5 sided plywood tank?!
- Thread starter Bigfishnut
- Start date
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- plywood aquarium
I'm curious specifically about the angled joint. I assume you did 22.5 degree cuts on the plywood and joined them together... was it just a matter of glue and screw together or are there biscuit joints or some other joint involved? On bracing it I do see a brace crossing at the corner, is the bracing at the corner top bracing only, or a combo of top and inside bracing? Is the entire top brace piece all cut out of one sheet of plywood or several pieces together. It's kind of tough to see from a slightly distant photo of the entire tank rather than the joint itself. Is there anything else in the mix for strengthening the corners other than a layer of fiber glass and the expoxy?
I'm asking these because I really like the idea of making a big flat back hex and I'm thiniking the angled corner joints would be the weak spot. Thank you for any ideas you have.
I'm asking these because I really like the idea of making a big flat back hex and I'm thiniking the angled corner joints would be the weak spot. Thank you for any ideas you have.
The angled joints are just glued and screwed. The top bracing is one sheet of plywood cut out and screwed down from the top. I cut individual pieces to go under that and made them wider as to have a lip for my lids to sit on. I didn't glue the top bracing until I put the glass in. Then I glued, screwed, pond shielded, and siliconed it. No other reinforcements were used on the angles besides fiberglass. That stuff is incredibly strong. My tank doesn't bow or flex anywhere when full of water.
No problem. Any questions feel free to ask. I feel like many people go unnecessarily overboard on some aspects of a build, and overlook some of the important parts
I am actually thinking of not using fiberglass. I am busy researching West Systems GFlex which is suppose to be highly flexible and reduces the risk of cracking due to the brittleness of products like pond shield, west systems 105, etc. I would probably still use some sort of specialized filler in all the corners and cracks. I was told that the ability to avoid the fiberglass will be based on how much reinfoced I do via a frame. I will have almost no seems because I am sticking to 8x4.
Definitely. Undecided how I will do this. Looks like some folks 2x4s or something similar. Considering my foot print is 8x4 I was thinking of literally just using a 8x4 plywood sheet and then cut out 3 large openings. This way the top braces are all one piece and I can have my extra frame glued/screwed into the sides of the tank and the bracing.
That's what I did. I used a full sheet and cut out 4 holes leaving 2" of bracing and added wider bracing under that to hold my lids. I really don't believe pond shield is brittle if applied properly. Chances are the people experiencing this did not build the tank ridged enough, and it flexed causing cracks in the epoxy.
Heard lots of good things about pond shield. I am just paranoid and curious at the same time. After reading about how highly regarded West Systems and their 105 product is, I really am curious if the Gflex stuff is worth the extra money. Below is video show how flexible this stuff is. Regardless of how much you reinforce your tank, this stuff will be able to deal with rocks and other decor not damaging your coating.
