i'm not a fan of tents because it's hard to work around them if you're doing a SCROG, and i want reflective material to be at the edge of the 3x3 screens for maximum reflectivity. like i said before too, i don't trust them. when i looked at one, it looked flimsy and like a pain to set up for one person with arthritis issue.
press fit PVC seems like a better alternative, though it would also present problems trying to incorporate a SCROG screen in any design as eel as get expensive with 2 3x3 frames with so much cutting needed too.
getting ANY kind of saw isn't an option! those are insanely loud! i'm trying to keep a low profile with potentially nosy neighbors here. that's why i don't even want to have to buy a drill, but at least those aren't too noisy, especially if i can use the old "i'm making a book shelf" excuse. this is the catch 22. i could build it all from scratch, no problem, but i don't want neighbors complaining about noise and drawing landlord curiosity. if only there was some place where you could go rent tools and shop time i'd be set. i could pre-fab everything away from the apartment and just bolt it together there.
i'm getting ready to sketch a mock up of what i'll probably do as i've been refining my design in my head and by mulling over a quick sketch i made. once i post that, everyone will get a better idea of what i'm trying to do. i've also simplified the design a little as well as added some structural integrity by incorporating the SCROG screens directly into the frames instead of dropping them in. then. the screens will add structural integrity to the base sections of the frames with just the tops bolting on like stables attached at the feet. in refining the design too, i found it easier to just standardize the side braces so that EVERYTHING is 3 feet long and then just make 3 squares with the 1st two being the base and scrog screen and the other being the light frame and mounting the side pillars outside everything. in my original wonky design, i would have needed different sizes for the top and bottom which is only asking for trouble when i can just get planks cut to the same line using the first one as a template for marking all the other cuts. i've found that home depot workers really fuck cuts up and often don't even do them square or even. maybe i'll pay someone to precision cut everything even so i know that it's all square.