I thought I'd start a build journal for my new stand. The stand is going to be for my new custom 150g wide tank and I had a couple of specific requirements for the build, which mean that this is going to be a little different from the typical chunky 2x4 construction of most builds on this forum.
Firstly, this setup is going to be the centerpiece of our apartment, so I want the finished stand to look like a nice piece of furniture.
Next, the aquarium itself is going to be quite shallow, so I wanted the stand to be quite tall to visually compensate for this. The dimensions of the stand are around 5ft X 3ft X 3ft, which is too wide to fit through the hallway/door for our apartment, so I decided to build it so I could easily disassemble it and flat pack it for moving. I put a lot of thought into how best to do this while still having a strong supporting structure, and I came up with a solution involving some sturdy joinery and some interesting bits of connecting hardware.
Another feature that is a little different about this stand is that I wanted it to have legs rather than sitting with its full length on the floor. I think this is more aesthetically pleasing and will make it easier to shim the stand and clean up potential spills in the future.
The final major limitation of this build is that I live in a small apartment and don't have any power tools (except for an electric drill), so I'm going to be building the entire thing using only hand tools. I'm only an amateur woodworker, and my tools and skills limit the kinds of cuts and joints I can reliably make.
Ok, with that background out of the way let's move on to the build!
Firstly, this setup is going to be the centerpiece of our apartment, so I want the finished stand to look like a nice piece of furniture.
Next, the aquarium itself is going to be quite shallow, so I wanted the stand to be quite tall to visually compensate for this. The dimensions of the stand are around 5ft X 3ft X 3ft, which is too wide to fit through the hallway/door for our apartment, so I decided to build it so I could easily disassemble it and flat pack it for moving. I put a lot of thought into how best to do this while still having a strong supporting structure, and I came up with a solution involving some sturdy joinery and some interesting bits of connecting hardware.
Another feature that is a little different about this stand is that I wanted it to have legs rather than sitting with its full length on the floor. I think this is more aesthetically pleasing and will make it easier to shim the stand and clean up potential spills in the future.
The final major limitation of this build is that I live in a small apartment and don't have any power tools (except for an electric drill), so I'm going to be building the entire thing using only hand tools. I'm only an amateur woodworker, and my tools and skills limit the kinds of cuts and joints I can reliably make.
Ok, with that background out of the way let's move on to the build!
That's my dining room table with my trusty folding dozuki. It's a wonderful saw that cuts through lumber like butter leaving a paper thin kerf and a really smooth finish that requires little sanding. I built a little DIY miter box to assist with making good square cuts.
