Truncated Octahedron Fish Tank

With Plato, Archimedes, and Euclid, goldfish.

Archimedean Solid Truncated Octahedron

6 Squares 8 Hexagons

Dihedral Angle

125.264389683°

Polygon Saw Blade Bevel Angles

Square: 19.47122°

Hexagon: 35.26439°

Here are some of the techniques I used to build the Truncated Octahedron fish tank. The Truncated Octahedron is built with 6 squares and 8 hexagons. You can use a hexagon table saw sled or a compound miter saw to cut the 8 hexagons with a 35.26 edge bevel angle. The 6 squares have a 19.47 edge bevel angle.

I used the

Amana Tool LB10801 Carbide Tipped Non-Melt Plastic 10 Inch D x 80T M-TCG, -2 Deg, 5/8 Bore, Circular Saw Blade

I felt it cut the 1/2” polycarbonate material like butter.

Cut a block of wood with a 32.26° angle, for the blade tilt for the Hexagons.

Before I used the table saw sled, I edge beveled one edge of the material with the table saw. Then I cut the material into 6" pieces. Then I set the miter saw to 30°, with a blade tilt of 35.26°, and cut one edge of the hexagon. So, I would have two edges mitered and beveled before I used the hexagon table saw sled.

Rotate the material until all its edges form a hexagon.

The squares were shaped in the same way as the hexagons were.

Use tape to glue the pieces of the Truncated Octahedron together.

After the pieces are cut, I used Acrylic Cement along the inside edges. It fuses the polycarbonate material together. Then I used fish-safe silicone along the inside edges.

This Truncated Octahedron fish tank is probably the only one in existence. You could also use any of these Archimedean Solids as a fish tank.

Cuboctahedron,

Small Rhombicuboctahedron,

Snub Dodecahedron,

Icosidodecahedron,

Truncated Cube,

Truncated Icosahedron

If I were to build the fish tank again, I would use 1/4" polycarbonate material. And try to get less glue on the faces of the pieces.