I must be going blind

[treesprite]

ItApparently I can no longer tell the difference between a straight 2x4 and one that is warped in 3 different directions.

 

This is the first time I have  wood glue when constructing. So of course when I discovered that half the lengths of every side of my base (haven't done the top frame yet) were not in contact with the floor,. The only thing I could think of to do was use a handheld wood planer to try to flatten out enough to prevent wobbling. Did that for about 3 hours. No more wobbling, but the board are still not completely in contact with the floor (sliding a thick piece of paper under then along the length). I put some braces across the flat way, and those are in contact with the floor. The screw board posts are touching the floor, and  I'll be screwing through them into my corner supports when I attach them.

 

I really don't want to start over after wasting all that time just trying to flatten things out. Is it okay to not have full contact if the base  is not wobbling, given the cross braces and posts are in contact with the floor?

 

Edited September 11, 2019 by treesprite

[dpassar12]

pics? Are you screwing in the 2x4's and using glue? What size tank?

[treesprite]

7 minutes ago, dpassar12 said:

pics? Are you screwing in the 2x4's and using glue? What size tank?

 

I edited the post while you were posting. The wood is is 2x4s. I glued the frame, which is why I couldn't just take it apart.

[dpassar12]

 

The two cross braces should be turned the other way. Assuming that is the bottom, when you lay plywood for a sump, it won't dip in the middle. I would also put 2 more cross braces on the other side of the legs as well. I wish I took more pics as I was building my stands.. Make sure the 2x4s for the top are resting on the legs and NOT screwed into the sides putting all the weight on screws and glue.

[treesprite]

I am going to start over. I forgot I had 4x 49" long 2x4s from a past never-built 120g tank stand project holding up an animal cage, much nicer wood with no obvious flaws other than pet cage smell. They are a darker color, so maybe they are treated wood - I can't remember from that long ago.

 

The reason I put the braces that way was because I want an inch of depth in case I have a little flood in there, rather than have water just come running out of the stand.

 

I know not to rely on screws for support. I have two corner supports for each corner. I actually glued those into their L shapes in advance.

Edited September 11, 2019 by treesprite

[treesprite]

Its going a lot better using the wood I discovered I had for my long sides (don't have any other pieces of it). That wood actually looks like it was already sanded. The rest is the stuff I just bought.  I have to cut some more little pieces for my frame braces and center braces today before I can proceed any further.

 

I have a little dimensions issue. I have now had 4 different 75g tanks. The old ones were both 48.5", and the stupid tempered new one I got (going to give it to a FW friend) is also 48.5". So here I am constructing the stand for the 75g tank to be 49" long. I just discovered 20 minutes ago that this tank I'm working on is 48.25 long.

 

I'm not sure how I'm going to dress this thing. I think I'm going to haunt Home Depot a bunch of times to try to get some cull wood. I got some nice and free 48x30 pieces of 3/4" plywood a while back, but it is being used to support animal cages a few inches off the floor.

 

[smallreef]

So, almost all 2x4's have a crown (not flat, arched along the beam somewhere). Building a stand with them is fine, just put the crown up on the bottom one and down on the top. It's what I did with my stand builds. Do not use pressure treated unless you are painting with epoxy to seal it. http://

[treesprite]

On 9/15/2019 at 12:56 AM, smallreef said:

So, almost all 2x4's have a crown (not flat, arched along the beam somewhere). Building a stand with them is fine, just put the crown up on the bottom one and down on the top. It's what I did with my stand builds. Do not use pressure treated unless you are painting with epoxy to seal it. http://

Great advice! I'd like to ask you if that covering you have on the floor a PVC liner.

 

Well, I discovered that the floor I have been working on is flawed, the surface is not flat. It wasn't so much the wood I was using as it has been the not flat floor. I have been doing it in the kitchen because the only space big enough without carpet is the kitchen or on the closed in patio which has a concrete slab. The kitchen floor has linoleum on it. I don't know what kind of flooring is under that (this place is a condo apt on the ground floor). I had finished the stand skeleton, and the height measurements of floor to top not only didn't make sense, but would change depending on which spot the tank was on. The level tool I had , I thought there was something wrong with it, made a plan to get a new one this week, but maybe it is just the inconsistency of the floor, like some spots are as much as a quarter inch different from others. Not like just from one side to the other, but sort of like a shallow lumpiness that is too slight to notice when walking on it. I will take the stand out on the patio cement slab and see what happens with my measurements out there before I do anything else.

 

In the meantime, I have been thinking about the skin. Someone, I can't remember on what message forum site, had built a completely removable shell to just sort of slip on over the skeleton. I'm wondering if I should do that rather than attach things permanently to the skeleton.

Edited September 16, 2019 by treesprite

[smallreef]

The grey is tub liner from Home Depot, anything that is one sheet like pond liner would work. I really liked it for the occasion overflow that happened a few times in the 4 years that tank was set up. I did it in the 150g tank I had also.

[treesprite]

I took the thing out on the cement and am now very relieved. I was getting height variations as big as a quarter of an inch depending on where and which way the stand was turned on floor, and wouldn't get the same measurement every time. Out on the cement, the only issue is with one end that is 1/16th of an inch taller than front, back, and other end. A big problem is that I can't work with electric tools out on the patio because of the lady who lives behind me. I will have to mark the floor inside and measure the high end from there, then just sand down 1/16" from whatever that amount is, making sure the stand doesn't move out of the marks.

 

 

 

[Jon Lazar]

I love adjustable leveling feet for this kind of thing.  They have to be heavy duty and reasonably rustproof.  These ones are rated at 4000lbs each. 

 

Put a t-nut and one of these in the bottom of each post, and level away to your heart's content.

 

[treesprite]

Nice. I wonder how those would work out on carpet.