Steel Stand Fab question

Jman76 · Mar 17, 2020

To all you fabricators who have steel stands...How did you do the bottom? Was thinking a "foot"on each corner with perhaps a bolt to adjust corner height? Maybe no foot and just tube all the way around like a skid? FWIW, It will be on ceramic tile floor. This is 1.5 inch square tube construction for a 75 gal
Thanks!

mrlavalamp · Mar 17, 2020

a foot on ceramic tile might crack your tiles.

Every stand I have had (wood and steel both) had a flat sheet of plywood on the bottom and that rested directly on the floor.

I know there are other methods, but this way seems straightforward to me.

If any shimming is necessary, I put them under base ply but aligned with the vertical supports that carry the weight.

theatrus · Mar 18, 2020

Ceramic tiles often have voids in the backing and don't like point loads. I'd put the level feet on flat metal bar or wooden stock like plywood. Also, ceramic tiles are _never_ level, so you will need leveling of some kind, plus any warpage from the steel welding to the frame. Lots of shim stock under the bottom tube frame (if present) is another option, but its tricky to get the load distributed.

Jman76 · Mar 18, 2020

Thanks for the suggestions, cheers!

AZMSGT · Mar 18, 2020

You most definitely want to distribute that pressure point load. You could have multiple feet 1 per foot of length. Similar to Red Sea stands they have 1 adjustable foot per foot of length. The 75G won't be to bad compared to say a 120G.

Since you are using square tube it's just a matter of drill and tap the tube and install a leveling foot. FYI, there are places on line where you can buy Red Seas leveling feet so there is a thought.

Ratherbeflyen · Mar 18, 2020

I built my stand from aluminum that also sits on tile. I didn't incorporate anything in the feet to level the stand. I just put 1/2" foam between the floor and stand and accepted that it isn't perfectly level.