Dustin1300
Reefaholic
I'd think if you are skinning it in this manner you'll need to add some angled pieces to prevent it from wracking back to back and side to side.
DIY Stands Template and Calculator
- Thread starter JohnL
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wiscousonian
New member
AngGuKueh, GREAT looking stand so far. Are you going to put in some doors? If so what style? I love the contemporary, modern style. I looked a long time for something simple and clean, as most are trimmed with ugly crown molding and the like. Please keep us updated on your tank stand, I'd love to see what develops.
I've came up with a modern style that I'm currently still sanding, staining, and polyurethaning. i'll be sure to share some images when i've got something.
Can i ask what you used for the interior? Just white paint?
Also as an asked question before, any holes in the back for ventilation?
I've came up with a modern style that I'm currently still sanding, staining, and polyurethaning. i'll be sure to share some images when i've got something.
Can i ask what you used for the interior? Just white paint?
Also as an asked question before, any holes in the back for ventilation?
TheFishMan65
New member
Dustin, I believe RocketEngineer said that skinning was not required. In fact I think he mentioned that one of the corner 2x4 could be left off. My stand does not have any panels yet and when added will be non structural - so far no problem.
Rhodophyta
New member
Holes in the back would be one way to vent. Surface doors (like most kitchen cabinet doors) have a "vent" all the way around and corner pads so they don't actually touch the cabinet anywhere.
Rhodophyta
New member
What about holding it on with magnetic catch latches all the way around? The plates could be on the cabinet and the latches on the skin, so you would have that much less in the way while working.
This stand design is certainly overbuilt in terms of its ability to support a load, but wracking is another thing, and wracking could be a big problem depending on how the pieces are fastened together. To prevent wracking (side to side rocking) the 90 degree angles where the legs meet the horizontal pieces must be held rigidly. The design in this thread depends on the tacking strips to do this, but the design doesn't specify how the tacking strips should be attached, and if it's done weakly, and with too few screws, then there could be wracking problems, especially on a tall stand, and especially if the wood around the screws ever got wet.
I live in earthquake country, and so at some point the floor in my house may decide to oscilate back and forth a few inches, while the 1000 pounds of water balanced 40" above the floor tries to stay still. I want the 90 degree angles to stay at 90 degrees, even when that happens, so I want to do something to reinforce the 90 degree joints. Anything that makes a triangle (secured at all three corners) out of a 90 degree joint will do the job. The larger the triangle, the stronger the joint, but 6-8" on the two short sides is plenty in most cases. Plywood triangles at some or all of the corners is an easy way to go, Even if you just put them on the back, and maybe the sides, it would help a lot, and still not obstruct access from the front. (I mean 6-8" along the short sides of the triangle is exposed and visible. Since a 2x4 is 3.5" wide, a plywood triangle supporting the joint between the wide sides of two 2x4's would need to be at least 9.5-11.5" along the short sides.) I like to cut a 12" 2x2 at 45 degree angles and use it as a diagonal piece in the corners. If you just go with the basic design, which is fine in (at least) most cases, be sure to use enough screws (not nails) so that no single single screw can be a pivot point. Use screws that are long enough to bite into the wood deeply (almost poke out the other side), and drill pilot holes (not too big!) so that you don't split the wood at the ends. The important thing is NO PIVOT POINTS.
Rhodophyta
New member
It's counter intuitive, but tests to destruction show that a screw is stronger with each added buried thread up to number 7. After that the screws all pull out at the same force. Carriage bolts are a useful idea where practical to use.
TheFishMan65
New member
Thread number 7 huh. Do you by chance have a link - sounds like an interesting thing to read.
Rhodophyta
New member
No link. It was just something I was told by some rocket scientists that they had tested, when I had been talking about building plywood aquariums with alternating two different lengths of screws. There is no doubt that carriage bolts, where they can be used, are stronger than screws plus they resist wracking.
True, the reason I didn't say anything is that point's been gone over pretty thoroughly in the thread. I would think though that if someone had built and sealed this correctly water issues in the wood wouldn't be an issue.
The ones use pocket holes most definitely need something else to "stiffen" it up to prevent that though. I've built many stands in a similar fashion, and those pocket hole jointed sections always have quite a bit of twist to them. 1/4" ply always seems to work out well though.
later
C
Hello,
I'm currently in the process of building a stand using this template. It will be for a 40 gallon breeder, i was wondering how high i can build the stand? I'm trying to fit everything in the stand so i wanted to try to have the stand 40 inches high so i can get everything in there including my 20L sump.
Also I have a glass tank with the black trim around it and i wanted to put a piece of plywood on top so the tank sits on the sheet of plywood that way i can make sure it's on a flat piece of wood. This wouldn't be an issue would it?
Also what do you all use to seal and paint it? I am new to this and this is my first time building a stand.
Thanks
I'm currently in the process of building a stand using this template. It will be for a 40 gallon breeder, i was wondering how high i can build the stand? I'm trying to fit everything in the stand so i wanted to try to have the stand 40 inches high so i can get everything in there including my 20L sump.
Also I have a glass tank with the black trim around it and i wanted to put a piece of plywood on top so the tank sits on the sheet of plywood that way i can make sure it's on a flat piece of wood. This wouldn't be an issue would it?
Also what do you all use to seal and paint it? I am new to this and this is my first time building a stand.
Thanks
pazzo, check out my post #2037. I've built one using a very similar design but threw in the golden mean to actually make it look nice. The current stand i've built is exactly for a 40 breeder, and it will fit a 20 long sump perfectly.
I used 1x4's though, and if you built exactly the way RE specced it, the 20 long will be too wide for any of the openings. My front is built with 1x2's to open up the front a bit more and allow me to get the 20l sump inside it.
after skinning it's rock solid, should easily hold twice the weight of a 40 breeder, and with the skin have no chance of wracking.
Later
I used 1x4's though, and if you built exactly the way RE specced it, the 20 long will be too wide for any of the openings. My front is built with 1x2's to open up the front a bit more and allow me to get the 20l sump inside it.
after skinning it's rock solid, should easily hold twice the weight of a 40 breeder, and with the skin have no chance of wracking.
Later
Rhodophyta
New member
I stood on one lateral of my stand and checked with a laser level. No deflection, and that was before the bracing was added.
If you made a footed stand, you'd want them to line up with the verticals or there could be some deflection. It could affect the floor too, even more than the stand.
wiscousonian
New member
Well here is what i've got so far. 125 gallon duel corner overflows, 42" tall, 72.5" wide and 18.5" deep.
I wanted something more contemporary, clean, and mid-century styled. The stand is made according to the plans here, then trimmed with Mahogany and stripped mahogany ply doors to match the rest of the cabinets and doors in my house. I've still got to add the linoleum tiles to the bottom, put in shelving on the left door for storage, add handles to the doors, finish the canopy trim, run electrical, plumb....yadda yadda yadda.
As you can see, my floor is quite un-level, about a 1/2" from side to site. Ended up using about 2 packs of shims, and some 1/2" ply to get it all leveled. I'm leaving off the bottom until the tank gets placed on and i can make some additional adjustments if needed. Still need to fun some electrical to the stand and assemble the canopy trim. I plan on having an open top and hanging some lights, although i have a while to go to get to that.
I wanted something more contemporary, clean, and mid-century styled. The stand is made according to the plans here, then trimmed with Mahogany and stripped mahogany ply doors to match the rest of the cabinets and doors in my house. I've still got to add the linoleum tiles to the bottom, put in shelving on the left door for storage, add handles to the doors, finish the canopy trim, run electrical, plumb....yadda yadda yadda.
As you can see, my floor is quite un-level, about a 1/2" from side to site. Ended up using about 2 packs of shims, and some 1/2" ply to get it all leveled. I'm leaving off the bottom until the tank gets placed on and i can make some additional adjustments if needed. Still need to fun some electrical to the stand and assemble the canopy trim. I plan on having an open top and hanging some lights, although i have a while to go to get to that.
wiscousonian
New member
really, i've not had a problem with most of my doors in the house, although the humidity will be more so with this i guess. They are 9 ply 3/4" doors.
Dont know bud. Thats why cabinet doors are not made with plywood commercially. AWI hasnt allowed plywood doors for the past 25 year. Just didnt want to see you loose the nice contemporary design with warped doors.
Don
