Question for the resident stand strength gurus on here.....

badazztealcobra

badazztealcobra

New member
I'm going to be changing tanks in the near future and changing over to a 93g cube tank and am trying to think of the best stand to give me the most room possible underneath.... I've always built stands with the rocket engineer plans and while they can hold a tank, they're definitely bulky and since I need to get everything for the tank UNDER the tank this time around I'm hoping to get as much room as possible underneath it.

Would it be possible to use a plywood only stand (3/4" of course) to support it, or should I start looking into doing a steel stand this time around? I was planning on hitting up a few LFS's to see how marineland made their stands for the tank, but I'm guessing it's just a plywood or MDF or something like that....

My only issue is I need to make it a little taller to fit my skimmer underneath or I would've probably just gone with a marineland stand as well....
 
Assuming a correct design and construction, 3/4" plywood is overkill for a 93g tank. I would not see strength as a requirement for using steel over 3/4" plywood in this application.
 
I know someone whos been working with wood his entire life so I know he'll know proper build techniques, I just wanted to make sure it would be stong enough before bothering him with specifics....
 
Don.. how is the new shop coming along? I am ramping up to build my own entire custom kitchen cabinet set.

In any case... what they said, 3/4" will be fine assuming you use basic best practice joinery.
 
BeanAnimal said:
Don.. how is the new shop coming along? I am ramping up to build my own entire custom kitchen cabinet set.

In any case... what they said, 3/4" will be fine assuming you use basic best practice joinery.
Click to expand...

Its up and the equipment is ready to drool on. :)

Don
 
badazz...

Use this opportunity to purchase a nice Craig Pocket Hole Jig master kit! As I have told many folks since purchasing one a few years back...

I have no idea how I got by without one for so many years but the thing makes me so happy when I use it that I could put a pocket hole in the cat.
 
BeanAnimal said:
badazz...

Use this opportunity to purchase a nice Craig Pocket Hole Jig master kit! As I have told many folks since purchasing one a few years back...

I have no idea how I got by without one for so many years but the thing makes me so happy when I use it that I could put a pocket hole in the cat.
Click to expand...

Ok. Ive got see that. :) Never heard any one so happy over a pocket hole.
 
Donw said:
Ok. Ive got see that. :) Never heard any one so happy over a pocket hole.
Click to expand...


I purchased it when I built my deck. I used hidden fasteners on the planking so figure it would be nice to hide the fasteners on the railing system. I went from that to pocket-holing just about everyting I could find that afternoon... The cat happened to look at me funny and I threatened to pocket hole him if he didn't decide to share in my good mood.

of course, my kitchen cabinets will be pocket holed and the cat will have a second chance to get onboard...
 
BeanAnimal said:
I purchased it when I built my deck. I used hidden fasteners on the planking so figure it would be nice to hide the fasteners on the railing system. I went from that to pocket-holing just about everyting I could find that afternoon... The cat happened to look at me funny and I threatened to pocket hole him if he didn't decide to share in my good mood.

of course, my kitchen cabinets will be pocket holed and the cat will have a second chance to get onboard...
Click to expand...

Just thought it was funny. My cat sleeps on my pocket hole machine.

Don
 
smartass... i looked at those machines on eBay and almost purchased one, just so I could pocket hole more stuff. The problem, the cat would be sleeping in the bed and me with the pocket hole machine in the shed.
 
I used mine to tie 1x4's into my current stand so the legs would allow the 18" wide sump to fit under the 24" wide tank.

standsin1.jpg


This is what I'm hoping to avoid with an all plywood build since I have to fit everything under the stand instead of in a closet with a ton of room.....
 
badazztealcobra said:
This is what I'm hoping to avoid with an all plywood build since I have to fit everything under the stand instead of in a closet with a ton of room.....
Click to expand...

You should get all that space back along with a dimensionally stable stand without having to deal with warped 2x 's.

Don
 
That's what I wanted to hear......

I'm looking at a local lumber yard online and the offer a few types of wood. Do you guys know the differences with the following:

Veneer Core or MDF Core? I'm guessing veneer core would be best?

Grade of A1, A4, and B2 are available. Is that just the actual finish?

Cut: choice of rotary cut or plain slice? No idea on this one.....


Also, are there any woods to steer clear from? I'd like to go maple or cherry, but don't know if I need to go with that for the back panel.... Will titebond III work or should I go buy a different glue ???


Thanks for all the help guys !!!
 
Veneer core. Grade is up to your budget. A1 is good on both sides A4 is good on one side, B2 is ok on one side and ok on the other, all are better than what lowes or HD carries. Rotory vs plain again a personal preference. TB2 is fine, 3 is dark so if you go with a dark wood then use 3. Dont go to crazy with the pocket holes dado's will look better and be stronger. Wood type is up to you.

Don
 
Agreed on the dados... If you can afford it, a stacking dado head is far better than a wobbler and (in my opinion) easier than trying to setup the router to do dados.
 
I already have a router, but this could be the perfect excuse to buy a nice table saw.... :lolspin:

I'll start looking into all the build techniques I can and see where it takes me....

One question, are most of the tanks sitting on a flat plywood bottom, or does the 3/4" plywood just sit on the ground? Like if my stand is 31"x31" do I put a 31x31 piece of 3/4" on the bottom to tie it all together?

Thanks guys !!!!
 
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