Stand Build Planning Stage (questions)

[Drakon]

So I've decided to get off my duff and get the stand I've been meaning to build built. I'm right now working things up in SketchUp and I've got a few basic questions. What are the most important points on a stand for support, this being a trimmed tank 75 gal (55 sump), the corners or the entire edge ?I've seen a few plywood tanks that have both open front/back and sides. The reason I ask this is atm I'm trying to decide if I should
A.) drop 55 sump into the bottom area then affix the platform for the 75
B.) have a hidden door (ADA style door) that I can slide the tank in and out so that if I have an issue with just the sump I don't have to totally break down the setup.

The Second issue is somewhat similar in That I'd like for the sump to be positioned more centered then the display. This would allow me to run my overflows straight down on the side rather down then angled. If I do this then the area directly below the right sides edge would only have a joist and risers on the front and back. I want to make sure that the opening for the 55 wont cause to much of a structural issue. Here is an Example by another member while I was doing some research. Has anyone had issues with this kind of design when it involved plywood only.

 

[woodnaquanut]

The example you showed was not the same as your drawing. The example's tank is the same size as the stand. It's sump is just smaller (length) than the DT. It is a good example of frame and panel construction. Without the panels the frame needs to be extra stiff and it's made with the rails full length instead of the stiles. To prevent racking it would be good for the wall end to be solid and the back to have wide stiles.

Glass tanks should be supported all along their edges. It's important for it to be a coplanar surface.

There is no reason your drawing won't work. You just have to make sure there is real support directly under the right side of the tank. Having a joist under that end would do it if it's strong enough and supported correctly on both ends.

By ADA style door do you mean inset?

What is your plan for the door pattern?

 

[m0nkie]

try to build a stand that has the front completely open! without the center brace.

it's a PITA to do maintenance with a piece of wood in the smack center.

 

[Indymann99]

try to build a stand that has the front completely open! Without the center brace.

It's a pita to do maintenance with a piece of wood in the smack center.

+1

 

[scott3569]

the stand I build the front come completely off, but when it's on it looks like it's all framed in..

 

[Drakon]

Yea the pic was just to shot the area, tank, and stand sizes I'm dealing with. Was wanting to go for full overlay but having trouble finding a hinge that would work for a framed framed stand. But looking for a door example I might have found something that might pointy me in the right direction. This is about the closest I've found. Would still need the side piece.

 

[m0nkie]

maybe this thread can help

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1228574&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

paint it lamborghini yellow

 

[woodnaquanut]

maybe this thread can help

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1228574&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

paint it lamborghini yellow

Not quite my taste in stand colors!

You reference two new stands. One, the link above, is a face frame stand with inset doors. The other, lambo yellow, is a frameless stand with full overlay doors. They are different. Which one do you want to do?

Construction is similar and well, different.

To have doors like lambo but side access, the side needs to be a frame. There are lots of possibilities.

Is the tank glass with a frame?

 

[Drakon]

@woodnaquanut; Definitely am going for the full overlay, and the framing is definitely the issue I was running into. I didn't want to compromise the strength of the stand to much with the side access door but I believe I found a solution of sorts. Thanks to another member here that has some build posts in another forum. Here is what I mean. Basically he's got the frame but removed enough of in on the side to allow the hinges to still function. I thought about doing something similar but I thought there was much more movement in the hinges as I've never worked with them before.

I did try to do this via sliding the tank in from the front but the 55 is only a bit more narrow then the 75 it made it imposable while still having it framed directly under the edges. I think with these I should be able to put together a model here shortly. I've also been modeling some standard stands I have for my 10, 29 and 55 gal. the 10 and 29 now really looking at them worry me there is only a platform under the sides and about an inch or so in. the rest of the front and back are not supported from what I can tell. I may build replacements for these also and get rid of them.

The tank is a framed glass tank.

-edit- Uploaded a quickie concept of the doors. Ran into an issue where the front door wouldn't over lay the side door the way I wanted it so I'm thinking that maybe I should do that side as a combo. The side door then would be accessed by opening the front door then releasing some kind of lock. The lock would prevent the side from popping open during the times I normally open the front. The side should only ever need to be used when loading/unloading the sump. I've only demonstrated the holes in the frame at the top. I'll need to get my hands on a set of the hinges to better measure and plot everything out but I think this might get me what I'm looking for.

 

[woodnaquanut]

You might want to check out the full Blum hinge catalog. PDF's are available on the web. They make just about every kind of concealed hinge. There might be something that does what you want.

The complication with your concept is the side access. The stand I saw in Dustin's thread - the white one - did not have side access. In fact the second piece added to the side was just for looks, I think. It's not structural, as far as I can see.

 

[Drakon]

This is the image I was talking about, unfortunately I was unable to get a direct link. I'll do a search for the doc you mentioned.

 

[M_Jaco]

when I build stands I make the structural part out of just 2x4s, Ive built stands up to 75g using the same simple method.

4(or 8 if you want to double up) vertical members that carry all the load, then a simple frame wrapping around the top and bottom of these members. The corners of the tank bear directly on the 4 corner vertical supports and you're good to go.

the MOST IMPORTANT thing to do is design/build it so no connection members (screws, nails) are in direct shear. While certain nails can handle shear, i still dont feel comfortable doing it in a salt-rich environment. screws should NEVER be put in shear. make sure the loads are carried vertically by the wood