Aquarium stand from Plywood

[Fishess]

Hello, i originally was thinking about "ordering" steel stand, but i thought Plywood (Laminated Plywood) is pretty strong.
The playwood is 18mm (0.7inches) thick. It's made from 13 layers..
Stand will be L62xW42xH100Cm (25x17x40 Inches). Will it hold 190 Liters (50Gallons)? Safely?
The back is same playwood, connected from bottom, sides, middle, and top..
(Shelves will be removable, not screwed in)
Image of the stand:

 

[TDEcoral]

I think it would be fine. If you're doing simple butt joints and screws, I'd use wood glue as well. Should make for a solid stand.

 

[Arricefe]

It will hold that and then some. Search this forum there are a few threads on here about that.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Multi-Core or Euro-Ply is extremely dense and strong. You'll be fine.

 

[TheHarold]

Looks fine to me, stronger than most store bought stands. Use glue

For my stand, I glued together two pieces of 3/4 inch plywood to make 1.5” thick pieces. Different design though- I created a frame rather than having solid panels.

DIY: 1-Sheet Laminated Plywood Stand

Here are some photos from my plywood laminated-style stand. The construction is made up of 3" wide birch 3/4" plywood strips, that are laminated into 1.5" beams. This strategy lets me always have side-grain to screw and glue with- I will have a photo below of what a section looks like. @JoshH I...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Fishess]

Looks fine to me, stronger than most store bought stands. Use glue

For my stand, I glued together two pieces of 3/4 inch plywood to make 1.5” thick pieces. Different design though- I created a frame rather than having solid panels.

DIY: 1-Sheet Laminated Plywood Stand

Here are some photos from my plywood laminated-style stand. The construction is made up of 3" wide birch 3/4" plywood strips, that are laminated into 1.5" beams. This strategy lets me always have side-grain to screw and glue with- I will have a photo below of what a section looks like. @JoshH I...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks for replys everyone.
Looks sweet<3 I like solid panels better..
Redid stand lil bit.. Easy as heck to build +Extra strong xD
Now it's all screwed together. Second playwood to hide screws, and screws will be under shelves from one, then other side vise versa.(Yellow things)
Will use less thick playwood 15mm (0.06inch)

 

[BZOFIQ]

You can put 3 tanks on it.

 

[45bravo]

I had a furniture grade plywood stand built by a carpenter that built custom cabinets and furniture for multi million dollar homes for a 125 gallon and it was rock solid. Not one 2x4 or anything other than the plywood except the trim.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Not sure why this is even questioned, plywood > 2x4

 

[45bravo]

I had a furniture grade plywood stand built by a carpenter that built custom cabinets and furniture for multi million dollar homes for a 125 gallon and it was rock solid. Not one 2x4 or anything other than the plywood except the trim.

Sorry it might not have been furniture grade I see a couple knots and I don’t think furniture grade has knots, but still after it’s painted you would never know. I think he only charged me $175 then like $250 for the canopy, I know it’s still holding strong that whole setup has changed hands from me to one friend then to another that still has it today.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Sorry it might not have been furniture grade I see a couple knots and I don’t think furniture grade has knots, but still after it’s painted you would never know. I think he only charged me $175 then like $250 for the canopy, I know it’s still holding strong that whole setup has changed hands from me to one friend then to another that still has it today.

Very solid.

 

[Fishess]

Quick question, how thin plywood could i go, if i wanted? For second design? (All shelves, everything glued, screwed together)

 

[45bravo]

Quick question, how thin plywood could i go, if i wanted? For second design? (All shelves, everything glued, screwed together)

I'd use 3/8 at the minimum, but I'd say just use 1/2 the math will be easier and its more sturdy.

 

[adobo]

Thanks for replys everyone.
Looks sweet<3 I like solid panels better..
Redid stand lil bit.. Easy as heck to build +Extra strong xD
Now it's all screwed together. Second playwood to hide screws, and screws will be under shelves from one, then other side vise versa.(Yellow things)
Will use less thick playwood 15mm (0.06inch)

My 2 cents..

• Screwing the shelves in place might be something you regret. Adjustable shelves would be better. Sometimes it is hard to anticipate how big the items will be that you want to keep in those shelves. Also, screwing those shelves in place doesn't really add much strength to the stand.
• If you are painting the stand, you don't need a second layer of plywood to hide any screws. You can wood putty over the screw holes, sand them down and then paint. The second layer of plywood does have a benefit though - it increases the strength of the stand in terms of supporting a vertical load.
• A super important component of this stand is the black panel in your mock up. That black panel needs to be firmly attached to the bottom, top and 2 side panels. That attachment will give the stand support against lateral movement. If that black panel is not attached firmly to all 4 panels when the aquarium is filled, any slight horizontal force against the stand could collapse the stand.
• I would seal the top panel at the very least. That top panel will inevitably have water spilled on it. And some of the spills will not be easy to clean up - for example when water seeps under the aquarium. Water on unsealed plywood leads to mold. If it were my stand, I would seal using epoxy. Polyurethane might be good enough though. I don't know much about paint but if you are going to paint the stand, that might be good enough for a seal also.

Presumably this stand is for an all-in-one tank or it is a basic tank with hang on filters. Otherwise, you would have had to factor in the size of a sump and also all the plumbing to and from the sump.

 

[billwill]

I just set up my 150g on plywood stand. Strongly recommend pocket hole jig for screw attachments at 90 degree joints. And doubling the thickness at the corners to avoid racking and buckling.