Stand construction

[workhz]

@Fish Fan
Yep, I wouldn't worry about it if I were doing it for a temp tank. I think we build things for worst case scenarios. I guess imagine a screw corroding over 10-15 years and then it all comes crashing down but since you built it and you are taking it apart multiple times you get to see what's going on and avert the issues. Someone else may not be as diligent.

As for just relying on screws. Made me think of some jack stands I was looking at today. Only thing keeping them from failing is the shear strength of the pin holding them up which seems insane to me.

 

[Reign1]

I am surprised no one cued the joke about HD and Lowe’s having the most crooked 2x4 ‘s in history .. I just recently used Rocketengineer plans .. a lil overkill for my tank but piece of mind .. I put the tank in the room today and pretty much level sans one side lower but I am pretty sure once I move it a little more on the tile it will be fine if not will shim it ..
good luck

 

[Fish Fan]

@Fish Fan
Yep, I wouldn't worry about it if I were doing it for a temp tank. I think we build things for worst case scenarios. I guess imagine a screw corroding over 10-15 years and then it all comes crashing down but since you built it and you are taking it apart multiple times you get to see what's going on and avert the issues. Someone else may not be as diligent.

As for just relying on screws. Made me think of some jack stands I was looking at today. Only thing keeping them from failing is the shear strength of the pin holding them up which seems insane to me.

Yeah, I wasn’t saying this is the best idea for a 15 year stand, but I do think sometimes we over engineer tank stands. But again, I think people should go with the design that they are most comfortable with.

I am surprised no one cued the joke about HD and Lowe’s having the most crooked 2x4 ‘s in history .. I just recently used Rocketengineer plans .. a lil overkill for my tank but piece of mind .. I put the tank in the room today and pretty much level sans one side lower but I am pretty sure once I move it a little more on the tile it will be fine if not will shim it ..
good luck

That‘s a very sound design for sure. I would put your tank on the stand and start to slowly fill it. With the weight of the water it should kind of compress everything down. If it’s still not level then, try shimming it.

 

[danreef55]

This is a good example of a build for a large tank but the design can be implemented for any size
I hope you find it useful
Happy reefing
Dan

 

[Fish Fan]

This is a good example of a build for a large tank but the design can be implemented for any size
I hope you find it useful
Happy reefing
Dan

Very helpful, thanks for sharing!

 

[danreef55]

Glad to be of assistance. Good luck!

 

[RocketEngineer]

Don’t believe everything you see on the internet. Just saying.

 

[danreef55]

I am definitely NOT a rocket engineer. You may know better than I but the only thing I would have added is bolts instead of just screws. Do you feel the build was not sound?
Be well and happy reefing
Dan

 

[workhz]

Where do you get 800lbs for compression strength of a 2x4?

 

[danreef55]

Could you please clarify
Where do you get 800lbs for compression strength of a 2x4?
Please help me understand because I will be building a stand and was going to use this design.
Thanks in advance
Dan

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Google it, a lot of folks will be amazed at the strength of 2x4 lumber. Its generally overkill for most aquarium stands but its also very economical.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

I do form an L with the 2x4, this way they keep each other in check when it comes to twisting and bending. Also make the legs go from top to bottom and the rest of the stand gives stability. If anyway possible, on larger aquariums, the corners of the aquarium need to be sitting on top of the legs

 

[danreef55]

Many thanks

 

[RocketEngineer]

So, for those who asked:
Softwood has a compressive strength of approximately 870 psi.

870 X 3.5 X 1.5 = 4,567.5 pounds.

Now, this is in a perfect world. Lumber is far from that. I’ve seen recommendations of a reduction in strength pushing 10X which gets you ~450 pounds per 2X4 upright. Using clear lumber gets you closer to the first number. Hope that helps.

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm not an engineer, and I don't claim to be, and I would emphatically encourage everyone to build their stand as they are comfortable with and confident in.

But I did some figuring myself, please correct me if I'm wrong. According to the manufacturer, the 3" Deckmate #9 exterior grade deck screws that I used on my rack stand in some question here is 167 lbs. I used 6 screws supporting the weight at each corner of my rack system.

6*167 = 1002 pounds of shear strength at each corner.

4*1002= 4008 pounds of total shear strength for the aquarium being supported.

100 gallons of water is going to weight ~850 lbs. Add 200 lbs. in rock and salt, or subtract 50 gallons of water as in my case, and you are still well inside the total shear strength of stand.

I am sincerely and genuinely asking, what am I missing here that is such a concern?

And, if you used wood glue at these joints, they would be darn near inseparable. @RocketEngineer , you're a woodworker, you have to agree that a glued up joint (in this case, a long-grain to long-grain joint, which is a very strong glue joint) is in most cases stronger than the wood itself.

You could also use large lag screws or bolts to further bolster the strength of this design.

Please remember, when I built my stand I needed something quick, and temporary. I was also very much trying to demonstrate the easiest to build design I could think of to help another reefer with a very, very limited set of tools, and near zero experience woodworking who only wanted to support a 40 gallon tank.

I'm not trying to sound like a know-it-all or some expert in building stands; I'm not! And I again and again encourage everyone to build their stand they way they want it. I just feel this design is both solid enough for smaller tanks, and within the reach of just about anyone with a drill gun and a big box store that can cut their wood (not always correctly!)

Using clear lumber gets you closer to the first number. Hope that helps.

I don't know anything about the compression strength of a 2x4, but I do know that my local Home Depot sells a premium 2x4 that's pretty much clear and straight grained, kiln dried. This is what I would use for something like a stand build as they are only marginally more expensive than constructing grade 2x4's. Thanks for you help and input, RE!

 

[workhz]

Could you please clarify
Where do you get 800lbs for compression strength of a 2x4?
Please help me understand because I will be building a stand and was going to use this design.
Thanks in advance
Dan

The guy in the video said 800lbs. Was just trying to figure where that number came from since it seemed substantially lower than what I remember when looking at this stuff (building a deck and deciding between 6x6 and 4x4 really really short posts).