Mounting equipment in a metal stand

[Chbix]

So Im curious if anyone has any pictures or ideas on how they mounted equipment inside a metal stand. I am building a 180g that I got second hand that came with a metal stand. I have some ideas for the bottom, will probably go with 1/2-3/4 board coated and a drip tray of some kind. I will eventually skin it using some magnets.

But the problem Im running into is ideas on a mounting board or cabinet. I do not want to drill the stand, I already have drilled the bottom for leveling feet and just see it as the potential area for rust. I have thought about just having a free standing cabinet for mounting stuff but not sure if theres a different approach. Thanks.

 

[laverda]

I bought my metal stand used. It did not have any corner gussets, so I added some for additional rigity and as mounting points. 3 holes in each gusset with a 6mm nut welded behind the center one. I also put them in the corners on the upper cross braces in both the horizontal and vertical corners. These gave me mounting points for variety of things including front facia panels.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

I made my stand out of aluminum, but I added a sheet of plywood to the leg on one side to mount all my electrical equipment.

This is a little bit older picture. It's a little more crowded these days with battery backup and wave controller.

I have a couple of cable raceways on the back of the same board to contain/hide the extra cable lengths.

I also added a piece of 1"x4" wood to the back of the stand. It gave me a place to run cords, and attach more equipment if needed.

It all is hidden behind a removable oak skin.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

Look into magnetic mounting solutions. Individually for pieces of equipment or for mounting a board to mine things to

 

[Chbix]

I bought my metal stand used. It did not have any corner gussets, so I added some for additional rigity and as mounting points. 3 holes in each gusset with a 6mm nut welded behind the center one. I also put them in the corners on the upper cross braces in both the horizontal and vertical corners. These gave me mounting points for variety of things including front facia panels.

I have considered this but I would have to find a fab shop or welder.

 

[Chbix]

I made my stand out of aluminum, but I added a sheet of plywood to the leg on one side to mount all my electrical equipment.

This is a little bit older picture. It's a little more crowded these days with battery backup and wave controller.

I have a couple of cable raceways on the back of the same board to contain/hide the extra cable lengths.

I also added a piece of 1"x4" wood to the back of the stand. It gave me a place to run cords, and attach more equipment if needed.

It all is hidden behind a removable oak skin.

This is exactly what I am looking at doing. How did you mount the board to the stand?

 

[Chbix]

Look into magnetic mounting solutions. Individually for pieces of equipment or for mounting a board to mine things to

This may be the option. I am already going to use magnets to attach the skin, may just have to get some bigger ones for a mounting board.

 

[laverda]

You can use self drilling and taping screws to attach things to the metal stand. Anny hole could be a potential point for water to get inside the stand. I would try to avoid holes anywhere possible exposed to splashes or spills.

 

[Chbix]

You can use self drilling and taping screws to attach things to the metal stand. Anny hole could be a potential point for water to get inside the stand. I would try to avoid holes anywhere possible exposed to splashes or spills.

And this is what I am trying to avoid. Its 1/4 steel stand. Heavy and a pain to drill. I drilled holes on the bottom for the leveling feet and dont really want to add more. Just trying to find another option.

 

[minus9]

Use N52 neodymium magnets and countersink them into wood with a forstner bit. Secure them into place with epoxy /glue and cover them, then seal the exposed area of the magnet. That's what I did. I'm going to wrap my stand in walnut plywood (sealed) and will do the same.

 

[Chbix]

Use N52 neodymium magnets and countersink them into wood with a forstner bit. Secure them into place with epoxy /glue and cover them, then seal the exposed area of the magnet. That's what I did. I'm going to wrap my stand in walnut plywood (sealed) and will do the same.

I planned to do this for the skin, do you think it would also work for a control board? Just more powerful magnets?

 

[vertigo01]

I have a build thread here somewhere, showingv my steel stand.
I skinned the sides and back using cement fiberboard and made a drip tray for the base, out of 3/4" PVC sheet.
That said. If you are worried about screw holes rusting, bed the screws with silicone.

 

[minus9]

I planned to do this for the skin, do you think it would also work for a control board? Just more powerful magnets?

N52 magnets are extremely strong, especially the 1/4" thick 1" round ones. You'd be surprised how much weight they can hold.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

This is exactly what I am looking at doing. How did you mount the board to the stand?

I drilled holes in the legs and ran stainless screws through the holes into the plywood. If I did it again, I would have welded a couple of tabs on the legs to mount the plywood to.

 

[Reefanatik]

I added some gussets with holes drilled for the back panel and also added some other tabs to attach some drawers with.

 

[eric.tech]

Use N52 neodymium magnets and countersink them into wood with a forstner bit. Secure them into place with epoxy /glue and cover them, then seal the exposed area of the magnet. That's what I did. I'm going to wrap my stand in walnut plywood (sealed) and will do the same.

if you run multiple magnets vertically on the control board, it won’t budge lol. The rare earth magnets that you can obtain for a low price these days are extremely strong. Also with that being said, watch those fingers with these magnets! They’ll pinch the heck out of them if they’re in the way