DIY 120 Stand

[Doc_Polit]

Wow. Love your idea on the bracing.

Thanks!

Just a little bit of progress this week. I am on holidays and spending time with my sons before they go back to their Mom's and get ready for school to start.

The door panel fits flush but will be secured in place by magnets. I countersunk rare earth magnets into the side and bottom pillars.


I installed a double width magnetic latch on the top of the door opening.


Since the door panel and side inserts have been stained, it is time to protect against water. Here is my product of choice.


I have put on 4 coats and will allow to fully cure. Here is a peek of the door panel now.


I have been working on the balance of the stand as well. I have picked up a bunch of oak hardwood, cut to length/width and used my orbital sander to hit it with 180 grit and then 220 grit.

Stay tuned for future updates!

 

[douwe]

staying tuned

looking really good

 

[Doc_Polit]

Thank you!

Now that the Diamond Finish has fully cured, it is time to continue work on the door panel.

I picked up a cool (relatively new) product by Rustoleum. This is just what I need to help hold the door panel in place.


Here is the door panel with 2 coats of magnetic primer.


To complete the stand, I picked up up Saman Wood Finish (Cocoa). Rather than a stain, it is actually a tinted clear coat. I am going for an espresso look so I figure 3-4 coats will be needed on my oak hardwood.


Here is a portion of the hardwood after the first coat.


Here is a closer look.


The Saman goes on with a grease consistency and is brushed on and off. It is a lot of work but worth the rich appearance.

Catch'ya soon.

 

[sachem87184]

You stand is coming along great! I really love the woodstained look your giving it!

 

[john73738]

Great looking stain. That is my one downfall in my woodworking. I need a lot of practice at staining.

 

[Doc_Polit]

Funny you mention staining....

I just had one large setback on this project. I thought I had saved myself some work by utilizing the Saman one-step finish. Man, was I wrong! The first coat went on great but successive coats became increasingly difficult and blotchy. So......I then became a stripper..........furniture stripper that is.

I managed to find some Varathane stain (Espresso) to use in place of the Saman but the issue became getting my hardwood back to it's original state.

I picked up a chemical stripper yesterday and went to work.


Stripping paint, stain, etc is always messy. I had to apply 2 coats but this stuff worked well and had no harsh odor. After 3 hours, the previous stain was all but gone.

Here is how the oak looks now.


Now to get re-acquainted with my trusty finish sander. I am going to hit every board (once again) with 120 grit sandpaper and then 180 grit to re-open the grain. The end caps will all get a go with 220 grit. I hope to have the sanding finished tomorrow night.

On a more positive note, the door panel looks pretty good now that I added a matching topcoat over the magnetic primer.


Well......back to work.

 

[sheajared]

Lookin' Great! Cant wait to see the finished product with tank and all. Whats going in this 120?

 

[Doc_Polit]

Thanks sheajared! The tank is going to house Discus.

Well the staining process had more *&$#!@* surprises in store for me. The Espresso stain that I had ordered from the Home Hardware warehouse had not only sat on a dusty shelf for....oh....35 years but the can had a small puncture that I discovered after I had coated some of the oak hardwood in the slop. The prolonged exposure to air had ruined the stain.

So....I dug out the finish sander AGAIN and hit the boards with 150 grit to re-open the grain. I had all but given up on the staining idea and was considering paint when I came across exactly what I was looking for.

Kona stain by Varathane.


Finally....after 2 coats I have the espresso look that I have been trying to achieve. Here is a peek at some of the boards laid out to dry.


Here is a closer look. I love how the grain in the oak is muted yet visible.


Tomorrow the fun starts. Fastening the hardwood to the stand frame. Rather than use wood glue, I am using a MUCH stronger adhesive.
LePage PL9000 Heavy Duty (Quick Grab) Construction Adhesive and micro pins (air nailed).


I will take pictures throughout the process. Stay tuned.

 

[Doc_Polit]

I got both sides nearly completed tonight.

Here is a sneak peek.




I hope to finish the front and door panel shortly.

 

[littlewangzfan]

Looking good! Thanks for the update.