Skinning stands...

[RedEDGE2k1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14049991#post14049991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by J.R.L.
haha theres no way in HELL im going to set my 1 ton aquarium on that just to cut costs and time...sorry bro but i would rather sleep beter at night not worrying bout anything...not to mention if the plywood begins to warp you are SCREWED

J.R.L -

2000lbs sounds like a lot of weight, relative to most things human beings move around, but it is NOT a lot of weight for a plywood box to support. It's a pretty light load, actually. Engineered wood (plywood in this case) is VERY strong. And since it is made of several layers of wood with alternating grain patterns, it doesn't warp over time the way dimensional lumber does. So, no worry there.

I'm not trying to make you sound dumb or anything of the sort, I'm just trying to illustrate the fact that 99% of DIYers simply do not understand or appreciate the strength of plywood (or wood in general).

For example, if you were to buy a mass-produced oak plywood stand from your local fish store to hold a 300 gallon tank, would you worry about the stand falling apart? Of course not. If you were to open the doors on said stand and take a look inside, you would see it is made of 3/4" plywood and nothing else. It's not because the manufacturer doesn't know how to build strong stands, it's because they DO know how to build strong stands. All it takes is plywood and solid joinery.

If building a grossly overbuilt stand helps you sleep at night, that's fine, it's your tank. All I'm saying is that in the end, the overbuilding provides nothing more than that.

Otto -

To cut out for doors, you simply do just that. Mark where your door openings will be and cut. A couple door cut-outs will not render a plywood stand unsafe. Again, all mass-manufactured stands for big tanks are made of plywood and they all have "door space." Take a look at my build thread to see how I built my plywood stand/canopy. Just click my "little red house."

 

[oldsaltman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14048630#post14048630 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RedEDGE2k1
I've said it before and I'll say it again...I don't understand why so many folks on here choose to build a 2x4 frame then wrap it in thin plywood. Why not save yourself the time, weight, and money and just use thicker plywood to begin with and no "frame"?

I am neither an engineer nor a carpenter, but I have built a number of things in my lifetime including my house from the ground up. I built the stand for my 55g with 2x2s and ¼” plywood. I know that my 2x2 frame with ¼” plywood was cheaper than a sheet of ¾” plywood. I also question how you would join the corners using only plywood? Glue and screws? Screws don’t hold well in the ends of plywood. What about the front are you going to have doors? How will you frame and mount those? I would be very concerned setting 1000lbs on top of a sheet 3/4” plywood standing on it’s end! How will you mount the top? Even if your design were stronger it will require more framing to make it a useful aquarium stand.

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14050293#post14050293 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by oldsaltman
I also question how you would join the corners using only plywood? Glue and screws? Screws don’t hold well in the ends of plywood. What about the front are you going to have doors? How will you frame and mount those? I would be very concerned setting 1000lbs on top of a sheet 3/4” plywood standing on it’s end! How will you mount the top? Even if your design were stronger it will require more framing to make it a useful aquarium stand.

No, it won't.

As I said in my post above, go look at any mass-produced stand for large aquariums. They are ALL made of 3/4" plywood without a single piece of 2x4 lumber in them.

The joints are made using a datto groove, biscuits, and wood glue. The little bit of plywood edge that is visible is then covered with decorative trim. The door cutouts do not make the stand unsafe, obviously, since all these stands have them.

For the top, there is typically nothing. The tank's bottom frame sits directly on top of the plywood frame, nothing else is needed.

 

[SlukBunWalla]

"I am neither an engineer nor a carpenter, but I have built a number of things in my lifetime including my house from the ground up."

Did that sentence make anyone else chuckle?

 

[oldsaltman]

"The joints are made using a datto groove, biscuits, and wood glue"

I have the tools to do this, but most on this site may not. I don't think this process is as advertised: "faster,eaiser,cheaper"

 

[spllbnd2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14049991#post14049991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by J.R.L.
haha theres no way in HELL im going to set my 1 ton aquarium on that just to cut costs and time...sorry bro but i would rather sleep beter at night not worrying bout anything...not to mention if the plywood begins to warp you are SCREWED

heres a beefy stand that weighs a ton and im happy as can be with it...hell i only have to move it once so who cares how heavy it is?!?!

I'm with you J.R.L. I would hate to wake up on night because I hear my 65 gallon tank come crashing down.

1 gallon of saltwater weighs roughly 8.556 lbs. 8.556 x 65 =556.14 pounds just with water in the main tank!!! Then add the water in the sump and the 150+ pounds of rock and sand, then the hood and lights, combined weight of my tank would be around 800 pounds.

IMO the 2x is just a better more ridged design with a lot less margin for errors.

Alex

 

[spllbnd2]

Oh and I even forgot to add the weight of the tank itself into my equation.

Alex

 

[Whacked]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14050472#post14050472 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spllbnd2
I'm with you J.R.L. I would hate to wake up on night because I hear my 65 gallon tank come crashing down.

1 gallon of saltwater weighs roughly 8.556 lbs. 8.556 x 65 =556.14 pounds just with water in the main tank!!! Then add the water in the sump and the 150+ pounds of rock and sand, then the hood and lights, combined weight of my tank would be around 800 pounds.

IMO the 2x is just a better more ridged design with a lot less margin for errors.

Alex

add in the tank weight, say 100lbs, so 900lbs.
footprint of 36x16, thats 9 linear feet. so 100 lbs/ft.

so using a 1x4 pine board with a 3 foot span with that loading, you talking about 0.004" sag or deflection. That isnt a lot. about 1/256 of a inch.

I'd be more worried about the tank busting

 

[bwilcox]

Does anyone know of examples where the plywood has given way? I am thinking of going with plywood on my next build but I want to add some drawers under the tank for storage.

 

[oldsaltman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14051283#post14051283 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bwilcox
Does anyone know of examples where the plywood has given way? I am thinking of going with plywood on my next build but I want to add some drawers under the tank for storage.

No, but I don't know of anyone who has used it either. I wouldn't want my tank to be the first to test this design. Unless it is just a 10g. :lol:

 

[Whacked]

there is a custom tank stand thread floating around here somewhere.
If I remember correctly, theres a few that have built stands from plywood.

I've never seen or heard of a case where a plywood stand warped or given away. the cheap petchain MDF/particleboard stands, yea all the time.

a stand out of plywood isnt something new or unique. Heck, tanks are made from plywood and thats subject to more stress & strain than a stand.

 

[The0wn4g3]

RedEDGE2k1 is completely correct about the weight issue.
I was worried about putting my 100 gallon tank with 100# of live rock in my mobile home. I didn't want to risk the tank crashing through the floor, because I was assuming the floors weren't built to support that type of weight.
If you think about it though, the full tank with liverock is about 955#. With the average weight of an adult male being about 190#, that's less than 5 people standing in the same spot in the room. I'm not worried at all about 5 adult males standing in that room
Same goes for stands. A 65 gallon tank with liverock is ~630#, so that's like 3 people sitting on top of it... even at 800#, that's slightly more than 4 people... if you think of it that way, it doesn't sound like that much weight (to me, at least). I wouldn't be worried at all if someone said "You and 3 other people sit on the 3' x 2' top 3/4" plywood table". That's not to say I wouldn't appreciate a few 2x2's just in case, but at the same time it wouldn't keep me up at night.

 

[buccard]

I think the RedEDGE2k1 design is reasonable...the rocketengineer design however seems more versatile and for what ever reason seems more realistic to match my lack of carpentry skills...The finish work is where I really need help...I want it to look good and be simple to do....I was hoping to get some threads that show solid step by step skins to help get ideas for me...

 

[buccard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14047826#post14047826 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by will16
My stand was built with rocketengineer's design and skinned in poplar.

From this

To this:

My build thread is here:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1446213

Hope you can find something helpful in there.
Good luck
- Will

Will-I have read your thread before and yours has great documentation...your stand is awesome...I geuss it was just adding molding but it looks intimidating to me...maybe a little more than I think I can handle...but great thread...beautiful photography as well...everyone should check it out-top notch thread.

Thanks for the input.

 

[buccard]

After reading some of RedEDGE2k1's thread...his idea definately has potential...great thread with lots of details...hmmm I may reconsider.

 

[ybenormal]

I agree with RedEDGE2k1. I build stands for people all the time and only use 2x4 or 2x6 framing if the person specifically asks for it and is willing to pay me for the extra expense and labor.

Here is a stand I built for my daughter many years ago. It is 3/4" oak plywood except for the face frame and drawers. Note that there is no back on the stand and most of the front is wide open. The stand is only holding a 75g and two 10g tanks, but I have no fear at all that it will come crashing down!

Here is another stand I made out of 3/4" pine panels and supporting a 75g tank, again with no internal framing:

I've built several stands up to 180g with no internal framing. Pine framing does offer some sense of security if you are not sure of your woodworking skills but it is not needed for most tanks.

 

[Origami2547]

For another point of reference: I built the stand for my 90 using 2x4's and notched 4x4's, then skinning it with 1/4" plywood. It's solid, no doubt but heavy.

I recently upgraded to a 180 though, and that stand is basically a box built from 3/4" plywood. The system is used, though, and the stand has been supporting this tank for over 4 years now. And it's as solid as the stand for my 90. The guy that built this new stand, though, did double the thickness, creating a 1.5" beam of sorts, over the door opening giving added strength in that one area.

 

[Origami2547]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14054160#post14054160 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ybenormal
I agree with RedEDGE2k1. I build stands for people all the time and only use 2x4 or 2x6 framing if the person specifically asks for it and is willing to pay me for the extra expense and labor.

Here is a stand I built for my daughter many years ago. It is 3/4" oak plywood except for the face frame and drawers. Note that there is no back on the stand and most of the front is wide open. The stand is only holding a 75g and two 10g tanks, but I have no fear at all that it will come crashing down!

Here is another stand I made out of 3/4" pine panels and supporting a 75g tank, again with no internal framing:

I've built several stands up to 180g with no internal framing. Pine framing does offer some sense of security if you are not sure of your woodworking skills but it is not needed for most tanks.

Yo Bob, fancy meeting you here!

 

[spsfreak]

OK, lets agree that there are many ways to build a stand.... this seems to come up in every thread about stands. YES, one can build it many ways, that is not what this thread is about, can we move on and try to help the OP with his\her question?

 

[spllbnd2]

I agree SPSFreak,

No wrong way to build a stand, just many. Moving on to the subject at hand.

Alex