In message , Dee
writes
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Thanks Folks,

The resident will be a snake. So no water and no weight problem.
Glazier still insists I use plate glass.
It will be in a public area.
So I guess just buy the right sizes (overlap reminder well taken Andy).

For a vivarium or whatever it's called

Here's how I would do it

Get your base to be the size you require
height will be height of long sides + thickness of base (of course)
end panels cut to height -base thickness x width - (2 x thickness of
long sides

Work out how you're going to get cables in for lighting and heating, how
you're going to ventilate the thing etc

Get the exposed top four surfaces ground or "desharpened" in some way
(you don't want to cut yourself when reaching in

Don't use Locktite, use clear silicone, but make sure it's silicone, not
cheapo sealant, if in doubt, you can get it from RS or from a pet shop
which does aquarium stuff. The reasoning behind this is a) the cut edge
of the glass isn't necessarily truly flat and the silicone will take up
any unevenness and b) silicone gives you a bit of time to get everything
right before it starts setting

Work out how you're going to hold it together while it's setting. You
need to hold it tightly in position for 24 hours. I use string and and
pieces of wood - twisting the string to tighten it with the piece of
wood to keep it taut as commonly used. You can also use cramps, but
don't forget to insulate it from the glass with some cardboard or
something so you don't crack the glass

Get an assistant for the next bit - not essential, but very advisable

put string or whatever under the base close to the edges

put a 3-4 mm bead of silicone all around the top edge of the base and
one edge of a side panel (the one which will mate with the long panel),
place the long panel and the one end panel on the base in succession
(this gives you a rigid enough structure to work from). Placing the
other two panels is just handle turning.

Tighten the string or whatever compression means you intend to use

leave for 24 hours, remove tensioners

remove the excess silicone with a stanley blade

assemble the top
I would advise using something like foam padding between the body and
the top, just in case you accidentally slam the top down and shatter the
lid

Job done

--
geoff