DIY Stands Template and Calculator
- Thread starter RocketEngineer
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j_electric
New member
love this thread and I have a few questions I have a custom acrylic 48X30x20 and I would like to make the stand 44" tall.
Also I was thinking of making the stand Euro style , were the finised stand would be the exact mesurement of the tank with no overhang of trim or anything. If I use 1/2" ply on the front and sides and shorten the mesurements acordingly would I lose strengh?
Also do i need to sheet the back? I would also Like to have doors on bothsides as well. Sorry for so many questions
Thanks in advance
-joe
Also I was thinking of making the stand Euro style , were the finised stand would be the exact mesurement of the tank with no overhang of trim or anything. If I use 1/2" ply on the front and sides and shorten the mesurements acordingly would I lose strengh?
Also do i need to sheet the back? I would also Like to have doors on bothsides as well. Sorry for so many questions
Thanks in advance
-joe
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
j_electric,
The stand can be made smaller to account for the 1/2" plywood facing but I would consider a 3/4" plywood top that sat on the top edge of the 1/2" panels on the sides.
Also, consider making the top frame stronger then I recommend on the first page, say 2X6s with multiple front-to-back supports in the middle.
You do not need to sheet the back but it wouldn't hurt.
The stand can be made smaller to account for the 1/2" plywood facing but I would consider a 3/4" plywood top that sat on the top edge of the 1/2" panels on the sides.
Also, consider making the top frame stronger then I recommend on the first page, say 2X6s with multiple front-to-back supports in the middle.
You do not need to sheet the back but it wouldn't hurt.
goodfortune
Member
Frame Using 1" X 4" lumber; how large a tank?
Frame Using 1" X 4" lumber; how large a tank?
RocketEngineer:
I just came across your thread...excellent information
! I am looking to build a stand for a "large nano" (i.e. 20 H/L or 29 gal). I am thinking of using 1" x 4" lumber for the frame.
I built a stand for a 55g several months ago using 2" X 4" lumber. I used a frame pattern very similar to the one in first picture shown. While the stand I built was very sturdy, it was also very heavy, making it hard to move by myself. I figure that building the stand with 1" X 4" lumber would save on weight, but I wonder whether even the weight of a fully loaded 29g would be too much for a 1" X 4" framed stand.
What do you think? Should I go ahead and build the new stand with 2" X 4"s, or would I be safe with 1" X 4"s? How large of a tank can you put on a 1" X 4" framed stand? Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated
- Michael
Frame Using 1" X 4" lumber; how large a tank?
RocketEngineer:
I just came across your thread...excellent information
! I am looking to build a stand for a "large nano" (i.e. 20 H/L or 29 gal). I am thinking of using 1" x 4" lumber for the frame.I built a stand for a 55g several months ago using 2" X 4" lumber. I used a frame pattern very similar to the one in first picture shown. While the stand I built was very sturdy, it was also very heavy, making it hard to move by myself. I figure that building the stand with 1" X 4" lumber would save on weight, but I wonder whether even the weight of a fully loaded 29g would be too much for a 1" X 4" framed stand.
What do you think? Should I go ahead and build the new stand with 2" X 4"s, or would I be safe with 1" X 4"s? How large of a tank can you put on a 1" X 4" framed stand? Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated
- Michael
j_electric
New member
Thank you I will post results in a week or two
this is a great thread, i have read it from start to finish and have just one question...I have a tank that measures 48 1/4 L x 13 W x 18 3/4 H. I used the height formula in the beginning and according to that my stand safely can be approxamately 24 inches tall. The problem is that my skimmer is taller than this. What is the tallest I could safely make this stand? I kind of like the idea of a taller stand anyway. Kind of thinking 30 inches maybe... Any insight is appreciated!!
Jarod
Jarod
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
There are no problems making a stand 30 inches or even 40 inches high for that size tank. The comments about the stand being "unstable" were made based on assumptions which don't apply to the vast majority of the tanks seen. Pushing over a tank is ridiculously hard due to their high weight. Sure they have a high CG, but most tanks are against a wall which would limit its motion. Trust me, I had to use a car jack to push my 30g tank away from the wall enough to get a shim under it when it was a FW system.
HTH
HTH
xxxbadfishxxx
Active member
Rocket,
just wanted to show you my almost finished product, and wanted to thank you for this thread. my stand is pretty much your design with some trim and top rails added. Stand is extremely sturdy and level.
However, As you can see in the last picture, there are areas where there is a small gap between stand and rim of tank, how can i fix this? I would say the widest gap is the width of a dime. Tank is 120 gallons and has no water in it, i wonder if it would settle but i dont want to take the chance. Gap is mostly from front to back on both sides.
the only things i can think to do is.
(1) - palm sand corners until tank is flush.
(2) - place shims inbetween top 2x4 and rail
(3) - remove all rails and sand top of 2x4's and make sure everything is flush.
Any Ideas? Anyone else run into this problem?
Basic structure
Bottom View
Almost final Product
Tank on stand
Gap between tank and stand
Thanks again,
Jeff
just wanted to show you my almost finished product, and wanted to thank you for this thread. my stand is pretty much your design with some trim and top rails added. Stand is extremely sturdy and level.
However, As you can see in the last picture, there are areas where there is a small gap between stand and rim of tank, how can i fix this? I would say the widest gap is the width of a dime. Tank is 120 gallons and has no water in it, i wonder if it would settle but i dont want to take the chance. Gap is mostly from front to back on both sides.
the only things i can think to do is.
(1) - palm sand corners until tank is flush.
(2) - place shims inbetween top 2x4 and rail
(3) - remove all rails and sand top of 2x4's and make sure everything is flush.
Any Ideas? Anyone else run into this problem?
Basic structure
Bottom View
Almost final Product
Tank on stand
Gap between tank and stand
Thanks again,
Jeff
Last edited by a moderator:
chrisqueenz
New member
I have been reading this post from start to finish, and it's giving me motivation to build my stand for my 260G AGA tank. But still a bit worried about the weight.
nova62
In Memoriam
badfish nice setup. i am building im building the same thing.here is a link to the thread.this is the first stand i have built
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1320016
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http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1320016
Last edited by a moderator:
rocko918
New member
Thanks RocketEngineer, I used this thread to work on my stand for a 210. On question, is it better to have plywood across the top for the tank to sit on or just leave it as is and the frame of the tank sit on the wood?
I am almost done with the stand. Still have to do a bunch of sanding and Staining.
Here is just the frame
Here it is with some molding on it.
Then with the columns finished and the top bar section. this is where i can rest my arms as i stare into the tank. Or rest my beer!
I am almost done with the stand. Still have to do a bunch of sanding and Staining.
Here is just the frame
Here it is with some molding on it.
Then with the columns finished and the top bar section. this is where i can rest my arms as i stare into the tank. Or rest my beer!
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
xxxbadfishxxx,
I would sand down the stand to get it sitting flush. You don't want anything between the tank and the stand as this can cause stress risers and may the tank to leak/fail. Nice work so far!
chrisqueenz,
Are you worried about the weight of the stand or the weight of the full tank? Each of the 2X4 legs (purple pieces in the original template) can take something like 16000 pounds straight down. SO, the main problem becomes how to get the loads from the tank into the legs. The stand will hold much more the most folks realize.
dots,
Who needs a model? Its 4 beams and 4 columns. Very simple model. Sure you can work it up in 3D and make the pretty plots, but since its 10 times easier, I would stick with my good old hand calculations. KISS
nova67,
Not bad. I hope doors are in the works. I like the idea of putting a secondary area to one side of the tank. I will probably use that for a future setup.
rocko918,
If the tank has a plastic frame around the bottom, I would just set it on top of the stand. If there is no frame then most likely the tank manufacturer wants something between the tank and the stand (foam) and I would cover the top with a piece of plywood to create a nice smooth surface.
To everyone else,
If I missed something somewhere, please let me know.
Happy Building.
I would sand down the stand to get it sitting flush. You don't want anything between the tank and the stand as this can cause stress risers and may the tank to leak/fail. Nice work so far!
chrisqueenz,
Are you worried about the weight of the stand or the weight of the full tank? Each of the 2X4 legs (purple pieces in the original template) can take something like 16000 pounds straight down. SO, the main problem becomes how to get the loads from the tank into the legs. The stand will hold much more the most folks realize.
dots,
Who needs a model? Its 4 beams and 4 columns. Very simple model. Sure you can work it up in 3D and make the pretty plots, but since its 10 times easier, I would stick with my good old hand calculations. KISS
nova67,
Not bad. I hope doors are in the works. I like the idea of putting a secondary area to one side of the tank. I will probably use that for a future setup.
rocko918,
If the tank has a plastic frame around the bottom, I would just set it on top of the stand. If there is no frame then most likely the tank manufacturer wants something between the tank and the stand (foam) and I would cover the top with a piece of plywood to create a nice smooth surface.
To everyone else,
If I missed something somewhere, please let me know.
Happy Building.
rocketlily
New member
What an incredible thread. My new tank will be here soon and I would like to use this thread as a guide for building my stand. The tank is approx 97 gal and a pentagon shape. It will fit in a corner, with the 2 back sides being 40" long, coming out at a right angle walls 10" long and approx 42" across the front for viewing area.
Has anyone built a stand this shape? Can any one make any recommendations as to whether I should use 2x4's or 2x6's on the top. I would prefer not to have a centre support in the front.
Any suggestions anyone can make would be very much appreciated.
Has anyone built a stand this shape? Can any one make any recommendations as to whether I should use 2x4's or 2x6's on the top. I would prefer not to have a centre support in the front.
Any suggestions anyone can make would be very much appreciated.
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