DIY Stand help

[Pntbll687]

Hey guys,

Just ordered a custom 180 tank, standard dimesions 72 x 24 x 24

I need to build a stand, but I'm unsure of what type of wood to use. Any insight on what has worked best would be much appreciated.

I'm considering both a stand using 2x6's, or a stand using plywood. My current stand is all plywood, made by deep sea aquatics, looks like they just used 2- 3/4" pieces

Im going with a DIY stand mainly due to space requirements. The are the tank is going has 73" of space, and most stands I have found are 74"+ in length

 

[BestMomEver]

My stand is made out of birch. It’s really pretty but I’m not sure where to buy birch wood.

 

[crusso1993]

Hey guys,

Just ordered a custom 180 tank, standard dimesions 72 x 24 x 24

I need to build a stand, but I'm unsure of what type of wood to use. Any insight on what has worked best would be much appreciated.

I'm considering both a stand using 2x6's, or a stand using plywood. My current stand is all plywood, made by deep sea aquatics, looks like they just used 2- 3/4" pieces

Im going with a DIY stand mainly due to space requirements. The are the tank is going has 73" of space, and most stands I have found are 74"+ in length

A lot of people use dimensional lumber wrapped with a nice plywood and finish it with stain or paint.

As far as strength is concerned, below is a calculator for the strength of dimensional lumber. There are a number of options and it gives immediate results. Additionally, there is contact info for the developer if you have any more specific questions.

https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/arch264/calculators/example7.1/index.html

 

[A&Aaquatics]

With the right design, 2x4's and plywood work great.

 

[dantimdad]

IF you are confident in your abilities, you can construct a very strong stand entirely out of 3/4" cabinet grade plywood.

I did for my 180 and many others.

Take a look at my build thread for my 93 cube.

I will be doing the same thing for the 240 I am getting.

I have had mine reviewed by a structural engineer.

 

[crusso1993]

IF you are confident in your abilities, you can construct a very strong stand entirely out of 3/4" cabinet grade plywood.

I did for my 180 and many others.

Take a look at my build thread for my 93 cube.

I will be doing the same thing for the 240 I am getting.

I have had mine reviewed by a structural engineer.

"Cabinet grade" being key!

 

[RJinPV]

Hey guys,

Just ordered a custom 180 tank, standard dimesions 72 x 24 x 24

I need to build a stand, but I'm unsure of what type of wood to use. Any insight on what has worked best would be much appreciated.

I'm considering both a stand using 2x6's, or a stand using plywood. My current stand is all plywood, made by deep sea aquatics, looks like they just used 2- 3/4" pieces

Im going with a DIY stand mainly due to space requirements. The are the tank is going has 73" of space, and most stands I have found are 74"+ in length

I built a 24" X 24"stand using good grade plywood braced by a frame of 2x2's. I glued and screwed the plywood to the 2x2's to brace them all together (corners too) and it keeps the entire wood frame in compression and braced from side to side motion. Some stain and varnish and it looks like a fine piece of furniture. Easily as good or better than store bought. You could scale that up with 2x4s and 3/4" plywood and be confident. Now a 6 foot span is much longer so maybe 2x6s are needed, but I would bet most store-bought frames don't use them. The wood strength calculator looks like a handy tool to double check things

 

[Peter Dietz]

I built a 24" X 24"stand using good grade plywood braced by a frame of 2x2's. I glued and screwed the plywood to the 2x2's to brace them all together (corners too) and it keeps the entire wood frame in compression and braced from side to side motion. Some stain and varnish and it looks like a fine piece of furniture. Easily as good or better than store bought. You could scale that up with 2x4s and 3/4" plywood and be confident. Now a 6 foot span is much longer so maybe 2x6s are needed, but I would bet most store-bought frames don't use them. The wood strength calculator looks like a handy tool to double check things

Do you have any pictures of your stand during the build process. I am buying a 45 cube and would like to make a 24x24 stand as well where the frame work wont interfer with the corner overflow

 

[redfishbluefish]

If you go the dimensional lumber route, RocketEngineer (on RC) did the calculations and here's what he came up with:

Up to four foot long tank, all 2x4's. Over four foot, top frame only is 2x6's. No center brace needed.

Now I'd also highly recommend topping this with 3/4 plywood to help "level" the dimensional lumber. Also some type of skin is needed to prevent the stand from racking.

Here's what my five foot frame looked like before top and skin:

 

[burnetb1]

Not to side step the conversation here, but aluminum extrusions would make a great stand frame as well. It would cost a little more, but companies like Misumi offer cheaper options than 80/20. You can then skin the stand with whatever you like best, and even change it.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Not to side step the conversation here, but aluminum extrusions would make a great stand frame as well. It would cost a little more, but companies like Misumi offer cheaper options than 80/20. You can then skin the stand with whatever you like best, and even change it.

This right here. For my current 120gal 4x2x2 tank, I used the dimensional lumber build shown above. While it turned out pretty nice (you can check my build thread if you like), the amount of work it took was significantly more than it should have been given straight lumber.

If/when I do it again, I will use 80/20 extrusions.

 

[jose hernandez]

garf.org is where i got my info for building my stand for my 120 click diy section it will tell you how to go about it

 

[Ryan115]

If you go the dimensional lumber route, RocketEngineer (on RC) did the calculations and here's what he came up with:

Up to four foot long tank, all 2x4's. Over four foot, top frame only is 2x6's. No center brace needed.

Now I'd also highly recommend topping this with 3/4 plywood to help "level" the dimensional lumber. Also some type of skin is needed to prevent the stand from racking.

Here's what my five foot frame looked like before top and skin:

This is the same basic plan I used for my 180g stand. I ran all the top boards through a table saw, since I dont have a jointer, to square them all up.
Additionally I did not skin the stand directly. I did add some knee braces to the back, and made a removable 3-sided "skin" the could slide on and off.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

This is the same basic plan I used for my 180g stand. I ran all the top boards through a table saw, since I dont have a jointer, to square them all up.
Additionally I did not skin the stand directly. I did add some knee braces to the back, and made a removable 3-sided "skin" the could slide on and off.

Yup, same here. Used a jointer jig on my table saw to get the lumber somewhat decent. The 2x6s were in much better shape than 2x4s.

Just for SnG's I priced out 80/20 using their ebay outlet, and I would have been within $200 dollar range if I went with extrusions.

Given how much my time is "worth" I would have come out ahead by a good margin.

Live and learn I suppose.

 

[burnetb1]

80/20 is still pretty expensive since its one of the "name brands".
I find Misumi to be much more affordable. You just have to learn how to work their website which can be tricky. Big advantage is you can have the parts cut to length with good tolerances.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

80/20 is still pretty expensive since its one of the "name brands".
I find Misumi to be much more affordable. You just have to learn how to work their website which can be tricky. Big advantage is you can have the parts cut to length with good tolerances.

Yeah I've looked at Misumi and while the pricing is good, the site was harder to navigate so I went back to 80/20 ebay.

 

[don_chuwish]

The key question is whether or not you want a center 'post' or brace in front. If you want the full span to be open then definitely 2x6 - and I'd even double them, glued and screwed (or nailed) together. Use kiln dried lumber and make it as perfectly straight as your tools and skills allow.

 

[lmm1967]

I've built a few stands out of 3/4" plywood. I use This Trac Saw Kit to be sure I'm getting nice straight accurate cuts.

I also use that same trac saw kit with a router adapter to route something fancy(ish) into 3/4" plywood pieces to use for trim boards.

Plywood that is cut straight, pocket screwed and glued together, is very strong. Pics below are a 40b. Exact same build done for a 120 gallon has been up and running for 2 years with zero signs of any type of issue.

You could put a car on top of a stand built this way and as long as it doesn't start leaning - it will hold up just fine.