howto build a custom stand

[chefdazza]

Tools required: mitre saw, drill with bits and screw tips, level, tapemeasure, hand saw, clamps

Materials: 2x4's, 3" woodscrews, wood glue, 3/4" plywood, and tongue and groove pine.

start with your plain lumber. now get a plan of how many of each pieces of each size of 2x4 you will need. my stand is 30" high, 48" wide and 24" deep. my tank is 18x24, but i figure i might get a bigger one someday, so i thought that i may a well build it too big. if you cut everything at the beginning, it will save time during assembly.

For the 4 corners of the stand I doubled up my 2x4s and laminated them together. so i need 8 pieces 30" long for the legs plus 4 more 30" long for 2 extra braces for the front and back. (if you are building a 6 or 8 foot long stand, you may want to cut 4 more)

for the short side (for me it was 24"), you need 4 pieces

for the long side, (for me it was 48"), you will need 4 pieces that are THREE INCHES SHORTER than the actual width of the stand, i will explain later why; so i need 4pcs that are 45" long(because my tank is 48" wide)

Cut list

12pcs 30" legs
4pcs 24" sides
4 pcs 48" front/back rails


the first step is to cut all of the above lumber and organize it.
next, grab 8 of your leg pieces and pair them all off
lay 1 0n your bench, apply some wood glue (more is not allways better) and lay its partner on top of it line it up really well and clamp it on each end. put 3 woodscrews into the legs on each side, staggering them 1 on each end and 1 in the middle., unclamp, repeat for all legs


Congratulations, you have completed the first phase of your new stand

more in a bit

 

[chefdazza]

Phase 2 assembly

start with 2 legs and 2 front/back rails.

-put the legs on the floor paralell to each other about 45" apart
-now place the long pieces on top and square the whole thing up either bu measuring the diagonals (corner to corner, each way, it the 2 measurements match, you're square) or by using a framing square, put like 4 screws in each corner and stand it up. its sooooo important to have measured and cut your lumber prescicely, it will really affect how level your stand is and how well it goes together.
- repeat with the other 2 legs and the other 2 long rails.

stand your new rectangle on its end and place one of the sides on, look at the picture for how i put them on; you want the legs in the inside of the joint created by the long rails and the short side pieces. clamp it into place, makes sure its square and screw 4 times, repeat for the top board

-repeat with your other rectangle, but do the other end, so you have 2 L shapes pieces that will lock together.

-push the 2 L's together (see pics) and clamp. make sure everything is square (and level) of everythings ok, screw it together.

more soon

 

[chefdazza]

Phase 3, further assembly

by now you have been wondering what the last 4 pieces of 30" lumber are for... yup, you guessed it, they are for bracing the long stretches in the middle of the tank. i measured 12" in on each end for the front and 18" in on each end for the back. i wanted to leave myself an opening for a door to take a very large filter, etc.
lay the stand on its long side and place the 30" 2x4 on your mark, place ONE screw into it and repeat with the other brace on that side. stand the tank up and holt the level on the new support, make sure the board is totally vertical and clamp in place, now screw both the top and bottom like 2 times on the inside of the stand and 2 times from the outstide in. ( I think i made that sound waaaay harder than it is).

Next is cross braces, not really nescessary, but why not right? for mine i just laid an extra 2x4 from corner to corner and just marked it with a pencil on either end. then i place the marked board on my mitre saw and i lined up the blade with the pencil mark and cut. this worked for the short sides, but the long side, i had to cut by hand. clamp your custom boards into place and screw, in the corners, and into the vertical supports too.

at this point you could stop and put a piece of plywood on top 48"x24" and you would have a very strong stand for your basement, or garage, but regular people have to look at this thing so tomorrow i am going to finish the outside and make a door.

 

[ferco]

lol, like the look of the supplies in the second pic...

 

[chefdazza]

i should've added beer to the materials required list. i am going to try and buy my siding today and a piece of plywood for the top, and maybe a floor i haven't decided yet. on the sticky at the top of the DIY forum Hardb0iled put a floor in his and added bracing across the top of the structure, i might do the same today.

 

[chefdazza]

Here it is with a top and floor, and tongue and groove pine. theres a door 17" wide and some nice brass hardware. all i need is a nice day so i can take it outside and stain it.
let me know what you guys think, allready theres a few things i would do differently, if i do this again. i learned a lot on this project, mostly that a tablessw would be sweet.
Cheers
D

 

[chefdazza]

here it is with 2 coats of minwax puritan pine stain and 2 coats of spar varnish, it looks like it has been candied with the varnish on it. I screwed a powerbar with a surge protector to the inner top and i think i have a timer here somewhere for the lights. i think i am going to make a stand for my GF's 54 gallon, i think shes surprised at how civilised the one I made looks, so am I!!

Cheers
D

 

[mjime714]

Great job! Thanks for the tutorial. You actually make it look very easy. Especially for not having a table saw!

The only problem I forsee is getting a sump into the stand (depending on the size of the sump of course). With all the support beams in the back and a single small door in the front, you may have a hard time getting it inside.

Other than that, GREAT JOB!!

 

[KJP]

That looks great!!... It 's better looking than store bought stands and it is a whole lot more stable than store bought if youhave ever looked at them. Great job!!

 

[chefdazza]

Great job! Thanks for the tutorial. You actually make it look very easy. Especially for not having a table saw!

The only problem I forsee is getting a sump into the stand (depending on the size of the sump of course). With all the support beams in the back and a single small door in the front, you may have a hard time getting it inside.

Other than that, GREAT JOB!!

good point about the sump, i am using a canister filter and an AC 110 hob filter for it so I didn't even think about being able to put a sump in there, theres allready so many things i would do different next time around.
thanks for the input

Cheers
D