Best way to make a stand cheap?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Here's a couple of tips. I've made 7 or 8 stands, and always use steel angle braces on all the upright pieces. You know, the braces shaped like a "L" with screw holes. They add an incredible amount of strength to the finished stand, as opposed to just screws and glue. Nothing wrong with using glue, but you won't need it at all when using these. Also, be sure to drill pilot holes (that is a hole in the wood smaller than your screw) before you try to drive screws into your pieces. This will prevent splitting your wood and ruining it. Use deck screws on framing instead of nails. They provide more grip, and are stronger. Be sure to get yourself a couple of bar clamps to hold your pieces in place during assembly. This will save you tons of time and grief.
 
im going to make a stand for my 75g grow out and i went to the hardwood store and bought 2x4 x 8' and a piece of plywood 48x72 5/8 thick total came up to 34.xx this is just the stand without doors or anything.

stand is going to be 27 5/8" tall including the plywood and about 48long 18.5" wide. going to build it later or maybe even tomorrow. going to use screws because its stronger than usign nails.

by the way it sure helps being a carpenter XD
 
I recently built a stand for a 35 gallon tank 36" by 12". I bought 6 lengths of 8 foot 2x4 for 12 dollars and used screws we had left over from when we built the deck on our house. If I had to buy the screws, i'd have spent a total of like $15. I basically just made two rectangle pieces at 36" x 12" with a center brace because i'm paranoid, lol. Then I took 30" lengths to make the legs, attached them to the rectangle pieces at the corners with a little lip above the top rectangle piece as a lip to keep the tank from sliding off the stand, again because i'm paranoid. The other rectangle piece went at the bottom of the stand for a shelf. I'm going to take a piece of black bed sheet and tack it to the stand as a skirt for aesthetic reasons, cause this tank is going in the bedroom. It's sturdy and cheap. I'd put this stand up against any other stand, in terms of strength, I'll post up some pictures when I get my camera back, but it's not tough whatsoever.

Also, I used Pharaoh's Indy DIY thread to get some ideas, That's possibly the most helpful thread I've come across on here yet, definitely use it.
 
nice work
 
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