DIY 165 Gallon Aquarium Stand Help
- Thread starter Industrial
- Start date
I would recommend that you place the 2x4's you're using for top and bottom rails on edge. They'll be a lot stronger. To see what I mean you can look at my stand build in my personal gallery to the left. I'm going to be building a 6' stand and canopy for a 135 gal next. I'll put 2 evenly spaced vertical supports front and back with 3 doors. There's a few threads in this forum on the design a lot of folks use.
skerzfan;4760393; said:
I thought about that, but my biggest worry is stability. The biggest gap between the legs is going to be less than two feet and the tank would have to fold inward between the legs to create any pressure on that spot.
Plus, I would need to find screws longer than 3 1/2", which I remember having trouble with last time.
Nice stand though! Looks really nice and sturdy yet not extremely overbuilt!
I didn't mean to imply that your stand wouldn't be strong enough. It will be plenty strong enough for your tank, particularly if you skin it with plywood. I was just trying to improve your strength to weight ratio. Doubling up the bottom 2x4's will be adding weight.
Just make sure the weight is supported by wood not screws.
BTW my stand was built using 2 1/2" screws. If you don't use pocket holes you can toenail them in. I'd really recommend the Kreg Jig Jr., though, you'll get a lot of use out of it if you do much woodworking. It's a good investment.
Of course there are countless ways to build stands. Check out Pharaoh's sticky at the top. He has some very good points.
Just make sure the weight is supported by wood not screws.
BTW my stand was built using 2 1/2" screws. If you don't use pocket holes you can toenail them in. I'd really recommend the Kreg Jig Jr., though, you'll get a lot of use out of it if you do much woodworking. It's a good investment.
Of course there are countless ways to build stands. Check out Pharaoh's sticky at the top. He has some very good points.
skerzfan;4763499; said:
Okay, I don't think I originally understood what you were trying to say.
On the bottom, I doubled up the plywood so I could screw it all together into one rectangle. If I would have done one layer of 2x4, I would have had to get the larger screws and bore holes and the four corners would be completely setting on the side pieces which I didn't feel too comfortable with. I am trying to get the best weight distribution possible as I don't trust my house all that much. I also did make sure that the screws do nothing but stabilize everything. I have seen cheap DIY stands where the screws held the supporting 2x4 up and it makes me cringe.
My structural design was loosely based off of the basic 72 1/2"x30" stand that came with it (which was supported by 2x4s, and had 2x6's flat on the top.) I had that here so I was able to look at it and see where I could correct stuff as well as slim it down.
I do see what you mean, and for my next stands, I do want to try out different designs utilizing better weight to strength ratios.
Right now though, I am just hurrying to get this tank set up in the next week before I get bogged down with college work and have to put it on hold again.
Today I had everything cut and when to screw it all together and everytime I moved it, the screws ripped out. I used all purpose screws, but I think on Friday I will have to buy some wood screws.
I may have used too wide of a drill bit to predrill the holes.
I think I am just going to use larger deck screws and try this again. Luckily the screws do nothing but keep the stand together when a tank isn't weighing it down. I just need it to hold up good for when it needs to be moved.
I will see if I can get some pictures of it tonight.
I think I am just going to use larger deck screws and try this again. Luckily the screws do nothing but keep the stand together when a tank isn't weighing it down. I just need it to hold up good for when it needs to be moved.
I will see if I can get some pictures of it tonight.
