A Stand and Canopy Done Wright

[jlanger]

this is incredible. I would have had a really hard time getting rid of the montis

Thanks!
I haven't really been happy with the switch to acropora corals. I have started seeding small montipora frags back into my aquascape, so it's time for the montipora domination to return!

 

[rickztahone]

Thanks for all of the recent compliments and comments.
I haven't made an update for quite a while, so here's a video from this week.
Enjoy.

gorgeous. Out of all the builds I have ever seen, your is amongst if not the best build I have ever seen. Thanks for all the inspiration.

 

[bapicella]

That canopy is beautiful.

 

[yukimika]

very well done

 

[Kalen]

Your stand and canopy are very impressive and stunning. Great job on your build

 

[jlanger]

Thanks for all of the comments.
Hopefully this weekend I'll have some updated shots of the whole system; just to show what has changed in over 2-½ years. Not much really...

 

[BeachBum2012]

Amazing. I have dreams of a Greene and Greene stand. Need to learn the technique first.

 

[Ls2Goat]

Beautiful tank, I have a question for your sump.
I can't tell from the pictures.
Do the drains drain into filter socks?

 

[jlanger]

Beautiful tank, I have a question for your sump.
I can't tell from the pictures.
Do the drains drain into filter socks?

Thanks.
No, I don't run filter socks. I do have a media basket right before the return pump that I use with filter floss to clean the water. The floss gets changed out every three to four days as it becomes dirty; much easier to throw floss away than to clean socks over and over.

 

[Reefinny]

wow what an amazing build. Fantastic job!

 

[SharkJP]

This is PHENOMENAL!!!

Only recently have I really gotten into woodworking and, funny enough, it was my first stand build that caused me to get bitten hard by the woodworking bug. I always remembered working with my grandfather in his basement shop building various odds and ends and when I went to build that first stand I figured I could get by wirh a circular saw and a drill.
Needless to say, by the time I was done I was the proud new owner of a miter saw, table saw, router, and countless other misc. tools...not to mention the most expensive stand I ever couldve imagined, lmao.

Your post truly is inspiring and the detail in which you showed how this was built is spectacular. Im getting ready to do my biggest stand yet for a 180 and really wanted to do it "right" instead of the same ole skinned 2x4 you see everywhere (not.to take away from them bc ive seen some great builds like that...I just wanted to have that true furniture grade build).

Seriously, thank you so much for taking the time to detail this build step-by-step!!!

With the sides of the cabinet done, I was ready for the front and back face frames.

I cannot find any photos of those being made, but I can at least walk you through the process. But you can make them out in the completed stand photos.

The front face frame is only four pieces of solid oak.
The two stiles with a top and bottom rail.
I ran the stiles and bottom rail through the dado saw to create the dado that the sides and deck will fit into. You'll see this during the assembly.
The face frame is assembled using glue and pocket screws.
Since I have used this process just about daily for the past twelve years, the shop has a Castle Pocket Hole Machine. The machine consists of a router bit and a drill bit. The router bit creates the pocket for the screw to fit in while it leaves 3/4" of wood for the screw head to hold against. The drill bit then drills the hole to guide the screw towards the other piece of wood.
Once assembled and dried, it was passed through the sander.

The back face frame is similar to the front, but it contains an extra mid-rail and a panel to create a half open back.
The back was put together using both the pocket screw method and the panel technique used on the side panels.
Once assembled, it was sanded along with the front face frame.

The photo of the back face frame actually shows the inside of the stand.
I wanted there to be no screws or plugs visible from looking in the stand.

For the deck of the cabinet, I used a 1/2" sheet of quarter-sawn plywood. For some reason, the wood suppliers do not carry 1/2" rift-sawn sheets of material. I could have had it special ordered, but I wasn't that particular about the difference.

I now had all the main pieces for assembling the stand.

Laying the front face frame down on the bench (covered with cardboard to protect against any scratching), I ran a bead of glue down the dado.
I placed each side panel into the dados and nailed the panels into place with 3/4" brads.
This next step was just for added strength.
Through the front if the face frame, I drilled and countersunk pilot holes so I could use wood screws to really pull the sides into the face frame. This joint wasn't going anywhere.

You can also see in the photo I drilled other pilot holes in the face frame and side panels. These holes are for the screws that would eventually hold the posts onto the cabinet.

Next I ran a bead of glue into the dados for the deck to fit into.
The deck was slid into place and tacked in with brad nails.

To finish the "box", I ran beads of glue into the dados on the back face frame and set it into place.
I attached the back the same way as the front with the wood screws going into the side panels.
From this view, you can make out some of the pocket holes and the pilot holes for the posts.

Here's what the cabinet looked like after assembly.
You can see the screw heads that hold the side panels and the pilot holes for the posts.

You will notice that I only painted the outside of the flat panels for the sides.
I wanted the inside of the stand to just be the red color of the stained wood.
The opening in the back allows for the plumbing and electrical to pass through.

I wanted to add more support to the structure of the stand.
I added some cross-bracing that ran from the front to the back. One on each end and one in the middle.
They were glued and pocket screwed similar to the face frame assembly. These braces also give me a place to screw the stand's top down onto the stand.

For added support to the deck of the stand, I added a couple of supports to help carry the weight of the sump.

All that was left to complete the cabinet, was to add the posts.

The posts were designed to look big and solid. Not the case.
The posts are built using boards that are mitered at 45 degrees so the grain of the rift-sawn oak is consistent. These were cut out of the nicest boards that came in the order.

Each back post only consists of two pieces.
And the front posts each consist of four pieces.
Each post was glued and nailed together before being added to the cabinet.
In the above photos, you can see how the face frames extend beyond the side panels. This is so that these extensions are butt-jointed into the posts and create another glued joint for added stability and strength.
Each was glued and then screwed onto the cabinet.

So now, many of the screws that were visible on the outside of the stand are now covered by the posts. The rest will be covered by the decorative trim.
To finish the bottoms of the posts, I planed a 5" wide board down to 1/2" to trim around the bottom of the posts.
The last thing to do was to create the look of false-inset doors.
I love the look of inset doors, but the hardware to do so takes up much more room inside the stand. And it's also a lot harder to keep the doors centered in the opening and keep the door flush with the face frame.
To achieve this look, I added a false top and bottom rail that will flush out with the installed doors.

All that was left was quite a bit of hand sanding to prep it for staining.

-JASON

 

[SharkJP]

At this time I would like to thank everyone that has read through this thread.
I really wanted to do this so I would have a record of what I did when I built this stand and canopy.

I will take any questions you may have. As I know I probably skipped over some steps or details rather quickly.
I will also accept any criticism or suggestions.
There are as many ways to build a stand as there are builders.
I just so happen to have been doing this for awhile. I know what I like, I know what I want and I know what works for me.

I will continue to discuss my tank build.
I'll show you what I did for my overflow, plumbing, custom sump and other little projects.

Thanks again.
Just one more photo. What really matters.
There are fish in there. They're camera shy.

It's funny that it took me so long to actually look at the reason you did all this in the first place: Your tank itself.

I love your scape, not too "overdone" or crowded and compliments the stand (imo the true focal point, lol) very well

 

[jlanger]

Thanks for the compliments.
Glad to hear that you've also delved into the woodworking hobby. As with most hobbies, starting out has a learning curve and once you acquire the basic skills and surround yourself with quality tools, it becomes easier and more enjoyable.

That photo really makes the tank look large compared to the reef itself.
Here's my latest FTS and you can see that the tank has filled up rather well. I have tried on numerous occasions to limit the number of montipora colonies, but they just keep growing like weeds in my system; shouldn't really complain.



Thanks again.