DIY Stands Template and Calculator
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
reefermad619
New member
The four corners are what support the tanks weight. You can also decrease the bow by adding a 3/4" plywood top. I think that should be a must when purchasing wood from most big box stores.
JohnnyAirtime
New member
+1 to that.
... I bought all my wood from the local Dixieline (even though HomeD is super close). Nearly had a coronary when I saw the bill. Premium Douglas Fir 2x4, Clear, at $1.77/ft. But boy was it puuuuuurfect wood. Straight, no knots, and just beautiful. It was a shame to cut it.
I will tell you Lowes has much better wood than HD. I am done and have been taking measurements. It seems that it isn't perfectly square but very level and solid. How concerned should I be if it is not perfectly square. I'm talking about 1/16th of an inch when I measure diagonally. When I use the square against the legs, they are totally square or very very close
It's not safe to assume that your floor is level, flat, or square with the walls, so try to verify (with a taught cord or a long level?) how flat your floor is. If it's off you will want to use shims as needed.
I'm not sure that's true. The early part of this thread talks a lot about what width lumber should be used for the top horizontal pieces (2x4, 2x6, etc.) and the choice is dependent upon the length of the span between the vertical supports, in order to support the weight without deflecting (bowing). If it were only important to support the corners, you could use 2x2's for all the horizontal pieces, regardless of the span, as long as the four legs were strong enough. When I've heard of tanks that were fine for years, spontaneously breaking or splitting a seam, it is usually blamed on the stand being uneven and causing too much stress to one part of the tank. I don't know how deserved that blame is, but it makes me nervous about not supporting the edges of a glass tank evenly. I wouldn't feel comfortable with more than 3/32" out of flat, and I'd use a joiner or hand planer to flatten things out if it were worse than that (also, use kiln dried lumber, and paint/seal it so that water and humidity won't eventually cause it to warp down the road). That being said, I'd slightly bow up, rather than sag down, to help compensate for the lack of a leg in the middle of the span.
I'm not sure that's true. The early part of this thread talks a lot about what width lumber should be used for the top horizontal pieces (2x4, 2x6, etc.) and the choice is dependent upon the length of the span between the vertical supports, in order to support the weight without deflecting (bowing). If it were only important to support the corners, you could use 2x2's for all the horizontal pieces, regardless of the span, as long as the four legs were strong enough. When I've heard of tanks that were fine for years, spontaneously breaking or splitting a seam, it is usually blamed on the stand being uneven and causing too much stress to one part of the tank. I don't know how deserved that blame is, but it makes me nervous about not supporting the edges of a glass tank evenly. I wouldn't feel comfortable with more than 3/32" out of flat, and I'd use a joiner or hand planer to flatten things out if it were worse than that (also, use kiln dried lumber, and paint/seal it so that water and humidity won't eventually cause it to warp down the road). That being said, I'd slightly bow up, rather than sag down, to help compensate for the lack of a leg in the middle of the span.
I'm with you C-Rad on the tank sitting flush on all sides as well as the corners. My tank on it's factory stand which is 84" long is only supported on the 4 corners and 3 inches in the middle. The rest of the tank floats in the air. It rests on what looks like 1x3s on the corners and ends and then in the middle it sits on another 1x3. This stand is pretty beat up that is why I am making a new one. With that said. I feel better if the whole bottom is supported. I am going to plane and sand my top rails and then probably put a piece of plywood on top as well.
p.s. my stand is made with 2x8s on the top rail and will have a center brace at 42.5" on an 85" span
p.s. my stand is made with 2x8s on the top rail and will have a center brace at 42.5" on an 85" span
TheFishMan65
New member
Nice to hear for someone who builds these professionally. Thanks
Wow. That's almost 40" unsupported spans, which sort of proves that, at least for some tanks, you don't need to support the entire edge. The glass wall acts like an I beam and as long as it's thick enough to resist the stress and not buckle, all is well. Was the glass on that tank very thick, and/or was the tank shallow (not that heavy)? I wonder if all glass tanks are thick enough to get away with that, or only the extra thick ones. I don't have enough engineering skill to know, so I'll keep playing it safe and supporting the whole edge, although I do deviate from the design given in this thread in that I use a single 2x3 for each of the four legs, and just 2x2's for all the other pieces, with the stipulation that no horizontal span between vertical supports is greater than 24.5", and I support each 90 degree frame joint with either plywood skin, or a diagonal length of 2x2. 2x2's deflect rather easily compared to 2x4's, so I'm letting the glass wall's resistance to buckling do some of the work, but still a lot less than your factory stand did with it's 40" totally unsuported spans, and I've always gotten away with it (so far).
Wow. That's almost 40" unsupported spans, which sort of proves that, at least for some tanks, you don't need to support the entire edge. The glass wall acts like an I beam and as long as it's thick enough to resist the stress and not buckle, all is well. Was the glass on that tank very thick, and/or was the tank shallow (not that heavy)? I wonder if all glass tanks are thick enough to get away with that, or only the extra thick ones. I don't have enough engineering skill to know, so I'll keep playing it safe and supporting the whole edge, although I do deviate from the design given in this thread in that I use a single 2x3 for each of the four legs, and just 2x2's for all the other pieces, with the stipulation that no horizontal span between vertical supports is greater than 24.5", and I support each 90 degree frame joint with either plywood skin, or a diagonal length of 2x2. 2x2's deflect rather easily compared to 2x4's, so I'm letting the glass wall's resistance to buckling do some of the work, but still a lot less than your factory stand did with it's 40" totally unsuported spans, and I've always gotten away with it (so far).
TheFishMan65
New member
WOW I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL!!!!
I emailed some web site that seemed to know what they are doing. That is the response.
I supported my whole edge and this may only apply to framed glass tanks (see question). I only passed on the information, I would contact the manufacturer of the tank and see what they say.
I emailed some web site that seemed to know what they are doing. That is the response.
I supported my whole edge and this may only apply to framed glass tanks (see question). I only passed on the information, I would contact the manufacturer of the tank and see what they say.
I put my stand on the most level spot I could find( in my living room) and it is level every where I measured. The bottom rails are not flat on the ground though because they kind of bow. It isn't by much, just barely enough to see light on one side. I am thinking about redoing them but this thing is so level I am just thinking about shimming when the tank is in place. Any thoughts? 2 of the legs are not perfectly square, just barely off but all the joints are flush, no gaps!
If the lower horizontal pieces touch the floor at their ends, but bow up in the middle, and there is not a vertical "leg" in the middle, then don't worry about it. The lower horizontal pieces will be pressed on at their ends, between the floor, and the column resting on top of them. The intervening section (between the legs) doesn't do much more than keep the bottom of the legs fixed at the correct distance apart, and hold any skin. The tank won't know the difference if they bow up in the middle. That little gap would invite vibration in the horizontal piece, and any skin attached to it, and could make the stand amplify pump noise, so snugging it up with shims might help. If they bow down, lifting the ends off the floor a bit, the weight of the tank will overcome that bow and push the ends down to the floor, which could be a problem if you've already attached the skin.
I am going to be skinning soon and would like to use MDF to match some other furniture I built, however, I think this is not practical around water. Is there something similar I can use for this application. Basically I don't want to see any grain or markings in the wood. A Clean white look is what I am going for
marc price
Active member
My first choice would be Baltic Birch Plywood, it is very high quality and expensive. The cheap Birch Plywood available at Lowes/Home Depot should do for your purposes.
TheFishMan65
New member
Sorry C for misunderstanding your post, but I just wanted people to realize I am a hobbyist just like them and only offering opinions.
