Plywood only stand for a 180 gallon?

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vaypourus

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 2, 2009
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Rotcore, NY
So my 180 gallon arrives on Wed. of next week, which means I have to get motivated and build a stand for it.

Has anyone ever built a stand using just 3/4" plywood? The 2x4 stands I see here are obviously overkill, and building a 2x4 frame and covering it with 1/2" or 3/4" plywood is even more overkill. My concern is both weight and cost. If I can save $30 on lumber, I'm all for it.

I want to do a simple 4 piece design using 3/4" oak plywood. Each side will be a vertical sheet of wood, with a piece on the bottom and top, essentially creating a closed box. I will reinforce the corners with a "L" of strips of plywood. There will also be some cross braces for torsional support, but I'd like to make these from plywood as well.

I'm not asking if the design will work; I've done the number crunching and I know it will support the tank just fine. I'd like to know if anyone else has done it and can maybe supply some tips or recommendations in the actual build. Additionally, I'd really like to know how well it has held up over time.

Thanks-
 
I would say "no way!", but I am one of those overbuilders...

Your 180 is going to weigh upwards of a ton - why would you want to skimp on the stand? Your plywood box with bracing idea probably could work with enough bracing, but why not just build a "normal" (skin-on-frame) stand?
 
I have an all plywood stand, but its only for a 55. You might want to put a couple 'baffles' in the middle of your box to add middle support and increase rigidity, but overall you'll be just fine.
 
I have a plywood stand for my 110 gallon which was bought from an lfs with the tank. If i were you i would build it but put a 2x4 in each corner and in the middle of the sides. I am going to reinforce mine with that idea in mind.
 
I am building a stand for my 40 br with plywood. I am not completely confident on the strength and sturdiness of it yet though. I think when you go lighter on materials it gives you a lot less room for error and if the stand shifts a little (earthquake, hyperactive kids) it is less likely to stay perfectly still.

When I build a stand for my 125 I am likely going to use up to 2x8 for the stand just to give myself extra strength incase it is needed.

Before you build the tank, design it with iSketch which you get for free from google, it works great and after the stand is designed you can just check all the sizes of the wood and make sure of everything and have the plan right there.
 
the plywood will be fine, people seem to forget the compression strength of wood. for christ sake those cheap AGA stands are built outta pine wood slats, glue, and staples and work great despite being the scetchyest stands ever built by man.
 
Hasn't anyone ever taken a close look at store-bought stands? They're downright scary.

I can't speak from experience on a stand that big, but I'm currently building something similar for a 40g breeder. It's just a carcass of 3/4" ply with a face frame. I'm not sure I would use this method on a tank that big. The plywood will have more than enough compressive strength to hold up the weight, but that's not the only factor to consider. It has to be rigid, and it has to have resistance to racking, or folding up on itself. At the very least, I would add 2 vertical partitions spaced out in the middle, in addition to the sides. But this will get in the way if you were planning to do a sump. The 2x4 and skin method might be overkill, but it's tried and true. And the price of a few 2x4's is a small price to pay for peace of mind. You don't have to cover it with 3/4" ply, you can use 1/4", since the ply is just cosmetic and the 2x4s carry all the load.
 
the real issue for you to overcome is firmly is getting everything put
" tightly and permanetly together " and this is where i feel plywood has some disadvantages but if you took say a scrap piece of 2x8 and made some triangle gussets for the corners you would be much better off
 
The answer to the OP is , YES it will work. You would have to pay attention to detail. The vertical pieces should sit on top of the bottom panel. Use at least a 2" x 2" glued in all joints vertical and horizontal. Pay careful attention to your glue joints and use a quality glue. The top panel should sit on top of the vertical panels and also be glued. If done correctly this should be an amazingly strong , rigid monocoque structure.

Here's the downside.

If you make any significant penetrations such as cutting holes for access or storage you WILL defeat the strength of the structure. This is likely why you don't see this method used on larger stands. I do think it would still work if you engineered the front panel to carry the load and added some addittional support to the base. The key to success would definitely be attention to detail as there is not much room for error.

If you decide to build this take lot's of photo's as this would be a great DIY thread.
 
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