No wood working skills and a tank stand

Hey Everybody. Just wanted to put it out there that I just finished my 55 gallon tank stand...and I have little to no artistict talent or carpentry skills but I still managed to create a functional good looking stand that is sturdier and cheaper than a pet store version. I managaed to make plans out of three or so other plans and dumbed them down for me...I will post pics when I can but if anyone has any questions it is all still fresh in my mind, and I would be glad to help.

 

Congrats ruromastyx1 and Welcome to FishLore btw

Look forward to the pictures and if it is still fresh maybe you could post a log of the whole process of how you did it, what you used etc

 

alright I will log it as best as I remember.
materials:
4-49 inch 2x4 lengths
4-11 inch " "
6-24 inch " "
1 sheet of sanded 1/4 inch ply wood
1 sheet of 1 inch ply (for doors, although you can used pre fab cabinet doors if you can find them)
one length of door molding (for the trim I just liked the look of this one)
1 large box of #8 2in wood screws
1 large box of #8 3/4 inch wood screws
1 lb of 6d finishing nails
1 lb of 3d finishing nails
3 packs of door hinges
8 corner lumber supports
8 90 degree angle supports (for connecting the posts to the frame)
fine sand paper
wood glue
wood putty
I got the pics and will post them soon

Basicaly I built two 49x14 squares with one center brace. (oh and that puts the wood count up to six 11 inch pieces sorry) then secured 24 inch posts on each corner and one in the middle. then attached the molding to the top. I also built out my foot a bit more because of how skinny the tank is but that is optional. I used the 1/4 inch ply for the sides and the floor and left the back open....I am having trouble uploading pics but I should have them up soon.

 

Looks really nice! Wish I had the time and to build one. Looks easy enough.

 

good job.got a laugh when I was looking at the pics .my kids have the same home depot work bench.

 

Thanks for putting up the log and the pictures. For what it's worth, I think you did a very good job with it indeed

What stain did you use on the plywood?

So is a hood next? >

 

It looks very nice. Don't sell yourself short either... apparently you do have some pretty good woodworking skills!

 

As the others have said, don't deny yourself credit. It looks stable, strong and square. That's a good bit beyond either a store-bought stand, or for that matter what most home builders accomplish today.

The only constructive criticism I can offer is with the finishing. It looked like you had a whole lot of wood filler at the joints and over the nail holes. This is often a necessity when working with construction lumber. As you found out, filler shows up rather clearly with certain stains and/or clearcoats over top of it. This is because pine sucks up stain like a sponge, and filler absorbs it slowly. There are a couple of ways around this for future projects.

• Use screws from the backside instead of nails from the face.
• If you must come from the face, countersunk screws with plugs to hide them. (You can get fancy with contrasting colored wood plugs!)
• Make a homemade filler from gel-type superglue coated liberally with sanding dust from the project. Since its the same wood, it stains the same, and only gives a slight gloss line where the superglue is exposed. And that mostly disappears if you use a high gloss clearcoat.
• Don't hide the joints, but accent them with small chamfers you put on before glue-up and assembly. No Filler required.
• If you end up with a hammer dent, rather than fill it, steam it out. Lay a damp rag on the dent and iron it with a clothes iron (with the rag still in place). The water and steam swell the wood fibers, and then you can sand it back flat after it drys.
• Use a Pre-Stain Conditioner on the pine. It is basically a very thinned out clearcoat that slows down and evens out how fast the pine absorbs the stain. Just use it on pine, aspen or cherry, these are the woods that tend to get blotchy when you stain them. Plywood, oak, birch, walnut, etc., don't need it.

Hope this helps!

 

Ok I gotta ask: what are chamfers?

 

Ok I gotta ask: what are chamfers?

A chamfer is a beveled easing of an edge. In this case, instead of trying to make the joint tight and clean, emphasize it.

 

looks good bro nice job and good idea store bought tend to be really unreliable over time.

 

Hey Thanks for all the good comments everybody, Really glad I am not the only one who thinks it rocks. I am at work right now so I don't remember the brand of stain I used but I think it was MINWAX or something like that, and I used a dark cherry color. Yeah I did use a bit of wood putty, and I noticed how it absorbed stain diffrent after staining it of course LOL but live and learn I guess...but I have my tank filled and running on the stand now and it is doing a remarkable job. I thought it was cool because the only tools I used were a straight saw, a jigsaw, a powerdrill and a hammer...no real expensive tools required!!...I will post pics with the tank filled when I can...the dark cherry really sets off the bluish color of the water... thanks again

 

Definitely cool looking !!

Mags, thanks for the info and diagram

 

I really want to make my own for a 55 gallon Thanks for the inspiration.

 

its really not that hard as long as you plan it out. For someone like me who really dosen't know much about building, making a really solid plan was crucial, and I measured everything twice before I cut it...LOL

 

I think I'll wait until I get the money for a 55 gallon tank before I start looking at wood for a stand, but I'll definitely keep it in mind on my next trip to Lowe's.

 

there is something to be said for a job well done expecially if you did it yourself:

 

yea Looking at yours makes me want to reinforce mine. I got a 110 Gallon stand that doesn't even touch the tank other than outer edges. I think I'm going to have to put in some cross beams. Good thing it's not full yet.

 

that looks awesome, good job!!