DIY 40B Stand Build
- Thread starter 805mike
- Start date
805mike
New member
Alright...got some plywood layed down today!
Screwing down the right side panel.
Top, Left, and Right panels on.
View from front. I had some pieces cut, to frame around the front opening, but I measured wrong...lol. I'll have to re-measure, and re-cut.
The opening is 26", and the depth is 19". The sump I have, is 25.5" x 13.5", it'll be a perfect fit!!!
Screwing down the right side panel.
Top, Left, and Right panels on.
View from front. I had some pieces cut, to frame around the front opening, but I measured wrong...lol. I'll have to re-measure, and re-cut.
The opening is 26", and the depth is 19". The sump I have, is 25.5" x 13.5", it'll be a perfect fit!!!
Lionfish666
New member
Looks like you could put a car on that stand 
Very well built.
Yep putty up those screws and go flat black, I used gloss and really regret it. Imperfections you couldn't even see before the paint really stick out. Painting is a smelly, messy hassle and almost impossible to get a perfect finish, well for me anyway.
If I could go back I would krylon fusion (spraypaint) in flat black or satin.
Very well built.Yep putty up those screws and go flat black, I used gloss and really regret it. Imperfections you couldn't even see before the paint really stick out. Painting is a smelly, messy hassle and almost impossible to get a perfect finish, well for me anyway.
If I could go back I would krylon fusion (spraypaint) in flat black or satin.
805mike
New member
Looks like you could put a car on that stand
Yep putty up those screws and go flat black, I used gloss and really regret it. Imperfections you couldn't even see before the paint really stick out. Painting is a smelly, messy hassle and almost impossible to get a perfect finish, well for me anyway.
If I could go back I would krylon fusion (spraypaint) in flat black or satin.
I kind of like the screws, lol. Shows it's DIY side. My job has a brand new paint sprayer, that no ones tried out. Maybe I'll break it in!
Lionfish666
New member
O nice, go for it. Spray painting is even more fun than screwing (wood)
moondoggy4
Team RC
Molding makes a huge difference in making a stand look custom. Like your nice fit on the bottom not easy to do. I am going to be building another stand my third but this will be for a 40 gallon breeder like yours.
Something I found out over the years that the guys in real lumber stores that sell to the trades are more than helpful in building your stand if you get your measurements right they will cut if for you.
Something I found out over the years that the guys in real lumber stores that sell to the trades are more than helpful in building your stand if you get your measurements right they will cut if for you.
805mike
New member
I went with MDF, since it tends to be A LOT staighter than plywood, with less bow. I had them cut them to size, which was 1/2" bigger than the opening, so they overlap the face of the stand.
I used the same trim thats around the bottom of the stand, to frame the edges of the MDF pieces.
I then cut them to size, using the miter saw, at the 45 deg. setting.
Using small 3/4" wood screws (and the help of clamps), I screwed the trim to the MDF, from the the back side.
Next is to mount them to the stand, using "flush" style cabinet hinges!!
I used the same trim thats around the bottom of the stand, to frame the edges of the MDF pieces.
I then cut them to size, using the miter saw, at the 45 deg. setting.
Using small 3/4" wood screws (and the help of clamps), I screwed the trim to the MDF, from the the back side.
Next is to mount them to the stand, using "flush" style cabinet hinges!!
805mike
New member
Leaving it unfinished is fine, but you want to put something on there to protect the wood from the drips and everything else that will happen. You especially want to seal the MDF. If you don't seal that, you'll drip some water on it and ruin your doors.
Just looking out for you and wouldn't want a nice stand like that to get messed up.
Just looking out for you and wouldn't want a nice stand like that to get messed up.
805mike
New member
Thanks, I appreciate the insight. I just picked up some clear, to seal the wood.
805mike
New member
Well I coated the stand with 3 coats of semi-gloss clear. It didn't add much shine or luster (I'm glad), but hopefully it added some protection against water drips.
At first I used a 3 1/4" hole saw to core a hole for the overflow to run down to the sump. This ended up being too small, as the bulkhead would not fit through it. So I used a jigsaw to cut out a bigger hole. This worked perfect, and there's plenty of room to screw/unscrew the bulkhead.
At first I used a 3 1/4" hole saw to core a hole for the overflow to run down to the sump. This ended up being too small, as the bulkhead would not fit through it. So I used a jigsaw to cut out a bigger hole. This worked perfect, and there's plenty of room to screw/unscrew the bulkhead.
