Reclaimed wood

[pachiwall]

After more than 12 years after shutting down my 75 gallon salt water tank...I decided to reclaim the oak from the canopy that I made. Several factors made this decision. Cost to run...and maintanence time. Which is why it hasn't been set up in over a decade. The canopy (which I neglected to take any pics of ), Had some issues. At the time it was set up, I had a Moluccan cockatoo. She was very jealous of how much time I spent on the tank, and she would jump on top of it and bite big chunks of oak as if it were a rice crispies treat!
I also knew that I wouldn't get my cost in lumber back if I tried to sell it on Craigslist. I think 3 planks of oak were $150
Since I have no before pics, I'll start with what is left with the side. 2050-12-31 23.59.59-410.jpg The 2 sides 18" and the front 48", are 11.5" wide boards. I bought a nice piece of oak crown molding to go around the entire top. 2050-12-31 23.59.59-406.jpg I used a sharpie to outline the seams. I cut the corner off a 2X4 to make a filler wedge, and glued it to the backside of the crown molding. Now I was able to glue and screw it to the top of the board. Since the pine wedge was visable from the top with the lid open, I used "iron on oak veneer" to cover the top. Since the screw heads were exposed (on the inside...where the salt water is), I also ironed on a strip of veneer there as well. this sealed the heads so they wouldn't rust...especially after about 6 coats of clear!
I knew I couldn't just throw this thing on the table saw and just start cutting! So I used a sawzall to cut off the sides and 2X4 brace across the back. I lost a few inches of the front board this way. Then standing the front board upside down on the table saw, I carefully cut off the crown molding freehand. I remembered the screws under the veneer when I saw the sparks come off the blade!
The canopy would slide completely over the top of the aquarium if not supported on the inside. The idea of this was to have it cover up the plastic frame around the top of the tank. So I used a strip of oak fastened to the inside to support it. The board is resting on a wood window shutter to keep from scratching it up on the cement. 2050-12-31 23.59.59-391.jpg The router is resting on the strip of veneer that was ironed on to cover the screws. At the far right, you can see dowl rods that are glued half way through the front board. I didn't want to use metal that close to the water surface, and I did not trust glue alone! However, I made it so long ago, I couldn't remember if I used screws and covered them with a plug. So, I drilled one of them to find out. When it was discovered to be free of metal, I decided to use my router to cut out a notch through the dowel as close to the surface as I can. This takes several passes,of course. And I went too deep in places. 2050-12-31 23.59.59-397.jpg After cutting all the dowels out, grab leftover rail with channel locks and break off! 2050-12-31 23.59.59-400.jpg Except for these 2 pieces. Took more work with the router.2050-12-31 23.59.59-399.jpg The other side broke off much easier. Looks like water got in and loosened the glue. Not sure how, with all that clear on it...but that is what the stain tells me.2050-12-31 23.59.59-402.jpg One of the drywall screws hidden under the veneer. I'll have to sand all that off to get to the other screw heads.
I still have lots of prep work...but giving up for now. One side of where it is at now. 2050-12-31 23.59.59-404.jpg The other side wont load for some reason. OK, it showed up in the stupid box below.