stand ideas

[soundgeek]

I am in the planning stages of a stand for my 100gal. I thought of doing a 2x4 frame and skinning it with something but then I see the factory built stands that are made out of 3/4" ply and it got me thinking that 2x4 is overkill. Has anybody built a stand out of 3/4" ply for a tank close to that size.

Thanks

 

[hckycoz]

Dont risk it. Im building my stand as we speak and i am using 2x4's and 2x6's just because my tank is a 110 and i would never feel comfortable with the plywood holding my tanks up

 

[ChemE]

I thought about it too and decided against it just for addtional peice of mind. My stand is built like a brick $hi* house and I never have to worry that one day I might come home to a flood.

On the other hand, if I had a table saw and a router table, I'd be inclined to redo out of 3/4 plywood and dovetail + woodglue all the seams. This would give me more room under my 55 and I'm sure still be strong enough to support the tank.

 

[soundgeek]

ChemE that was my plan. I have table saw and router table and was thinking dovetail and glue at all seams. The stand the 100gal came with is 3/4" x 12" pine.

 

[Maxius]

this stand is 1/2 inch ply only no 2x4s no other supports....

 

[samtheman]

Have you ever seen kitchen cabinets made with 2 x4's? They are framing members for home construction. 3/4 plywood with good corner joints will hold up tons. Its only the DIY overkill that puts 2 x4's in cabinets for smaller tanks.

 

[soundgeek]

That stand looks good. What size tank is it.

 

[cougaraug]

Kitchen cabinets dont usually have to hold up 1500+ pounds. with his 100 gal, if he uses even a 15 gallon sump, that's 1000 pounds of just water. add aquarium weight, sand, rock, and other equipment...

While plywood is acceptable for holding up the weight of a reef aquarium, 2X4s are fine, and you won't have to worry about how strong it is. I know that my 90 gallon stand will support 2500 pounds, where as the plywood stand that I bought for my 55 gallon buckled (but that's OK--it's how I got my 90). That is why I don't trust plywood.
A lot of people here on RC are pretty much beginners (me included) at woodworking, so one unrealized mistake in a plywood stand and several thousand dollars are sitting in a pile of broken glass and water on your floor ruining several thousand dollars worth of carpeting. that is the other reason for "DIY overkill"

 

[areze]

2x4s are overkill. I used 1x4's which were still overkill, but they were far less space consuming.

plywood alone would hold it without question. on end plywood can easily hold 1500lbs, probably 10x that much as long as its jointed correctly so it cant bow out.

I only put the 1x4 frame because I put the sides all the way up to cover the fauxwood frame around the bottom of the tank. so the tank surface is recessed, it sits on a 1x4 rail that sits on 1x4 legs to distribute the weight straight down. the plywood is there for stability support. IMO a 2x4 is a bit intrusive into the stand space. I got some nice 1x4 pine that looks good on the inside and is very strong.

 

[soundgeek]

Would solid lumber be stronger than plywood

 

[TimberTDI]

Would solid lumber be stronger than plywood

It depends on what type of solid lumber and what rating plywood.
I used 2x3s on my stand only because time was a factor. It's a lot less work to use 2xs. If you have the time, the tools, and the skills I would recommend using only plywood.

 

[BeanAnimal]

It really all comes down to tools and skills (as has been mentioned a few times). My Stand legs are 4X4 and the front and back rails are 2x6. There is no skin on my stand (it's an inwall), so the extra large framing members ensure that the stand does not rack or sag under weight.

2x4 construction is also nice to save on cost. You could easily build and true a stand with 2x4s then attach a very thin 1/4" plywood skin. This would save a tremendous cost on the hardwood ply while at the same time allowing the novice woodworker to use but joints and/or corner molding to achieve a strong stand without the worry of hacking up expensive 3/4" hardwood.

There are a lot of ways to build something and a lot of different materials. As long as the stand holds the weight and is pleasing to the builder, then it is not overkill.

Bean