DIY Fake Wood...the cheap way!

[John]

Johnny, if you make this stuff and put it up here I am sure a bunch of us would buy it. I definitely would. I'd be particularly interested in shorter but wider pieces.

[SludgeMunkey]

That's is easy to do. Schedule 80 PVC comes in diameters from 3/8 of an inch all the way up to 12 inches and lengths of up to 20 feet. One note though, the larger the diameter the harder it is to get good bends.

However, I think I have come up with a way to solve this problem. I have to test my theory tonight on my lunch break.

[John]

Looks like you have a viable side business in the making.

[SludgeMunkey]

The wheels in my head are turning...

Even crazier, I just discovered I can get the pipe in diameters all the way up to 24 inches!

With that range of sizes , heck, one could make a whole dead tree!

I am going to have to crunch some numbers here. Time is the hard part at the moment. However, the long boring winter will be here soon...

[into]

That was an awesome Idea! I never would have guessed those to be PVC pipes. I use PVC pipes for my WTF but with no modification... it looks like he has plumbing in his home I'm floored.

[into]

what kind of paints would be safe to use?

[John]

Johnny, in the mean time would you take commissions?

[Judy S]

The wheels in my head are turning...

Even crazier, I just discovered I can get the pipe in diameters all the way up to 24 inches!

With that range of sizes , heck, one could make a whole dead tree!

I am going to have to crunch some numbers here. Time is the hard part at the moment. However, the long boring winter will be here soon...

Sludge Munkey...are you reading these posts??? I'd love to ask you a few more questions and probably some new posters would as well...

[SludgeMunkey]

I'm still around, sort of.

I have taken to merely lurking about as I got fired from my "day" job and am working on finishing a double major in biology and chemistry. (That is how I am going to get a real job working with critters one of these days!) The good news is the weather is shifting here now, so I am winding down from my home remodeling projects. This frees up time for more work on vivaria, my vivaria DIY book, and of course, enjoying my critters.

Sadly, I had to give up long ago on selling this fake wood. Truth be told, I just cannot keep up with requests.(And get easily distracted onto other projects) It takes me roughly three hours just to carve a 6 inch piece. I have also found the a pneumatic die grinder is superior to a dremel tool for this project. As I no longer have access to pneumatic tools, this slows the process down even more.

Right now, I literally have a room full of numerous vivaria projects in various states of completion, but I find my studies limit my available "play" time quite a bit.

[BG]

Johny i know how you feel. I started on a job way over due. Im cleaning out my boiler room . Its a job and a half. But it will make a nice little frog/critter room. I had to add new shelves . Sorry to here about your job. Its not easy today but we must hang in there. I like your "Imitwood" idea, see i even came up with a name.lol