DIY Stands Template and Calculator

[Reefer2727]

Thanks for the reply Rhodes,

Anyone know many clamps and what size they should be to assemble the frames?? They will be 48.5x18.5.

Thanks

 

[Rhodes19]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14532973#post14532973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefer2727
Thanks for the reply Rhodes,

Anyone know many clamps and what size they should be to assemble the frames?? They will be 48.5x18.5.

Thanks

Your welcome.

To make the frames you can get away with one clamp that runs the lenght of your shortest piece plus 3" for the width of the front and back piece. Glue and screw the corners, remove the clamp and go to the other end and repeat.

 

[Reefer2727]

Looks like I am going to buy a 24" bar clamp. I figured I could do it with one but in some many pictures during builds there seem to be countless clamps. The more the better though I guess.

Do you know much about sumps and overflow boxes? I am going to get this tank drilled. Wondering how many holes..I figured one drain and one return will be ok. Wondering about position..corner/middle and the actual height of the holes. The back wall will be drilled.

Thanks

 

[Reefer2727]

Anyone know roughly how many screws are required for this project?

 

[james3370]

just get the 1lb box of coarse thread drywall screws in various lengths. i think i used 2 1/2", 1 5/8" & 1 1/4" depending on the dimensions of what i was joining. i also used 1 1/4" finishing nails for attaching the skin to the frame.

also, if you are doing pocket drilling to join anything, make sure the srews you use for that are flat back (like a T) instead of V shaped. the V shape can cause the wood to break out & the joint to fail

 

[Reefer2727]

Are drywall screws rustproof? I won't be doing any pocket drilling. I thought deck screws were the best option?

 

[james3370]

i used drywall screws since i had them laying around from building other stuff, but yeah deck screws would be the better option.

all my screws are covered by other pieces of wood so mine should be fine....

 

[MVlk]

For my build I had about 4 screws left from the smaller box. I think that is the 1lb box James3370 mentioned. I used tan colored/coated deck screws.

I would recommend getting the bigger box in case you want to/need to do any changes to the plan. I.e. extra center bracing or correcting a measuring mess up . Besides, extra screws come in handy for other projects. Go for coated ones, they are a few bucks more but give a little extra security.

 

[Reefer2727]

Thanks MVlk. Can I assume any green or grey coated screws are rustproof?

And it is regular carpenters glue or is it a wood glue? Colour?

 

[MVlk]

As long as they say coated / exterior / deck screws you are good. Color is just your preference. Most seem to paint the frame before skinning, so color is not an issue for aesthetics.

Carpenters wood glue, exterior grade will work well.

 

[james3370]

or gorilla glue. i used some on my 1st stand & when i went to take it apart to modify it for my current one....well it wasn't happening LOL

 

[MVlk]

I heard some of the gorilla glue expands as it dries... was worried about throwing the stand off just enough to be an issue.

 

[buccard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14537541#post14537541 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MVlk
I heard some of the gorilla glue expands as it dries... was worried about throwing the stand off just enough to be an issue.

It does expand as it dries but it has a very strong bond-I used clamps and pressure to hold things together while using the gorilla glue, worked well for me. Be careful though-anywhere the glue gets on the surface to be stained(if you are staining the wood and not painting) will not look the same as the other areas without the glue-the glue clogs up the pours of the wood and the stain does not soak in as much.

I would imagine any glue will cause the same issue...

 

[aravindk]

square assembly

square assembly

A noob here..

How do I keep the assembly square before gluing/screwing? I see the horizontal frame on top and bottom can be held together using clamps. How do I keep the vertical braces exactly straight 90 degrees to the bottom plate? I kinda get nervous it may slightly be off...

is there any trick to ensure this it is held straight before glued and screwed?

 

[Reefer2727]

Good question aravindk.

I was wondering the best way to assemble that part of the project also. Look forward to hearing some responses.

 

[buccard]

Re: square assembly

Re: square assembly

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14538223#post14538223 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aravindk
A noob here..

How do I keep the assembly square before gluing/screwing? I see the horizontal frame on top and bottom can be held together using clamps. How do I keep the vertical braces exactly straight 90 degrees to the bottom plate? I kinda get nervous it may slightly be off...

is there any trick to ensure this it is held straight before glued and screwed?

I didnt worry too much about keeping the square- I just took my time, worked on a level surface and lined everything up. I think the most important part of keeping the frame square was making good consistant cuts on the wood. Your going to be hard pressed to get the square perfect but if you can keep it close you will be fine..mine wasnt perfect but it came out good.

 

[Reefer2727]

Also, what would be a good sized drill bit to use for pilot holes? I guess it matters which screw is used but what would be good fo the average deck screw?

Another absolutely stupid question but whatever....when I am drilling pilot holes, I only drill them through the first piece correct? For example on the bottom frame pieces...I would pilot the orange piece and not the blue end piece??

As you can tell I know nothing!!

 

[aravindk]

one more question that I have is, the screws in some of the pictures are pretty close to the edge of the wood. In one of my previous projects, nailing a drywall screw closer to the edge always ended up splitting the wood. How do I avoid this situation?

 

[buccard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14538477#post14538477 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefer2727
Also, what would be a good sized drill bit to use for pilot holes? I guess it matters which screw is used but what would be good fo the average deck screw?

Another absolutely stupid question but whatever....when I am drilling pilot holes, I only drill them through the first piece correct? For example on the bottom frame pieces...I would pilot the orange piece and not the blue end piece??

As you can tell I know nothing!!

I drilled through both boards-they tend to get messy and split when no pilot hole exsists-I use a drill bit slightly smaller than the screw's shank(not the threads) This lets the threads grip the wood firmly while limiting the amount of wood being displaced by the screw.

 

[Reefer2727]

Another question regarding the weight of the stand.

Could anyone ballpark what the weight of this stand built for a standard 75 gallon would be?

I am curious what the difference would be between 2x4's and 2x6's as far as weight goes.

I think I am going to do the top and bottom rails as 2x6's. Im all about over kill. Actually I may do 2x4's along the bottom in order to give me more room for the sump area. An extra 2" I guess.