Show Me How You Build Your Stand

[Deepsea2005]

Hello all,

I'm going to build a tank this weekend for my new 5'x4'x25" tall tank.
Could you show me how you build you tank by wood please?

Thanks

Ben

 

[Scuba Dog]

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/ScubaDog/Project%20from%20heck/119_1941.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

this stand will hold two 180's

 

[RokleM]

Ended up taking the plywood off the top. It had a slight variance in height, and the cedar was actually perfectly flat. It's a 180 (2x2x6) by the way.

 

[Alphabet]

That got to be one of the heftiest stands I've seen so far!

 

[pwhitby]

Steel for large tanks, then skin with whatever you fancy:

 

[hawaiianwargod]

Looks very well built. Sump access should not be an issue due to your well thought designed...bravo to you Doc!

 

[thor32766]

wow great work everyone!

 

[Freed]

Paul, how do you attach the wood or whatever to the stand? I have a steel stand for my 270 gallon but don't know where to start to attach wood to it. Thanks

 

[oceancowboy]

I used the same metals guy as Paul did (thanks Paul for the contact info).

To attach wood to the steel you can do one of two option. First, use self-tapping screws into the stand to attach the cabinetry directly. The second is to attach a 3/4" wood strip to the stand (again the self-tapping screws) and then you can screw or nail the cabinetry onto the wood strip. I used a combination of both. I guess you could also use a good construction adhesive, but I'd be more confident of the previous two methods (as advised by the trim guys building our new house).

As a further suggest, the end of my cabinetry is attached with magnetic catches so I can remove the end. This allows full access to the entire length for a sump, ect. to be moved in/out easily.

Not being experienced at adding picts...here are a couple in my gallery......if it fails...check my gallery.

 

[Deepsea2005]

Thank you guys.
Your stands are very nice.

Ben

 

[Freed]

Oceancowboy, thanks for the insight. The steel stand in your pics are exactly what I was shooting for when I had the maintenance guy here at work make my stand, gave him exact pictures and told him that I wanted it to look like that(pointing at the picture I gave him) BUT he decided to go about it HIS way and totally made it everything but the way I wanted it. Turned out useable but in no way shape or form the way I wanted. I was so POD I could have spit on him. I didn't have any choice but to accept what he made as it was on company time and the time and materials was approved by the maintenance engineer so I couldn't ask for him to change it or make another the way I asked as too much time was already WASTED on the one he made. Oh I was mad. So what I will have to do is use at least 2x4's to bring the width out to a useable distance that will be flush with the top of the stand and then screw or nail to the 2x4's instead of 3/4" ply like you suggested.

 

[Bigred]

Here's some pics on my stand for my 380 which had 76"x48" foot print. The front wall has a all 4x4 framing with a 4x16 header. The legs were all 4"x8" which may have been a bit much but you can never be to careful. They were all lag bolted together with 7" lag bolts.

 

[Vamp1975]

 

[Chrisrush]

You can also sink rare earth magnets into the wood skin and have those hold on the wood onto the stand.

 

[nyvp]

same as others 2x2x1/4 sq steel with granite top

My build thread

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=847516

 

[thor32766]

that granite looks sweet!

 

[CletusKlump]

Ding..........The inspiration light just came on............Thanks.

 

[zanclus]

Here are a few pictures of the stand I made for my 220. It is made from 2x4's and is 42" tall. I sheeted it with 3/8" oak ply.

I also made a matching canopy.

 

[Freed]

How do you guys get the wood 2x4s and such perfectly square with the pieces that attach to them? Square corners? Is there a jig you can buy that will hold the corners perfectly square with each other while screwing them together? I have a 12" compound miter saw so there's no problem cutting the ends of the wood square just getting all the corners of the stand square is what stumps me.