# DIY 120 Stand



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

Well, after completing the frame for a stand to accommodate my 120 gallon, I sold it to another fishkeeper as my wife and I are renovating and considered the possibility of a built-in tank instead. I had a contractor friend evaluate the new plan but it would not work out due to structural issues. So.....time to build another frame. This one is nearly identical to the one I just sold but with slight variances based on which materials I had on hand.

I nearly managed to get it completed in a single afternoon. Of course, having ample power tools (not to mention practice) speeds up the process immensely.

























































This time around, I decided to invest the time to remove the "crown" from all of the 2x4's. This involves removing the width of the blade on both sides of the plank and ensures much truer lumber to build with.









I decided to go with a slightly larger base as I had 1x6's available as opposed to 1x4's.









The bottom deck is 3/8" mdf which will be sealed to prevent swell from moisture.









Again, dowels were used (although larger 3/8" dowels) as well as Kreg pocket screws to beef up leg attachment.

































The legs are on, straight and true.

























That is where I ran out of energy and hours. Construction and addition of top frame takes place tomorrow.


----------



## Norm66 (Mar 3, 2005)

Wow, nice. One of these days I would like to have a place to keep all those kinds of tools and the space to use them. I built my 125 stand on the street in front of my house as it was the only place that would work. Mine's not as nice as yours, but once I painted it black it's just fine. hehehe


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

I made some progress on the stand tonight before the storm knocked out our power. Tough to build in the dark. :x

Got the basic top frame on.









Added some structural support on the back side.









View from the front.









View from the back.









Structure is complete.

















Skinning should start tomorrow. :thumb:


----------



## loganloganlo (Jun 9, 2011)

Looks nice. I am building a monster here very soon. It's going to be a stand with a canopy with two 6' tall shelves and the canopy top will meet the shelves top so it looks all even to eacother.. Only problem is, trying to figure out how the **** I am going to be able to get my sump in and out.. during the design I was thinking "Hey if I ever need to get it out, I will just move it from the wall and detach the back.." Wasn't thinking that one throu once I remembered that it's going to be near 2000lb's once I am done with everything. :x 
Great job! =D>


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

I put in a short evening in the shop tonight. I am getting a little burned out. I managed to start the skinning process anyway.

First, I added 2 more supports to prevent racking.









Then, I ripped down 1x10 in to strips of 1/2" x 3/4".









I mounted the strips on the back side of 1/2" oak plywood panels.

















The panels were then fastened (brad nailed) flush with the sides as "inserts".

















Here is the view from beside the stand. Not sure why the oak looks so strange in this shot.









Stay tuned. More to come later in the week. :wink:


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

In order to give the inside of the stand a "finished" appearance, I decided to line it with 1/4" MDF which will be primed and painted to protect it against moisture.

Here is how the back looks now.









A closer look.









A look at a side.









I even trimmed out the bottom lip.









Then, all of the seams were sealed with Mono Ultra Exterior (Paintable) Caulking.


















Next comes the priming and painting of the interior. I really dislike painting. :x


----------



## Will1983 (Dec 6, 2009)

looks great mate, im in the process of building a stand for my 55G so this is very relevant.


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

The primer is done and, man, I am glad that is over with. :thumb:

Before I primed, I decided to build the removable panel that will form the front of the stand.

I used a frame of fir 2x2's and then glued and brad nailed a 1/2" oak plywood panel to it.









Here is a closer look.









Although the panel will be held in place by rare earth magnets, I flush fitted it for this photo.









That's all for now. Paint goes on the interior tomorrow. =D>


----------



## mattrox (Jul 26, 2011)

Looking really good!


----------



## MPKS92 (Nov 5, 2010)

Awesome looking stand. Looks very sturdy. Makes my store bought ones look very fragile. Keep up the great work.


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

Thanks for the great feedback!

I am really enjoying this project. I may even have to build a matching canopy.
:thumb:


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

The paint is on the interior and drying as we speak. :dancing:

Updated photos to come soon.


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

I made a little more progress over the last 2 days so time to update.

The interior, top frame and back of the stand were sealed with a coat of Behr Premium Plus Interior Enamel Undercoater, Sealer and Primer. Then I added 2 coats of Behr Premium Plus Interior/Exterior Porch & Floor paint tinted to a shade called "Brazil Nut". It should go really nicely with the brown tones being applied to the exterior trim.









I also added peel & stick floor tiles to the deck that will hold my sump filter.









Once the tiles were down, I again lined the perimeter with Mono Ultra caulking to add to the water resistance. Here is a closer look.









Then it was time to begin exterior finishing. I hand sanded the oak inserts and door panel with 180 grit sand paper and removed the dust with a damp rag. Once dry, I applied 1 coat of Varathane "American Walnut".









Here is a look at one side insert.









And here is the door panel so far.









Both side inserts and the door panel will get a second coat of stain later today.

That's all for now. :fish:


----------



## Agridion (Sep 8, 2010)

Your stand should be able to hold a semi on top of it!  Looking good.


----------



## mcbdz (Jul 5, 2011)

Nice job, will be watching to see the rest of the build. Hope you decide to do the canopy.


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

Just a little bit of progress this week. I am on holidays and spending time with my sons before they go back to their Mom's and get ready for school to start.

The door panel fits flush but will be secured in place by magnets. I countersunk rare earth magnets into the side and bottom pillars.









I installed a double width magnetic latch on the top of the door opening.









Since the door panel and side inserts have been stained, it is time to protect against water. Here is my product of choice.









I have put on 4 coats and will allow to fully cure. Here is a peek of the door panel now.









I have been working on the balance of the stand as well. I have picked up a bunch of oak hardwood, cut to length/width and used my orbital sander to hit it with 180 grit and then 220 grit.

Stay tuned for future updates! :dancing:


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

Now that the Diamond Finish has fully cured, it is time to continue work on the door panel.

I picked up a cool (relatively new) product by Rustoleum. This is just what I need to help hold the door panel in place.









Here is the door panel with 2 coats of magnetic primer.









To complete the stand, I picked up up Saman Wood Finish (Cocoa). Rather than a stain, it is actually a tinted clear coat. I am going for an espresso look so I figure 3-4 coats will be needed on my oak hardwood.









Here is a portion of the hardwood after the first coat.









Here is a closer look.









The Saman goes on with a grease consistency and is brushed on and off. It is a lot of work but worth the rich appearance.

Catch'ya soon. :fish:


----------



## Tadgo (Jul 31, 2011)

Magnetic primer? That's cool. How well does it work for this application?


----------



## Bilocate (Aug 15, 2011)

very nice, looking forward to see it done


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

> Magnetic primer? That's cool. How well does it work for this application?


I haven't put the panel in place yet but spare magnets grab extremely well. :thumb:



> very nice, looking forward to see it done


Thanks a lot!

Well, I had one large setback on this project. I thought I had saved myself some work by utilizing the Saman one-step finish.......wrong! The first coat went on great but successive coats became increasingly difficult and blotchy. So......I became a stripper..........furniture stripper that is. 

I managed to find some Varathane stain (Espresso) to use in place of the Saman but the issue became getting my hardwood back to it's original state.

I picked up a chemical stripper yesterday and went to work.









Stripping paint, stain, etc is always messy. I had to apply 2 coats but this stuff worked well and had no harsh odor. After 3 hours, the previous stain was all but gone.

Here is how the oak looks now.









Now to get re-acquainted with my trusty finish sander. I am going to hit every board (once again) with 120 grit sandpaper and then 180 grit to re-open the grain. The end caps will all get a go with 220 grit. I hope to have the sanding finished tomorrow night.

On a more positive note, the door panel looks pretty good now that I added a matching topcoat over the magnetic primer.









Well......back to work. :roll:


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

Well the staining process had more *&$#[email protected]* surprises in store for me. The Espresso stain that I had ordered from the Home Hardware warehouse had not only sat on a dusty shelf for....oh....35 years but the can had a small puncture that I discovered after I had coated some of the oak hardwood in the slop. The prolonged exposure to air had ruined the stain.

So....I dug out the finish sander AGAIN and hit the boards with 150 grit to re-open the grain. I had all but given up on the staining idea and was considering paint when I came across *exactly* what I was looking for.

Kona stain by Varathane.









Finally....after 2 coats I have the espresso look that I have been trying to achieve. Here is a peek at some of the boards laid out to dry.









Here is a closer look. I love how the grain in the oak is muted yet visible.









Tomorrow the fun starts. Fastening the hardwood to the stand frame. Rather than use wood glue, I am using a MUCH stronger adhesive.
LePage PL9000 Heavy Duty (Quick Grab) Construction Adhesive and micro pins (air nailed).









I will take pictures throughout the process. Stay tuned. :dancing:


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

I got both sides nearly completed tonight.

Here is a sneak peek.


















I hope to finish the front and door panel shortly.


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

The stand frame is essentially complete. All that remains is another coat or 2 of Diamond Finish. Check it out.

























I added strips of anti-fatigue foam mat(carpeted) as a buffer between the bottom tank trim and the stand. This will also allow the tank (heavy) to slide easily into place.









Here is how it looks from the top.









I finished the door panel but my wife and I are not happy with how it turned out so we will be re-designing it soon.

In the meantime, I started working on the tank itself. Not much to update. Here is how the tank trim looked after it met my Dremel cutting wheel.

















More updates coming soon.


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

With the long weekend came an opportunity to get working on my new door panel.

Here it is being test fit in the frame.









Here is a look at the structure. It is fir 1x2 and 1/4" oak plywood.









Because the new door panel is slimmer (and lighter :thumb countersunk magnets would not align properly. As a result, I fashioned these "L-brackets" out of steel nailing strips. They work like a charm.









The first coat of stain is now on the door panel and the oak 1x2 trim.

As an aside, I thought that I would be making my own DIY wet/dry sump but that plan changed this weekend. I picked up a gently used Schuran Filter-Rack S1 sump for an amazing price. At 1/16th of what it sells for new (in the UK) I had to grab it.

Check it out.

























The bio-tower even has a rotating spray bar.









More to come in a few days.


----------



## Doc_Polit (Jul 22, 2003)

Well.........the stand is done!



















Now to finish the tank and plumbing.


----------



## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Wow! Truly an amazing stand, excellent job! =D>


----------



## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)

great job,I,m not on the diy threads very often,you went through all this trouble of sharing your build,so I applaud that as well =D>


----------



## fancycichlid (Oct 14, 2011)

Nice, you gave me ideas for my 55 gal stand too. Thanks


----------



## swamphntr (Oct 21, 2011)

Nice job !


----------



## dsouthworth (Sep 7, 2011)

Any chance I could see a picture of the sump now? filled with water?
I'm unsure of the water flo and just being curious!

Once again, I'm truly jealous of that stand. Looks beautiful.


----------



## WhitzEnd (May 2, 2011)

I really like what you have done here. I took a similar approach with my stand frame. The kreg jig is one of the best tools i have ever invested in.


----------



## bwestgsx06 (Sep 21, 2011)

that stand looks amazing


----------



## johnscarbrough (Jan 11, 2012)

Nice effort man.


----------

