My first DIY: stand, canopy, background.
- Thread starter bob965
- Start date
RDTigger;3516830; said:
It's a 75g. The background is 1/2" styrofoam sheathing, covered with West System epoxy resin and sand.
Things I learned:
1. Cheap wood is cheap. I used the cheapest generic whitewood lumber. It gets the job done, but it's tough to find straight pieces that aren't full of knotholes. And pieces that are straight when you buy them can be warped after sitting around for a couple days.
2. Unless you already have every single tool you need, you're not gonna save any money by making something yourself. My material cost was less than $100 but the total cost was approximately $394058398 after buying tools I needed. Fortunately I only have to buy them once.
3. Wood is stronger than you think. To attach the top frame to the bottom frame, I used double 2x4's in the corners, plus two more in the middle of the front and back, for a total of 10 vertical supports. Then I put 3/4" plywood where the tank sits, and I had some left over, so I figured...what the heck, and put a piece on the bottom too. Way overkill. This thing would support an aircraft carrier. I could have eliminated the plywood altogether.
4. Even if you make 8 trips to Home Depot in a single weekend, there's still something you forgot.
Thanks for all the positive comments guys
My favorite DIY addage "take your planned hardware store trips and multiply by 5, you might be close then"
