treesprite November 4, 2007 Share November 4, 2007 I now have a 65g tank which is 36x18 and the stand my 45g is on is of course for 36x12. Can anyone suggest plans for building a cabinet stand that is easy enough for me and doesn't require more than a drill? I don't need to make anything fancy, just functional, easy to build, and not an ugly box. For right now, I bought a 37x19 (count rims of tank) piece of 1/2" plywood to put on top of the old stand, with 4 2x4s to put supports under the extra 3" in front and in back. That should work ok for a little while. Anyone, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward November 5, 2007 Share November 5, 2007 I now have a 65g tank which is 36x18 and the stand my 45g is on is of course for 36x12. Can anyone suggest plans for building a cabinet stand that is easy enough for me and doesn't require more than a drill? I don't need to make anything fancy, just functional, easy to build, and not an ugly box. For right now, I bought a 37x19 (count rims of tank) piece of 1/2" plywood to put on top of the old stand, with 4 2x4s to put supports under the extra 3" in front and in back. That should work ok for a little while. Anyone, please? Without a saw it's pretty difficult to build a stand. If you can't buy or borrow a circular saw, any chance you can pick up an old-fashioned hand saw to cut boards to length? The other problem you'll run into is that you don't want the fasteners (screws, nails, etc) to hold the weight, you need to design for the wood to hold the weight - this usually means cutting notches in the vertical supports to hold the horizontal supports. Alternative is to use 3/4" plywood as many of the commercial stands do - again, you'll need a saw, and I wouldn't recommend a hand saw for this one. Wish I could be more help but I can't imagine anything that would use only stock lumber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak November 5, 2007 Share November 5, 2007 This thread has a stand of your exact specs http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=17692 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 5, 2007 Author Share November 5, 2007 I can have the hardware store cut the pieces, so I don't need to saw anything. Bob posted a picture of the stand he's been building - I might copy off that structure because it looks simple and very sturdy. I'm waiting to find out whether he used nails or screws. The shell is the easy part - has nothing to do with whether or not the stand will work. But, what do I need to do to make sure the wood is saltwater proof? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal November 5, 2007 Share November 5, 2007 Use screws. Galvanized screws are the best choice other than stainle$$ but drywall screws are also a good option and are what I use most of the time. You can seal the wood with oil or water-based polyurethane to protect it from incidental moisture such as spills and light sprays. Use Helmsman Spar Urethane if you expect a lot of water contact. If the stand is allowed to stand in water for long periods of time or will have continuous water contact though, there really is no good sealant that I'd recommend for indoor spaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 5, 2007 Author Share November 5, 2007 Use screws. Galvanized screws are the best choice other than stainle$$ but drywall screws are also a good option and are what I use most of the time. You can seal the wood with oil or water-based polyurethane to protect it from incidental moisture such as spills and light sprays. Use Helmsman Spar Urethane if you expect a lot of water contact. If the stand is allowed to stand in water for long periods of time or will have continuous water contact though, there really is no good sealant that I'd recommend for indoor spaces. Thanks. I saw some cheap drills at walmart for like $13.00, so I will get one of those then I can use screws. I used nails on this giant cat box thing I built a few years ago, and have had some trouble with them pulling out on their own (the only thing I've built from scratch - 3x3x3ft box, holds 4 liter boxes, is completely covered with carpet like a gigantic scratching post, has a small cat entrance in the front with a carpet flap, and the back wall is hinged to open all the way upward for access to clean the liter boxes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak November 7, 2007 Share November 7, 2007 if you want to spent the money on cheap supplies go to harbor freight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman91 November 7, 2007 Share November 7, 2007 for plans go to www.garf.org and look in their diy section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 7, 2007 Author Share November 7, 2007 there's a Harbor Freight like 1/2 mile from me - I have never gone in there because I thought it was a furniture store. Guess I can save on gas now that I know there's a harware store right there. Thanks for the tip! I'll check out that diy page later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman November 7, 2007 Share November 7, 2007 (edited) I can have the hardware store cut the pieces, so I don't need to saw anything. Bob posted a picture of the stand he's been building - I might copy off that structure because it looks simple and very sturdy. I'm waiting to find out whether he used nails or screws. The shell is the easy part - has nothing to do with whether or not the stand will work. But, what do I need to do to make sure the wood is saltwater proof? Drywall screws... You certainly don't need AS sturdy for your tank. I have the equivalent of 4x6's (three 2x4's) on the corners, and doubled 2x4's for the other posts. My new tank weighs 600 pounds empty, will be 2400 pounds full. This is probably about all you need for the framework (well, with a few more screws than I have): I built that in about 15 minutes for a 20-gallon sump/refugium. bob Edited November 7, 2007 by lanman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 8, 2007 Author Share November 8, 2007 i really don't like that structure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman November 8, 2007 Share November 8, 2007 i really don't like that structure Easy to dress it up, or add bracing. Cut pieces that fit between the top frame and the bottom frame, like I did for the big one. You won't need it for strength, but it won't hurt. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 26, 2007 Author Share November 26, 2007 (edited) I really wish I had a decent working digital camera to show pictures of what I'm doing. I might try putting a new memory card in the crappy cheap one I have and see if that's all that's wrong with it, but it will still take crappy pictures. I spent the weekend working on my stand, which I designed without anyone elses plans except following essential structural guidelines. I didn't want to wait to build a stand to put the tank up, so what I did was what I said, put a thick board with legs screwed on in the corners, with the thought that perhaps I could figure out a way to build around that.... I would just have the old stand to support the top until there was more support than just the legs for the new stand. The board is 100% contact with the top of the old stand, legs at exact height, and all the supporting structure at the exact height, so I'm totally sure there wont be a problem just taking apart the old particle board stand from under the new structure (believe me if I had any doubt, I wouldn't try doing it!). This is going to be a very heavy stand, which is taking about 8 10ft 2x4s.... there's absolutely no chance of it not supporting the tank. I'm building in sections around the legs. The front is all done. The door is pretty cool.... it's set in deeper than the wall and instead of hinges it can either be slid over either to left or right, or can be lifted off just as easy as opening a door with hinges. I have to put a little handle or something on it that won't be really obvious and mess up the look, so I'll go hunting for that later. The ends are temporarily built, because the old stand has a base and top rim that sticut farther than the "body" of the stand, which makes it so I can only put boards on the outside of the ends. Once the end walls of the old stand are gone, I can do the ends as planned then take off the temporary parts. The back is just barely started, but once it's done, that's when I start taking out the old stand, put the permanent ends in, put in a floor, put up a couple little shelves or whatever. The challenge will be painting.... right now everything is covered over with plastic to keep it free of saltwater... I'll probably have to make a sort of tent or something. I want to paint the stand black, the problem is, I need to know what type of paint I should use... should I just use regular general purpose house & furniture type paint? Edited November 26, 2007 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman November 29, 2007 Share November 29, 2007 I really wish I had a decent working digital camera to show pictures of what I'm doing. I might try putting a new memory card in the crappy cheap one I have and see if that's all that's wrong with it, but it will still take crappy pictures. I spent the weekend working on my stand, which I designed without anyone elses plans except following essential structural guidelines. I didn't want to wait to build a stand to put the tank up, so what I did was what I said, put a thick board with legs screwed on in the corners, with the thought that perhaps I could figure out a way to build around that.... I would just have the old stand to support the top until there was more support than just the legs for the new stand. The board is 100% contact with the top of the old stand, legs at exact height, and all the supporting structure at the exact height, so I'm totally sure there wont be a problem just taking apart the old particle board stand from under the new structure (believe me if I had any doubt, I wouldn't try doing it!). This is going to be a very heavy stand, which is taking about 8 10ft 2x4s.... there's absolutely no chance of it not supporting the tank. I'm building in sections around the legs. The front is all done. The door is pretty cool.... it's set in deeper than the wall and instead of hinges it can either be slid over either to left or right, or can be lifted off just as easy as opening a door with hinges. I have to put a little handle or something on it that won't be really obvious and mess up the look, so I'll go hunting for that later. The ends are temporarily built, because the old stand has a base and top rim that sticut farther than the "body" of the stand, which makes it so I can only put boards on the outside of the ends. Once the end walls of the old stand are gone, I can do the ends as planned then take off the temporary parts. The back is just barely started, but once it's done, that's when I start taking out the old stand, put the permanent ends in, put in a floor, put up a couple little shelves or whatever. The challenge will be painting.... right now everything is covered over with plastic to keep it free of saltwater... I'll probably have to make a sort of tent or something. I want to paint the stand black, the problem is, I need to know what type of paint I should use... should I just use regular general purpose house & furniture type paint? Sounds like a Fairfax house remodeling... You build a new house around the old house, and then take the old house out and call it an 'addition' to the original house. But you have to leave a single wall or something. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 30, 2007 Author Share November 30, 2007 in the houses or also in the stand? I was beaking away - literally breaking away - some of the particle board on one of the ends last night... the stand looks like it would have been crumbling soon. I can't find a single nail or screw - the whole thing is like glued together. I don't think those particle board stands are meant to be used very long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal November 30, 2007 Share November 30, 2007 They are usually stapled and glued and will hold up for years--as long as you keep them dry. I've said it before and I'll say it again, particle board should never be used for any structural areas of an aquarium stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 30, 2007 Author Share November 30, 2007 They are usually stapled and glued and will hold up for years--as long as you keep them dry. I've said it before and I'll say it again, particle board should never be used for any structural areas of an aquarium stand. This thing has been under a saltwater tank for almost 8 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal November 30, 2007 Share November 30, 2007 Compare that to a mahogany stand I built in 1979 that is still being used to hold up my sister's 90g tank tank today--and it has been moved from coast to coast several times over the years! It's a personal opinion but I'd never use particle board to build an aquarium stand. Real wood, even pine, holds up much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 30, 2007 Author Share November 30, 2007 I can't imagine anyone actually building a stand from particle board other than the things you buy already made from the store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 30, 2007 Author Share November 30, 2007 (edited) ok, here we go. These are pictures of the front.... the sides are just temporary until I get the old stand ends out of my way so there's no point in taking a picture of them. Still very bad camera, but at least it will take pictures now (new mem card). First, this is what the old stand is made of... Scary, huh? Here is the front, with door closed (ignore the ends of the 2x4s on the sides, that's just temporary): Door opened left.... the yellow in the back inside it the back inside of the old stand: Door opened right: Door out. The door can only slide open either way by 2/3rd, but I can easily take it right out as there are no hinges or anything: The plan is to paint this black, but as I asked before, what kind of paint should I use? Edited November 30, 2007 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman91 December 1, 2007 Share December 1, 2007 why didn't you just break down the tank and put the new stand underneath? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal December 2, 2007 Share December 2, 2007 The plan is to paint this black, but as I asked before, what kind of paint should I use? For brush-on paint, try Rustoleum Painter's Touch. Home Depot carries it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite December 2, 2007 Author Share December 2, 2007 why didn't you just break down the tank and put the new stand underneath? Mostly because I can't do rockscaping for crud and I have mine decent looking for once in my life, so I'm not touching it. I'm tempted to glue the rocks together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite December 2, 2007 Author Share December 2, 2007 Mostly because I can't do rockscaping for crud and I have mine decent looking for once in my life, so I'm not touching it. I'm tempted to glue the rocks together. Also, I wanted to set the tank up right away and it doesn't make sense to set it up then take it back down in a couple months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite December 4, 2007 Author Share December 4, 2007 old stand is completely out from underneath now, and there's a whole lot more space down there. I still have to finish up the ends, put in a floor, make a couple shelves inside, and paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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