DIY Stands Template and Calculator

hahaha - well i'm an idiot.... I guess all the 4" screws I put in will just be added strength, lol.... You should see the bit I had to buy to be able to drill a pilot hole deep enough.... arrghhh!!!!!!
 
lol, I can only imagine, I totally understand, I am by no means a carpenter either. I built one for my 70G frag tank, so just know from experience. Good Luck!
 
Ok, so I gave this a shot. I put it together and tried to get it as square as possible. And my problems are:

When I screwed it together I drilled pilot holes however I did not counter sink the screws (saw that after the fact) so the wood split a bit. Not real bad just where the head of the some of the screws are.

And also I cut all the 2x4s with a chop saw and tried to make all my cuts as exact as possible, and I have tiny gaps between the top frame and some of the legs.

And lastly, one of the 2x4s have a few cracks on its surface. Doesn't go all the way through, and not sure how it happen and I don't remember it being there when I put it together.

Not sure if these minor defects are acceptable or it I have to redo a few things. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
gar732 said:
Ok, so I gave this a shot. I put it together and tried to get it as square as possible. And my problems are:

When I screwed it together I drilled pilot holes however I did not counter sink the screws (saw that after the fact) so the wood split a bit. Not real bad just where the head of the some of the screws are.

And also I cut all the 2x4s with a chop saw and tried to make all my cuts as exact as possible, and I have tiny gaps between the top frame and some of the legs.

And lastly, one of the 2x4s have a few cracks on its surface. Doesn't go all the way through, and not sure how it happen and I don't remember it being there when I put it together.

Not sure if these minor defects are acceptable or it I have to redo a few things. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

Small spits by the screw head might be ok, but if they extend any distance or to the end of the 2x, I would do it over. As for the gaps, it sounds like you either don't have true or straight boards (warps or twisting) or your cuts are off. Make sure the 2xs and very straight, you may have to go inspect a lot of 2xs before you find the ones you want but it is well worth the time and effort and the wood suppliers don't mind at all. If your cuts are off, try rigging a stop on your chop saw. That way, every cut will be the same length. If the gap is about 1/16" you might be ok. Anything bigger and you might have some leveling and settling problems. Can you post a picture or 2 of what you are looking at. I think that would help. The cracked 2x4 I would get rid of and get ones that do not have cracks or splits on them. Your bset bet is to get your 2xs from the select grade pile and not from the framing pile. HTH.
 
Thanks for the quick reply, I took a look at the stand and there is another piece with cracks in it and it deffinetly wasn't there when I put it together. The 2x4s were a little wet when I got them could that be why they cracked? I did cherry pick the 2x4s and I used douglas fir 2x4s are those good? Setting up a stop would have been a good idea (wish I thought of that) but I did try to cut exactly on the line each time. Well live and learn I guess. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about. You can see all the problems in this pic. Thanks
stand002.jpg

And this is a pic of the whole stand
stand.jpg
 
gar732 said:
Thanks for the quick reply, I took a look at the stand and there is another piece with cracks in it and it deffinetly wasn't there when I put it together. The 2x4s were a little wet when I got them could that be why they cracked? I did cherry pick the 2x4s and I used douglas fir 2x4s are those good? Setting up a stop would have been a good idea (wish I thought of that) but I did try to cut exactly on the line each time. Well live and learn I guess. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about. You can see all the problems in this pic. Thanks
stand002.jpg

And this is a pic of the whole stand
stand.jpg
Click to expand...





Using them in that shape will only cause problems down the road. Wood in that condition will split,you should wait until the wood has dried in order to work with it, that way as the wood dries it wont split.
 
I waited a few days before I cut and put it together and I thought it was dry. Can I salvage anything or am I going to have to redo everything, only the two pieces on the ends of the top frame cracked like that. Should I use a different type of 2x4? Thanks again.
 
you can salvage it by just replacing the pieces that are split. sometimes you have to let wood dry for a few days, the inside might still be moist.
 
tor101898 said:
also, you can get screws that prevent the wood from spliting when you use them. they are called self tapping.
Click to expand...

pre-drilling w/ a drill bit smaller than the screw threads is also VERY helpful...not only to keep it from splitting but also makes it much easier driving the screws in (especially if they are long ones)
 
gar732 said:
I waited a few days before I cut and put it together and I thought it was dry. Can I salvage anything or am I going to have to redo everything, only the two pieces on the ends of the top frame cracked like that. Should I use a different type of 2x4? Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Gar,

I think its salvagable. What size tank do you have? 55? It looks like the gap is under the side frame and not the front. I think it will be fine. Its small but what you could do is wedge a shim into it. Keep an eye on the cracks and make sure they don't grow over the next couple of days. +1 to what James said about pre drill and countersink. Might want to also think about using a good wood glue at all the joints. Glue an screw. the glue helps make a stronger joint. If you replace the top frame you can go with kiln dried pine. It will be dry, just pre drill, counter sink, and then glue and screw. HTH
 
Ok, I just got home frome lowes where I picked up some more materials. I'm going to replace the whole top frame, I'm going to do it with 2x6s this time. My father-in-law told my wife the 2x4s wont hold up and to save the arguement I'm just going with the 2x6s. I know its over kill but I've turned the living room into a workshop and its taking longer than I thought so If it makes her happy so be it, it wont affect any of my plans anyway. The stand is for a 75gal. I did predrill the holes however I did not countersink them which is what caused the spliting. I picked up some liquid nails also, if I put this between all the joints do I still need to shim the gaps. They are about a 1/16th of an inch gaps, wouldn't the adhesive fill that? Thanks for everyones input, its very much apreciated.
 
Instead of using the screw strips, has anyone used pocket screws? I just realized I have a pocket screw jig and I would rather use pocket screws instead of the screw strips. Would doing this sacrifice the strength of the stand?
 
It was done by rhodes on post #69. From what I understand the screwstrips support no weight, they just hold everything together.
 
reefermad619 said:
Instead of using the screw strips, has anyone used pocket screws? I just realized I have a pocket screw jig and I would rather use pocket screws instead of the screw strips. Would doing this sacrifice the strength of the stand?
Click to expand...

i did pocket drilling on mine & it worked great.....just be SURE you use a flat-back screw (look like a T from the side). using a V-shaped screw will split the wood causing it to fail
 
Thanks Rhodes. I'm not sure what I'm going to skin it with yet, but cost is going to be the main decider. I'd like to use something with an exotic look, but in the end, I might have to stick with Poplar or Oak.
 
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