also got the inside done as well I just took the photo before I did the inside.
IMG_0736.jpg
 

Mungi's Buddha

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,122
Location
Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Looks good! If you are planning to use glass for your doors then the best place to find the tracks locally will be at a Glass Shop. Be forewarned that the tracks are not cheap for glass and are much wider than the Plexi Tracks. You can also find them online. If you decide to go with PlexiGlass doors as a lot of people do then you may want to check cabinet maker stores or woodworking stores in your area. That is where I finally located the Plexi tracks to look at when I was trying to decide. They were like 19.99 a set(1 upper and 1 lower track) and came in 48" lengths. Those can be found online as well:)
Keep up the good work!
 
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