building a stand

[beowulf]

Been looking into building a stand for the 44g I got a while back.  Any suggestions on the best way to proceed?  Anyone have some solid but simple enough plans for a noobie to making stands could work on?

[darkdep]

The easiest general method is a 2x4 frame wrapped with some sort of finish wood (veneered plywood, etc).

You can look in the articles section for a pictorial on a stand I built for a 90gal ages ago; it's a little more than is necessary but it should give you some ideas.

[beowulf]

Looks cool, now a matter of getting my hands on some tools.  I know my dad has some back in Montreal that he pretty much never uses, they might find their way to Ottawa 

[babblefish1960]

Better make the next trip with a trailer, a good table saw will look suspicious if he sees it in the back of the jeep, but you have a garage now, and a mission, I'm sure he'll understand, that is what fathers are for.

[darkdep]

You don't need a massive amount of tools.

Build your frame first out of the 2x4's.  All you need to cut these is a Mitre saw (Easiest), Circular saw (cheap), or even a hand saw.  For reference, all the two-by wood cut in my article I did with a hand saw.

A cordless drill/driver is required to put screws in.  You COUND use a hammer and nails instead but I would never recommend that.

Once you have a frame built, you measure carefully, bring the measurements to home depot and have them cut the panels for wrapping the stand on their big panel saw.  This is MUCH EASIER than trying to do it yourself, especially if you're not familiar or comfortable with table saws.

[beowulf]

My dad has a circular saw but I will probably have to change the blade and grease it since it has not been used in years probably.  I also have a friend who has a basement full of tools.  He makes his own furniture and will be making the cabinets for his kitchen when they start that remodel.  He even took a course every Saturday for a year or so to learn more about wood working so I am going to ask him to help me Finnish part of it once I can the frame done.

[darkdep]

If it looks like a lot of work, the most cost effective way to get a circular saw is to buy a $50 skil brand, throw the included blade away, and purchase a good carbide high-tooth-count blade.  You'll get the performance of a more expensive saw for less than half the price.

[RossW]

I am in the middle of building a mini-fish wall and can share some picks when I am done.

It is not something you would put in a "fancy" room, it is more funtional.  I may cover it later with a nice veneer.

[kennyman]

I built two of my stands in an afternoon each. Then again they look like it too 

Best piece of info I can think of is place the legs under the top frame and not screwed to it from the side. That way the weight is on the wood and not the screws. Sounds like common sense but you would be supprised 

[babblefish1960]

Best piece of info I can think of is place the legs under the top frame and not screwed to it from the side. That way the weight is on the wood and not the screws. Sounds like common sense but you would be supprised 

Excellent observation kennyman, wood is only good in construction in compression, which is to say that as pointed out, make sure that every piece of wood is sitting on top of something else, using screws in tension, even laterally will eventually fail, and worse in the long run, creep. Keep it simple, and you should be fine, but keep it levelly constructed and everyone will be happy.

[Brine]

I am designing (it's what i do) a stand for the 90G I'm getting from babblefish. Here is a j-peg of the framing concept at this point.

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[mlee]

A 2 X 4 frame wrapped with plywood is exactly how I built my stand.  Its supporting a 90 gal.  I used 6 uprights loaded in compression as previously mentioned.  I also put a 1" piece of Styrofoam under the tank to eliminate any pressure points.  I used carpenters glue to secure the plywood to the frame to give it extra strength (as well as screws).  This stand has been in use for 6+ years and has moved with me twice with absolutely no problems.  I built it entirely with hand tools in the living room of my one bedroom apartment at the time.  If I were to build it again today I would use power tools to make it easier but it can be done with a few hand tools.  Here are a couple of pics.

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[SuperT]

I did pretty much the same thing as mlee.  2x4 wrapped in a ply skin for the 90g and for the 75 I used laminated pine (no 2x4's).

Here are a couple of links.

http://ovas.ca/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=738

http://ovas.ca/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=678

Terry

[Brine]

Here is a thread showing step by step the stand I just finished
http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=19365.0

[dan2x38]

Like mlee's design Brine's will stand the test of time for sure and looks KEWL like the different look. I got a bad back so a lighter design is best for me. Been researching building my own. While in BA or other LFS I check out the inside to see their designs. I think strength can easily be designed in with out the brute force Katrina proof method.

[mlee]

I think strength can easily be designed in with out the brute force Katrina proof method.

Absolutely...Do some basic design calculations and a single, typical spruce 2 X 4 could carry 10,000 lbs without any trouble.  Of course balancing a 90 Gal aquarium on one 2 X 4 is a bit of a problem so I used 6 of them, giving my stand a potential rating of 60,000 lbs.  If my tank weights 1,500 lbs (rock, glass & water) I've got a factor of safety of 40 .  Most commercial stands don't really use any internal structural members (like 2 X 4s) but instead rely on the boards themselves for strength.  Of course if you've got spare material kicking around why not use it, even if they are 2 X 8s   .

Mike