DIY Stand ? - Can this work?

C

CTU2fan

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 12, 2007
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Port Orange, FL
OK, I've pretty much decided to get a 7' 265g tank, unless I can find one with a 7x3 footprint instead, but I'm not sure one exists. Anyway...

I want to have room on the lower level of the stand for 2 Vision reptile cages. Basically, I need the front of the stand to be open so I can put the 6' cages in, and the space has to be over 36" high so they'll fit. What I'm wondering is, is there a combination of materials to use for the sides (to support the tank) and for the top (where the tank will sit) that will allow me to not have braces along the front of the stand, so I can put the cages underneath? I could brace the back of course...but I'm worried no matter what I pick it will bow in the front and the tank will leak/crack/collapse. I'd use a standard metal stand but I don't think it would be high enough.
 
C

CTU2fan

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 12, 2007
3,123
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Port Orange, FL
Yeah it was going to be wood. I was thinking 2 or 3 4x4's on each end, and maybe a few 2x4's upright along the back, and just the front open. What I was thinking is maybe I can get a 7' piece of iron to reinforce the front edge, so that it doesn't sag in the middle...unless there's a type of wood that's strong enough that I can make the top of the stand (where the tank will sit) out of, and it won't sag/warp/bow.
 
D

Dr Joe

Feeder Fish
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Mar 8, 2006
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1.25 tons of water & tank...Hhmmm what should we use? :D

3" square tubing .25" wall across the top front and tie it into the rest of the wood frame.

You could use solid cement blocks too, with the steel as a lintel on the front.

But price out having the whole stand welded up before you build this, it could be worth the difference in cost, & you'll have more space underneath too.

Dr Joe

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T

tbonewarrior

Candiru
MFK Member
May 5, 2007
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Oregon, USA
If you don't mind having the reptile cages permanent, you could just build them into the stand so they are inside of the bracing...
 
M

mjmc

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 8, 2007
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columbus, oh
I would look into LVL (laminated veneer lumber) beams. They are basically laminated pieces of wood, similar to plywood, but much stronger. You can get them in various sizes and they would easily be strong enough for your application. The only concern would be the same with any laminated material, mainly getting it wet. If you could paint it with a good water resistant paint I think you would be fine. Let us know what you choose, and how it turns out.
 
RS2000

RS2000

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 12, 2007
95
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Brisbane Australia
I would look at using box section metal tubing frame and just screw a veneered sheet of plywood to the outside, with corner skirting on to make the corners look neat. that way it'll be strong enough while still having a nice wood finish

eidt: just saw that Dr Joe already said this :) so i agree with him
 
C

cvermeulen

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 4, 2007
1,876
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36
Los Osos, CA
Dr Joe;932058; said:
1.25 tons of water & tank...Hhmmm what should we use? :D

3" square tubing .25" wall across the top front and tie it into the rest of the wood frame.

You could use solid cement blocks too, with the steel as a lintel on the front.

But price out having the whole stand welded up before you build this, it could be worth the difference in cost, & you'll have more space underneath too.

Dr Joe

.
Click to expand...
Holy crap man. 1.25 tons isn't THAT much weight. a 4x4 wood beam across the front will probably be OK. You could go double 4x4's (vertically) or double up 2x8's to combat the sag.

3" steel tubing isn't cheap... a steel and concrete frame would be closer suited to 50 tons than 1 or 2. I have a folding table in my shop that's rated for 1500lbs... 4 legs made out of 1.25", .065 wall BENT tubing. I wouldn't sit a 1500lb aquarium on it to find out, but you get the idea.
 
RS2000

RS2000

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 12, 2007
95
0
0
Brisbane Australia
cvermeulen;932707; said:
3" steel tubing isn't cheap... a steel and concrete frame would be closer suited to 50 tons than 1 or 2. I have a folding table in my shop that's rated for 1500lbs... 4 legs made out of 1.25", .065 wall BENT tubing. I wouldn't sit a 1500lb aquarium on it to find out, but you get the idea.
Click to expand...
Not sure about you guys, but where i am, you can hit up places for the metal tubing fairly cheap. We got enough 4" square tube to make 3 benches ( 2 5' and 1 7' long all around waist height) for our shed we just put up. All the steel cost just over $150AUD as they were all offcuts that where too short for them to use and we welded them up for benches ourselves.
 
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