Here we go, my own DIY stand design

sorry for the late pics, but here is the stand carrying all of this weight. notice no center brace in the front nor the back.

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As you guys can see, not much has changed since the begining of the tank in the stand, though much has changed in the tank. I redid my basement so it is time to move my tank down there. I will definitely redo my stand, since im not impressed with it and honestly never been. Now, as stated a year ago in this dead thread, the inside is perfectly fine 2x4 stand, which i woudl like to use again if it is possible. Here are my questions.

Can i keep the structural frame? I have screws that hold the outer skin, so if i remove these screws will it ruin the integrity of the tank?

How do you skin the tank right? Pictures and examples awesome, especially ones with a similar frame.

Plywood vs hardwood planks?

How can i recyle the old skin so i feel comfortable that i did not waste money lol.
 
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Hello Ladies and Gents. Been a long time here.

Just like to update this thread since my last takedown of the tank and moved it downstairs. For more info check out my thread http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2183439

I have taken down the tank and the stand and moved everything. I also rebuilt the stand, so here are some pics on the new stand.

This is the day I finished building it.
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Thisis another pic of when the tank is filling up and getting started.
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Then a more recent pic of the tank
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It was a difficult project to finish, but I finally got the idea set and started working on it.

First I stripped the 2x4 structure of the old stand from that lousy cover skin it had. I then painted the 2x4 white for better appearance.

Next I went to home depot and found a nice birch plywood that I bought for about $30 and cut the peices to how I liked them. I then got all of the trims and the molds out of pine.

I used a good old hand saw and a plastic guide to cut all of the trims. I cut 45 degree angles and everything.

Next I assembled the plywood to the structure using many tiny furniture nails. This is a muh better idea than using glue or large screws in my opinion. I then cut and assembled the trims and later added the doors.

Next was the stain. I picked a darker stain so it would match the other furniture in the room. I sanded the wood then gave it a nice dark coat of stain. I then sanded again and added a semi gloss finish. Sanded again, clear coat, sanded, and finally a third clear coat.

I finally assembled the doors with hinges that match the stain and added handles and thats it the tank went on!

If you are to do the stand, take the advice of professional help and do it right the first time unlike me.
 
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