DIY Stand Srength?

dburt520 · Nov 26, 2017

Hello,

This is my second DIY stand - first was for a 180g and I felt it was extremely overbuilt... This stand is for a 225G (72x30x24) and I wanted it to not be "overbuilt" but built sufficiently... Of course, now I am second guessing myself and thinking that maybe it is "under-built". Looking for some opinions to help ease my mind:

It is built out of all 2x4's with the exception of the very bottom front to back bracing being 2x3's and the skin is 1/2 plywood.

Here are couple pictures. Obviously I will be finishing the trim work, but wanted to not go any further before I was a bit more confident that it would be OK as is.

Thanks
Dave

Hitman · Nov 26, 2017

Looks similar to the one I built to go under my 240. The only thing I did differently was I used 4x4 for each corner. I think you’ll be fine the way you built it seeing everything pre made is usually made out of 3/4” boards.

Larry L · Nov 26, 2017

I think you should be fine, assuming the plywood skin is attached securely enough to keep things from racking side to side.

Just looking at vertical compression, a single unbraced 30" cheap-ish grade 2x4 on end will support over 2500 lbs - so even if you want to be really conservative and only allow for 25% of that, that's still more than 625 lbs per upright even with no bracing along its length to keep if from flexing. When you either overlap them edge to edge at the corners, or skin them with plywood in a way that will help keep them from flexing along their skinny side, that increases their capacity even more (assuming they are attached securely the to skinning).

dburt520 · Nov 26, 2017

The plywood is attached with 1 1/2 in screws into the 2x4s every 6 inches or so around the entire perimiter and an occasional brad nail (I didnt want to use any wood filler on this stand as I will be going wiyh a dark stain and I have not had much luck with a dark stain over wood filler. I did not use any glue as the entire frame is painted and I don't believe glue bonds well enough to painted surfaces for that to make any type of difference. Am I wrong there?

don_chuwish · Nov 27, 2017

If you attached the plywood after painting then you are correct, no point in using glue. This stand is plenty strong. Like Larry said, the compression strength of short vertical 2x4s is incredible. Is the top dead flat in every direction?

dburt520 · Nov 27, 2017

It appears to be... I have a 6 foot level so I can't completely get from corner to corner, but close.

don_chuwish · Nov 27, 2017

dburt520 said:
It appears to be... I have a 6 foot level so I can't completely get from corner to corner, but close.

Good to go then!

xaflatoonx · Nov 27, 2017

i love the build - any chance of documenting the stand build?
something i would love to know more about as i plan to build mine too.

Skinning as always baffled me... i can follow the framing, but i never understood how people turned frames into amazing looking stands.
would appreciate to follow along.

Hitman · Nov 27, 2017

Skinning is hard but trim work will put you through every test possible as well as allow you to invent several new swear words! :mad:;Rage;Muted;Drowning Lol

dburt520 · Nov 27, 2017

As with any project, the finishing details are usually what make or break the project. I will try to document as much as I can. This particular stand I skinned with ply wood - very simple with a flush trim router!

Doing the trim now however this stand will have some pretty simple trim work.

Hitman · Nov 27, 2017

I’ll definitely be following to see your finished project. Oh and to ask is simple and trim work still go together! Lol

dburt520 · Nov 28, 2017

Here are a few more pics of some of the trim work I got completed this evening. The plywood and all of the trim is maple - I ran the boards through a my planer first. I'm am not sure if I am happy with some of the boards that I chose - some of them are pretty dark for maple, but I think it will be OK as I am staining it a dark color.

Put a pretty standard Ogee router finish on it.

xaflatoonx · Nov 28, 2017

Thank you for the update.

Question.

How important is the putting these planks through the planer process? What’s the objective? Are the trim pieces or planks not straight enough?

Also - are the trim pieces purchased from stores like Home Depot and all?

dburt520 · Nov 28, 2017

Running it through a planer is not usually necassary, but it depends on where you buy the wood and what pieces you select. The trim was all purchased from Home Depot and unfortunately the current selection was pretty rough - I didn't want to drive across town to the hard wood store so I just bought what they had and made them work. It just means more work (planer), more sanding, more sanding and more sanding.

The planer can be used to ensure the board is exactly the same dimensions through the entire piece. I don't have a jointer so I cant really use the planer to its full potential, but it works for what I need to do with it.