DIY stand

[Justin Opheim]

I want to start out by saying a coupe things. I am not a structural engineer, and other then basic DIY knowledge that about sums up my exposure.

Now I have built several stands for not only myself but for others. I have always been one to ever engineer anything I built. Last thing I want it for something to go wrong because I decided to cut corners. With that said I wonder am I/we over engineering our DIY homemade stands? I know 2x4s tops and bottoms held up by another set of 2x4s in between the tops, skinned with choice of wood and Bam call her a day.

What about stands made for Red Sea & Waterbox. Mica/MDF/Particle board that is roughly 1" thick with no major corner supports (Or at least nothing close to a 2x4). Ive put together a 900xxxl RS with this design. Granted the RS does have some steel in there for structural support.

Im not talking about a 200+ gallon tank, but a 4' x 18" 80g tank. Do you trust the homemade 3/4" (Or even 1") playwood stand? Or do you step it up and over engineer it?

 

[Copingwithpods]

I'm all for over kill, specially when your talking 1/4ton+ of water weight with the potential to cause damage in the 5 digits. I personally don't trust those mdf stands, even the plywood ones with ikea fasteners I don't trust but I live in earthquake country so that might influence my bias.

 

[RocketEngineer]

As the writer of what’s become the most referenced 2x4 stand design guide, I can honestly say that, yup, it’s over designed. BUT, it’s meant to be built with minimal tools so that safety factor means it’s very forgiving. Are there better designs? Sure, even my last stand was more refined. That doesn’t detract in any way from folks who use 2x material. To each their own according to their skills and needs.

 

[Spieg]

MDF is a fail right out of the box in my opinion. Plywood and 2x4 is a step up from that, but tends to look like something that belongs in a barn. I build my stands from Dupont Corian for looks and durability. Expensive yes ,but worth it for something that is going to sit in my living room for years. Corian is super strong, impervious to moisture or salt, and as easy to work with as wood (although it is heavy).

 

[Azure Scolymia]

As the writer of what’s become the most referenced 2x4 stand design guide, I can honestly say that, yup, it’s over designed. BUT, it’s meant to be built with minimal tools so that safety factor means it’s very forgiving. Are there better designs? Sure, even my last stand was more refined. That doesn’t detract in any way from folks who use 2x material. To each their own according to their skills and needs.

Could I get a link to that guide? I have seen many references to it, but can’t seem to find it. It seems like something worth stickying.

 

[RocketEngineer]

DIY Stands Template and Calculator - Reef Central Online Community

DIY Stands Template and Calculator Do It Yourself

reefcentral.com

This is one of the splits. The guide is reposted about 3 down.

 

[hyprc]

You're talking about hundreds of pounds of water that likes to ROCK when moved. That lateral force is what snaps your screws and weak spots. Back and fourth. I'll be overbuilding the you-know-what out of my stand. And relying on GLUE and actual joinery to an extent, not screws to support the build. If you're building to a cost, I would go for a strong frame with well thought out lateral support then, as you said, skin it and ship. As for the plywood vs MDF debate, go get the best sheet you can find of each. Then pour some salt water on each one and let dry completely a few times. You'll know which one you want to use soon enough.

 

[Aquavaj]

For the cost of some of these full setups it's shocking to see them use just cam locks to hold their stands together.

 

[JoshH]

MDF is a fail right out of the box in my opinion. Plywood and 2x4 is a step up from that, but tends to look like something that belongs in a barn. I build my stands from Dupont Corian for looks and durability. Expensive yes ,but worth it for something that is going to sit in my living room for years. Corian is super strong, impervious to moisture or salt, and as easy to work with as wood (although it is heavy).

Corian is an interesting material, never thought of it holding up 1000+ pounds of water before but I guess it is essentially stone and epoxy, nothing much stronger than that. How would one make an entire stand out of it? What would you use to join the seams, epoxy?

I used plywood for my stand build, strong, easy to work with, and can be finished in sooo many ways I think it could be made to look like it belongs in other places than a barn

 

[Spieg]

Corian is really just like working with wood... cut it, sand it, screw it or glue it. Corners can be eased/rounded with a router. For exposed joints that I want to seal from leaks, I use resin based adhesives, or just plan old silicon caulk (I've only ever used solid black or white... which makes it easy to color match). For legs/supports I laminate several pieces together to increase strength (or for really heavy stuff, extruded aluminum can be incorporated for a frame inside).