Cheap led light box/shelf

By Mike O'Loughlin; posted September 1, 2019

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So, after finding a panel at Lowes for 90$, decided to build a box around it. Yes, it's not 5000k, but I doubt very much I will notice since at the moment the closest thing I have to a light box is a shelf with rope lights in back of insulators. Figured I'd go vertical, and fit a lot of ponies in there. Since panel will drop in back, case needs to be structurally able to hold a load without the panel in it, because at some point it'll break and some dummy will pull it out of the back leaving shelves full of insulators. Most display cabinets especially ones with glass shelves get a great deal of their rigidity from the back panel. Another consideration is that it might at some point need to support another display case on top of it. I decided on 2"x8" pine, allowing for 2 1/2" set back for panel to slip in.(needed a 10' table saw to get that 2 1/2" deep rip.) After pricing #2 pine, and finding out the two peices I would need for top and sides would cost $104, I reassessed, and bought two 2"x8" x8' dimension lumber studs ($8.59 ea), then the 1/2" x 6" pine for shelves came to around 30$. (I wouldn't use 1/2" if shelves were 4', but since they're just 2' and will have 102s...) I'll just paint it for finish. I've found I'd rather spend my glass money on insulators than shelves. I've also found that latex painted shelves are great for insulators sticking to them, so they won't rattle off and break. (I've put 1/2" painted shelves in several windows in my house, great in day, not so viewable after sundown.) Even Maine faults and a number of quakes each year. Spent amost two hours at table saw cutting, changing blades, figuring, discovering I figured wrong, dealing with it...you know Anyways box its self less than 50$

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