moondoggy4
Team RC
I am skinning mine with 1/4'' teak plywood. 50 dollars for a 4X8 sheet. Or you could use Honduras Mahogany a lot cheaper then Teak.
DIY Stands Template and Calculator
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
moondoggy4
Team RC
I am about ready to paint the inside of my stand it is just 2x4's I would like to paint it white, any suggestions will be appreciated.
Lunchbucket
Premium Member
Where you get all these nice woods? I'm pretty much stuck to what I can find @ Lowes, Menards, Home Depot
Rhodes19
New member
I used 1/2" ply because that is what I had in the garage. I painted the ply and the bottom 2x4s with left over 2 part epoxy marine paint a friend gave me. For the rest of the stand I painted it twice with kils and them twice with white latex paint (also found in my garage). My intent was to protect the wood from mosture and maybe a spill or to. HTH
moondoggy4
Team RC
where
where
where
Go to a real lumber store that sells wood by the board foot, or a good molding store. It is much cheaper then buying the wood in HD or Lowes. Every big city should have one, that is where all of the professional goes ( not me ) I am just a hobbyist They should have every type of wood and in every price range. 3/4 inch ply like Teak is 90 to 120 dollars mahogany maybe 90 dollars. I have heard some bad things about Chinese ply wood ,so just ask they love to help.
moondoggy4
Team RC
biecacka try spleify build http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1343381&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
im getting ready to build a stand for a 450gal tank 96Lx36Wx30T i was wondering it this diy template would work for a tank this size. Secondly the front of the stand will be built in a wall(since the tank will be a inwall design) so i will have to stud probably 16 on center for drywall, will this affect the way the weight is tranfered thru the stand into the bottom. Thridly would i need/how many legs in the rear would i need? I would like to keep this as open as possible for sump/refug
Lunchbucket
Premium Member
Re: where
Re: where
Yeah I thought about that. Have a city about 60miles that would have that stuff. Also have a cabinet place in town I'll check at. Will talk to my old boss who did a ton of woodwork for suggestions and might ahve some wood to sell me or help me
I could use the help 
Lunchbucket
Re: where
Yeah I thought about that. Have a city about 60miles that would have that stuff. Also have a cabinet place in town I'll check at. Will talk to my old boss who did a ton of woodwork for suggestions and might ahve some wood to sell me or help me
I could use the help Lunchbucket
im getting ready to build a stand for a 450gal tank 96Lx36Wx30T i was wondering if this diy template would work for a tank this size. Secondly the front of the stand will be built in a wall(since the tank will be a inwall design) so i will have to stud for drywall, will this affect the way the weight is tranfered thru the stand into the bottom? Thridly would i need/how many legs in the rear would i need? I would like to keep this as open as possible for sump/refug
im getting ready to build a stand for a 450gal tank 96Lx36Wx30T i was wondering if this diy template would work for a tank this size. Secondly the front of the stand will be built in a wall(since the tank will be a inwall design) so i will have to stud for drywall, will this affect the way the weight is tranfered thru the stand into the bottom? Thridly would i need/how many legs in the rear would i need? I would like to keep this as open as possible for sump/refug
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
indydog1,
For a 7'X2'X2' tank you are looking at around 210 gallons weighing in at ~2100 pounds. With a 7' unsupported span you would need at least a 2X10 upper frame. If you split it with a center leg you could easily get away with a 2X6 upper frame.
regal101,
Based on those dimensions you are looking at a 450g tank with a weight of approximately 4500 pounds. For your application i would make the studs in the wall end below the upper frame of the stand. If you ran a 2X4 header across the top of all the studs and then installed the top frame over that, the edge in the wall will have more then enough support. Make sure to tie the bottom frame into the wall so that the legs can't move out from directly under the top frame.
Now, given the size of the tank (length) you will need to have a center leg. Even with a center leg I recommend a 2X8 upper frame. The benefit here is that the leg doesn't have to be exactly center and the structure will still be sound. If I were to place things under the stand I would put the leg such that I had a 50" gap between the legs on one side for a 4'X2' sump and the other side would get a 3'X2' refugium.
Lunchbucket,
Keep the pics coming. Good progress so far.
want2reef,
Nice looking stand.
RocketEngineer
For a 7'X2'X2' tank you are looking at around 210 gallons weighing in at ~2100 pounds. With a 7' unsupported span you would need at least a 2X10 upper frame. If you split it with a center leg you could easily get away with a 2X6 upper frame.
regal101,
Based on those dimensions you are looking at a 450g tank with a weight of approximately 4500 pounds. For your application i would make the studs in the wall end below the upper frame of the stand. If you ran a 2X4 header across the top of all the studs and then installed the top frame over that, the edge in the wall will have more then enough support. Make sure to tie the bottom frame into the wall so that the legs can't move out from directly under the top frame.
Now, given the size of the tank (length) you will need to have a center leg. Even with a center leg I recommend a 2X8 upper frame. The benefit here is that the leg doesn't have to be exactly center and the structure will still be sound. If I were to place things under the stand I would put the leg such that I had a 50" gap between the legs on one side for a 4'X2' sump and the other side would get a 3'X2' refugium.
Lunchbucket,
Keep the pics coming. Good progress so far.
want2reef,
Nice looking stand.
RocketEngineer
there is alot of pages to mow through here, however, do you have the calculations handy when using 1 x 4's ?
Also I picked up 6x1 1/4 deck screws for this application will these work for my application of 1x4's ?
Im also assuming I should predrill the holes and counter sink to avoid cracking with a bit. not sure what of bit to use yet. am I correct to assume this is the way to handle 1/4's ?
Also I picked up 6x1 1/4 deck screws for this application will these work for my application of 1x4's ?
Im also assuming I should predrill the holes and counter sink to avoid cracking with a bit. not sure what of bit to use yet. am I correct to assume this is the way to handle 1/4's ?
Im in the process of bulding this stand...for the 3rd time!
The stand design itself is excellent. The problem is finding good, straight wood from the big chains.
The first stand I built, I cut the wood precisely with a chop box and with a square I screwed the wood together. As the legs and the top went on, i noticed the legs weren't completely flush with the bases. Some were, but others had a gap. This is becuase the joints of the base were not even with each other along the top edge. The seams need to be PERFECT. Sometimes you get an even joint on the top but not on the bottom.
2nd attempt: I rebuild the stand again, this time I used glue and big clamps that spanned across the frame. I glued the edges, clamped them snug and using a straight edge made sure the edges were completely level with the other piece. Perfect, so I glue EVERYTHING together, assemble the top - and put the tank on. There is a giant gap across the bad edge of the tank's trim and the stand. The wood is completely bowed!!! I dont know whether it would have been ok since the corners were all level, but I was paranoid it wouldnt be.
3rd Attempt!!!
This time I went to Lowe's and literally cherry picked about 100 pieces to find 6 8' boards that were straight. Im doing the same thing as I did in the 2nd attempt - glueing everything together, assembing it, then screws...This time the top rails will be good and everything will be even and level. Any major inconsitencies in the bottom of the top rail where it meets the vertical legs will have to be sanded. Im not too worried about the bottom of the frame since its gonna be on carpet.
Moral of the story, find straight 2x4's and you'll save yourself alot of hassle.
The stand design itself is excellent. The problem is finding good, straight wood from the big chains.
The first stand I built, I cut the wood precisely with a chop box and with a square I screwed the wood together. As the legs and the top went on, i noticed the legs weren't completely flush with the bases. Some were, but others had a gap. This is becuase the joints of the base were not even with each other along the top edge. The seams need to be PERFECT. Sometimes you get an even joint on the top but not on the bottom.
2nd attempt: I rebuild the stand again, this time I used glue and big clamps that spanned across the frame. I glued the edges, clamped them snug and using a straight edge made sure the edges were completely level with the other piece. Perfect, so I glue EVERYTHING together, assemble the top - and put the tank on. There is a giant gap across the bad edge of the tank's trim and the stand. The wood is completely bowed!!! I dont know whether it would have been ok since the corners were all level, but I was paranoid it wouldnt be.
3rd Attempt!!!
This time I went to Lowe's and literally cherry picked about 100 pieces to find 6 8' boards that were straight. Im doing the same thing as I did in the 2nd attempt - glueing everything together, assembing it, then screws...This time the top rails will be good and everything will be even and level. Any major inconsitencies in the bottom of the top rail where it meets the vertical legs will have to be sanded. Im not too worried about the bottom of the frame since its gonna be on carpet.
Moral of the story, find straight 2x4's and you'll save yourself alot of hassle.
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