amazing ant farm

To be consistent with my other instructions, I have an idea of the projects that others have already completed, but I want to do better.
This is an ant farm that is cheap, easy to make, and very durable, and allows your ants to watch here.
It doesn\'t look the most beautiful, but does your Ant really need a princess palace for $2000?
First figure out how big you want your ant farm to be.
Make it big enough to hold a lot of ants, but not too big.
It is helpful to know the size of the ant you are going to put in;
If you have a bigger ant, it would be better to have a bigger farm.
At this point, it is also good to be sure that you will leave the gap between the two pieces of plastic.
Now that you have identified the size of your ant farm, you need the following materials: 1.
One or two pieces of plastic large enough to cut out the window. 2.
Enough 1x3 boards to bypass the edge of the window size. 3.
Screw bars and nuts (used 1/4-
There are 20 in this model. 4.
GE Silicone door and window filler sealed around Windows 5.
The total cost of building materials skills is $10 for plastic, $2 for Wood, $2 for hardware and $3 for caulk.
You may need tools: 1.
If the size of the window is wrong, please cut them into the right size.
The saw cut the board into size 3.
Drill holes in the top of the threaded rod. 4.
The method of placing the appropriate groove into the plate (see step 5)
The picture shows the building skills required for this project. (just kidding)
Cutting plastic before building the frame is a good idea;
This allows you to build the frame around the plastic instead of trying to put the plastic into the frame after the rest is done.
Home products stores such as Home Depot have a lot of transparent plastic sheets to choose from, but you can also order them online.
You need two pieces of paper of the same size or a larger piece of paper to cut.
For simplicity, in order to maximize the material usage of this project, a piece of plastic from Home Depot is cut in half.
The two will be the front and back windows of the farm.
The picture is I cut the plastic, though it might be a good idea to note the saw that was actually being cut when this photo was taken.
Select the board size for the frame, providing a broad base for ensuring stability.
For this project, although the spacing between Windows is only 3/8, 1x4 s is used.
This allows for a distance of more than 1 inch before and after to prevent rocking.
First measure the height of the window.
This will be the height of the two side blocks.
Cut two pieces into this length with a saw.
The picture is my new Dewalt compound miter saw, which is totally redundant for this project, but for cutting these boards it is a good saw.
The next step is to cut two parallel grooves in each side block to hold the plastic sheet firmly to the right distance.
The width of each groove depends on the thickness of the plastic you have, and the distance apart depends on the distance between the two pieces you want.
I won\'t be too detailed as there are many ways to do this.
Simple ways to achieve this include: table saw with Dado BladeRouter or router, sliding cookie joints with straight or slot cutting bits, sliding cookie joints along a board circular sawwood chisel, proven, A cookie Joiner is perfect.
Basically, you want to end with two grooves as shown in the figure.
Next, put two pieces of plastic together with two side plates.
Measure the distance between the two side blocks.
This is the length of the bottom plate.
Cutting and slotting side plates first enables the manufacturer to measure the actual length, rather than trying to consider the depth of the grooves in the side plates.
After cutting the bottom plate, like the other two plates, put in two parallel grooves.
Three Pieces (
Bottom and side)
Should be able to assemble together around the plastic, separate the plastic pieces and stand upright.
To keep the bottom and side attached, drill holes and countersunk holes.
Do not over tighten the screws as the frame needs to be taken apart later, but now it is good to make sure it is assembled together.
Pay attention to avoid drilling into the grooves in the plastic or plate.
The drawings are clamping holes, drilling holes and sinking holes.
At this point, cut the board through the top.
This should be long enough to cross the outer edge of the frame.
Don\'t cut it too short as I did for the first time.
Since the windows will be fixed on both sides and at the bottom, they will be sealed in case of ants escaping.
However, the top is removable, so it needs to have a fixed method to make sure no ants run away.
In each side Block, insert one or two threaded bars and tighten the nut from the top to provide sealing pressure.
First clamp the top plate in place, and drill the pilot hole through the top plate into the side plate, pay attention to avoid the groove of the window.
Next, insert the threaded rod into the guide hole of the side block.
Zoom in on the holes at the top so that the top can slide easily onto the screw bar.
Next, put a washer on the top of each screw bar and then a nut.
Wing nuts are good for this as they can be tightened more easily by hand, but normal nuts can also work.
The first picture is the first two sticks of the test.
The second picture shows four rebar bars and the last one is to fix the top for the final Test.
The next three steps are fair;
Basically, assemble the entire frame before any glue or cauldron starts to harden.
In other words, if you want to have lunch, go and get it now before you start.
If you want to paint the wooden blocks of the frame, now is your chance.
Mark all adjacent frame parts first so you know where they will go if they are confused.
Next, loosen the nut at the top and the screw at the bottom of the frame so that all parts are separated.
The protective sheet on the plastic window is now also removed.
Pictures of lunch.
First, arrange the pieces of the frame in a row with the groove facing up.
Open the caulking pipe and load it into the caulking gun.
The small extrusion tube can also work.
The best caulking agent is probably the GE Silicone window and door provided by the home improvement center.
Run a circle of caulking agent in each groove;
There is no need to fill up the entire groove as this way it will squeeze out too much, but make sure there is a slight uniform coating for the entire length of each groove.
It is helpful to have an assistant for this step.
Place both windows on the base and make sure they sit firmly in the groove and caulking.
Next, apply a small amount of wood glue at the end of the base to make it intersect the side.
Hold the window firmly and place it on both sides to make sure the window is in the groove, the frame is square and the window is sealed all around.
After installing the screw on the side, it will ensure that the frame is firmly fixed on the base.
Glue the foam to the lower side of the top plate and provide a good seal on the top edge when the top is placed on ant farm.
Any sticky foam will work, and maybe the wind and rain will work.
The battery provides a good weight, providing strength evenly when gluing the foam to the top plate.
Wait 24 hours for the glue and caulking agent to dry (
Unless you have a faster drying adhesive).
Put the board on it, fix it with a nut, and check the seal all the way.
At this point you should have a nice sturdy ant farm and start filling with ants.