Why not plywood?

[Akrite]

I have noticed several large tank threads and everyone who builds their stands used steel or wood 2x4's or larger. Then I look at commercial stands and some from my LFS and they are all made from plywood. Is there a reason why people are not building their stands with plywood? I ask because I'm upgrading to a 200-300 gallon tank and wish to build my own stand.

 

[Borge]

Knowhow and knowledge is always a limit.
Myself.... Steel is simple and strong, love the space beneath the tank

 

[redneckgearhead]

And with steel, or even 2x lumber you can take the "skin" off of your stand to make access easier if the need ever came up. Something to consider.

 

[JagerEinheit]

biggest reasons for companies to use plywoods in stands is cost. plywoods and veneers are much cheaper then solid wood, and since most companies build stands to hold their specific tanks, they are aiming for speed, highest profit margin, enough of a "nice look" to help sell the stands with the tanks, and just enough structural integrity to keep their warranty conditions. there are many horror stories of manufacturer stands failing badly, or getting wet and failing etc. whether things are better or worse now in stands IDK, but they used to be pretty wobbly with a full tank on them.

most DIY stands are honestly very overbuilt for the weight they will hold. this is not a bad thing, but the rational is usually
"I will spend a bit more and overbuild this now, and sleep better knowing a truck can park on this easily so my tank wont collapse it."

My stand is built with 3/4" pine laminated plywood boards for the sides and back and a 2x4 ladder truss for the bottom and other areas. not the cheapest at 40 bucks a sheet back when i got it, but we also sealed it so it was better able to stand up to SW and salt creep. If i was to do it again I would consider steel or 2x4/4x4, the reason we went with pine plywood was due to having the use of a woodshop, so the various more expensive tools router bits joiners etc were all there. That isnt available now so if i wanted furniture quality stand material it is much cheaper generally to skin a framework then build with plywood throughout.

FWIW with 200+ gallons , you should probably only use plywood or hardwoods on the outsides or visable areas to show off the grain( if it is a nicer ply). the thickness and cost can become prohibitive compared to steel or 2x4 4x4 constructions especially when using alot of it. not to mention the thicker the ply the higher the cost per 4x8' sheet becomes.

 

[Akrite]

biggest reasons for companies to use plywoods in stands is cost. plywoods and veneers are much cheaper then solid wood, and since most companies build stands to hold their specific tanks, they are aiming for speed, highest profit margin, enough of a "nice look" to help sell the stands with the tanks, and just enough structural integrity to keep their warranty conditions. there are many horror stories of manufacturer stands failing badly, or getting wet and failing etc. whether things are better or worse now in stands IDK, but they used to be pretty wobbly with a full tank on them.

most DIY stands are honestly very overbuilt for the weight they will hold. this is not a bad thing, but the rational is usually
"I will spend a bit more and overbuild this now, and sleep better knowing a truck can park on this easily so my tank wont collapse it."

This makes sense. I originally wanted to build out of plywood and copy another manufactures design but most people tell me to over built. Better to be safe than sorry, so I'll build a hybrid with 2x4 frame and a plywood skin.

 

[prop-frags]

You may want to check out this thread:
DIY Stands Template and Calculator

We found it to be very helpful when we rebuilt the stand for our 300g tank.

 

[Skins]

I went with plywood to save weight on my floor. My build thread (which i have seriously neglected to update) details my plywood stand. I did however employ a wood worker. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1979333&page=2

The vertical supports are 1" thick, horizontals are 3/4". The tank is now up and fully loaded, zero deflection. Plywood for me was a matter of weight versus anything else.