Stand made from wet wood
- Thread starter fido2
- Start date
The stand looks well built and quite strong.
I only have a tiny bit of experience with a situation like that. I built a stand to hold 2 40 breeders (one above the other. It had flat boards on top of the structural beams. The top board warped a little and I didn't notice. Later that year, the top tank cracked (front panel), making a mess.
The wet wood of your stand could be an issue (I am not sure), as it certainly could change shape (unevenly) and that would not be good. Perhaps others have more experience and would chime in.
It it were me, I would put a large amount of weight on it (such as a large empty aquarium, perhaps even heavier), making sure that it is all evenly distributed, and shimming it to conform to any floor irregularities. I will NOT fill-up the aquarium. I would place the whole thing (stand + weight above) in a room with a dehumidifier running 24/7 for a good while; I don't know how much it would take, but it could be weeks. Only when it seems that it is fairly dried-out would I consider putting it to full use, such as filling up the tank.
I guess you may be having a delay in putting together your new tank....
I only have a tiny bit of experience with a situation like that. I built a stand to hold 2 40 breeders (one above the other. It had flat boards on top of the structural beams. The top board warped a little and I didn't notice. Later that year, the top tank cracked (front panel), making a mess.
The wet wood of your stand could be an issue (I am not sure), as it certainly could change shape (unevenly) and that would not be good. Perhaps others have more experience and would chime in.
It it were me, I would put a large amount of weight on it (such as a large empty aquarium, perhaps even heavier), making sure that it is all evenly distributed, and shimming it to conform to any floor irregularities. I will NOT fill-up the aquarium. I would place the whole thing (stand + weight above) in a room with a dehumidifier running 24/7 for a good while; I don't know how much it would take, but it could be weeks. Only when it seems that it is fairly dried-out would I consider putting it to full use, such as filling up the tank.
I guess you may be having a delay in putting together your new tank....
Hello; There are two ways wood can be "wet". One is from when it is first cut down as a tree and has a lot of moisture from being alive. The log is sent thru processes at a mill from debarking and being rough cut. Usually the wood is allowed to dry out over time so that the natural moisture is lost. I see such lumber stacked at mills in a way so the air can circulate for months.
Once the rough cut is aged enough it can be further cut down to be what is called dimensional lumber which we can buy at stores such as Lowes, Home depot or 84 Lumber. By then is is dry enough to be fairly stable. Even so if you buy some flooring it is wise to put the flooring in the building you plan use it for a few days before installing if you can.
The other way wood can be wet is to let dry dimensional lumber get rained on. This can be bad for thin sheets of stuff such as plywood but not so bad for things like 2x4's or 2x6's if it is not left out in the weather too long. So I have two questions about the wood. Is it rough cut lumber? How did it get wet?
Once the rough cut is aged enough it can be further cut down to be what is called dimensional lumber which we can buy at stores such as Lowes, Home depot or 84 Lumber. By then is is dry enough to be fairly stable. Even so if you buy some flooring it is wise to put the flooring in the building you plan use it for a few days before installing if you can.
The other way wood can be wet is to let dry dimensional lumber get rained on. This can be bad for thin sheets of stuff such as plywood but not so bad for things like 2x4's or 2x6's if it is not left out in the weather too long. So I have two questions about the wood. Is it rough cut lumber? How did it get wet?
That thing looks rock solid. However, if it’s rough cut wood, there’s definitely a chance it could warp. Friend of mine built a stand using a similar design with 2x4’s and 2x6’s and it looked true but once it started to dry, it began to wobble so he had to throw it out and start over. Hopefully, that’s not the case for you
I made my first fish room racks out of dried hardwood then varnished to waterproof further believing these would handle moisture and rot better than structural pine (much softer ). As soon as tanks are emptied & weight removed, the stands would warp, even many years later.
I have slowly changed these out for structural grade pine. Much cheaper and easier to work with too.
If you just have one display tank, hardwood may be worth the extra effort and expense but it's not for me.
I have slowly changed these out for structural grade pine. Much cheaper and easier to work with too.
If you just have one display tank, hardwood may be worth the extra effort and expense but it's not for me.
When wood dries it shrinks across its width many times faster than it shrinks in length. When the grain of 2 mating pieces meet at 90 degrees to each other this difference in dimensional changes is usually where problems occur. Previously flush joints will be uneven after the wood dries. The wood will split where multiple fasteners are used across perpendicular grain joins.
Warping depends on the type of wood, the amount of moisture it has initially and what section of the tree the particular piece of wood is cut from.
Warping depends on the type of wood, the amount of moisture it has initially and what section of the tree the particular piece of wood is cut from.
Looks like you built that stand very stout! If it were me I wouldn't worry at all. I've built many stands at this point and I never worry about wood being wet from a lumber yard. Some of mine even let moisture out when tightening the hardware down. Never had a problem in all these years. I've done 100 plus gallon stands, 55 gallon, and double tank stands for 75's and 40 breeders. Ran them for years with not one issue, and I dont even triple up the 2x4's like you've done here. Some pics of my builds, the terrarium was originally an aquarium, until we moved and I started worrying about the seems:
Just changed stand to this one this should be strong enough to hold 400l tank what you recommend for top .
For a top I would use a piece of plywood. Then put a foam mat on top of the plywood to eliminate any pressure points.
If it is a glass tank you can probably get away with just putting some foam weather stripping around the perimeter of the top and not using a sheet of plywood if you prefer.
If it is a glass tank you can probably get away with just putting some foam weather stripping around the perimeter of the top and not using a sheet of plywood if you prefer.