# Stand & Canopy Finally Finished



## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

I'll start out by saying that, I'm no carpenter. This is my first time building anything with wood since high school shop class 25 years ago, lol. 
Mistakes were made and there are more than a few things that, given the chance, I would have done differently. Gloss instead of semi-gloss as well as stain color, or staining at all for that matter come to mind.
After lots of research and countless hours fiddling with Google Sketchup, I ended up with a design that fit the bill. I wanted something that used 3/4" plywood and held (2) 10g tanks and a 75g. Ply is maple except for the shelf which is oak (I didn't feel like forking out for another 4'x8' sheet just for the shelf).
On with the pics...click for ridiculously larger images...

Final design









Pocket Holes!! These are the greatest!









Left Shelf Support



























Here's the part where I got carried away and forgot I had a camera.









Flaps added


















Hinges and Stay Thingies, I forget what they're called :roll: ...


















Drawers









Fronts Added









Handles!!









At this point, I'm simply astounded that I haven't screwed anything up where I'd be obligated to use everything that's been built to this point as firewood.

Then I stained...Eww....










After a few coats of poly and a lot of sanding, I was able to get a decent finish.










(I completely forgot to take pics during the canopy build, also, I added the rest of the rocks).

Finished Product





































Thanks for reading!


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## JoelRHale (Apr 22, 2011)

_Says he's not a carpenter_, *makes awesome stand and canopy filled with functionality and class most anyone would be proud to own.* :lol:

Great job! It really turned out great! :thumb:


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## Agridion (Sep 8, 2010)

Looks good


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

Very nice job! Is there a jig for these pocket holes?


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## pistolpete (Dec 28, 2009)

finally a DIY stand that is not built like a tank bridge. I have been advocating all plywood stands for some time and yours is a good example. The one thing I might have done different with that design is reinforce some of the joints where your uprights meet your horizontals with blocks of plywood glued on over top of the pocket screws. These areas are hidden from view anyway and only scraps are needed.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Flippercon said:


> Very nice job! Is there a jig for these pocket holes?


Kreg Pocket Jig. You can sort of see it in the shelf support pic, bottom left. I was cheap and bought the single.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

JoelRHale said:


> _Says he's not a carpenter_, *makes awesome stand and canopy filled with functionality and class most anyone would be proud to own.* :lol:
> 
> Great job! It really turned out great! :thumb:


Ditto that. :thumb:


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## Vincent (May 7, 2004)

Fantastic job!


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## tasmith (Mar 31, 2011)

I like the stand. What size tanks are on it?


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

That is beautiful! I love the two tanks, I had thought about something much less fancy but that holds multiple tanks like this but decided I wasn't capable of doing it.

Glad to see that it can be done and looks awesome.... I'll tuck this thread away for a rainy day.


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## Norm66 (Mar 3, 2005)

:thumb: Very nice.


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## mccluggen (Jul 5, 2008)

Seriously sweet. I wish I was handy like that when it came to woodworking.

:thumb:


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## Kerricko (May 26, 2010)

GTZ, great job on the stand. I had been considering something along those lines myself. You have provided me with some inspiration.


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## duds (Apr 16, 2010)

Great looking stand. I love the look of stands that hold multiple tanks, and they're practical too. Would you mind sharing how much the build cost?


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## sjnovakovich (Sep 13, 2010)

Great job! You should go into business building these for others.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words everyone.  
As far as cost goes, it wasn't a 'scrap wood I had lying around' build. I had to rent a table saw from HD, twice, lol. (2) 4'x8' maple plywood sheets @ $50 ea, the kreg jig, handles, flap stays, hinges, stain, poly, drawer sliders, forstner drill bit and a few other odds and ends that others might already have. Total comes to around $375 for everything including tax (13%). If I already owned just the drill bit, kreg jig and didn't have to rent the saw, that number drops to around $250. I knew it wasn't going to be cheap going into it, my consolation is reminding myself that you can't really put a price on seeing it finished and knowing that you did it yourself. :wink:



sjnovakovich said:


> Great job! You should go into business building these for others.


No. :lol:


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## Kerricko (May 26, 2010)

GTZ said:


> Thanks for the kind words everyone.
> As far as cost goes, it wasn't a 'scrap wood I had lying around' build. I had to rent a table saw from HD, twice, lol. (2) 4'x8' maple plywood sheets @ $50 ea, the kreg jig, handles, flap stays, hinges, stain, poly, drawer sliders, forstner drill bit and a few other odds and ends that others might already have. Total comes to around $375 for everything including tax (13%). If I already owned just the drill bit, kreg jig and didn't have to rent the saw, that number drops to around $250. I knew it wasn't going to be cheap going into it, my consolation is reminding myself that you can't really put a price on seeing it finished and knowing that you did it yourself. :wink:
> 
> 
> ...


Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Nice build. My problem is equipment and space. I don't have a garage to work in at the moment. Hopefully in the next few months I will have that and a room just for fish. :thumb: :thumb:


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Looks great! 
Nice, sleek and functional design. BTW, the drawers on the bottom were a brilliant idea! 
:thumb:


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## Coln (Dec 17, 2007)

Really nice build, like the way main tank and smaller ones seem to blend in well
and the drawers help the look big time :thumb:


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## deaver (Apr 23, 2011)

wow, that is so sweet, great job. =D>


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I absolutely love how you framed in the two smaller tanks underneath, a truly professional job and I would sit in front of those 3 tanks all day =D>


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks guys!


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## theoryguru (Oct 11, 2011)

Great job! 
I'm putting that jig on my wish list


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## matt121966 (Mar 6, 2012)

I really like your stand construction. Great idea with the little flip lids for the bottom tanks.

Thanks for the photos.

Tanks and fish look great.

Sincere compliments.


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## 18fisher (Mar 2, 2006)

i love the flip tops awsome idea,looks great 18fisher


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## Woodworm (Jan 3, 2009)

very nice
=D>


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Very nice idea and application of idea. Are you using just HOB's on the top tank, or is there a hidden spot for a canister?

Putting the two lower tanks and the drawers under the main tank looks great! Love the stand with drawers, so much superior to the standard cabinet doors. (takes notes for the rebuild of my 75 stand in future)


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## deaver (Apr 23, 2011)

My parents live in florida,where's the best place to buy that jig? Any canadians know if it's available here?


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

nodima said:


> Very nice idea and application of idea. Are you using just HOB's on the top tank, or is there a hidden spot for a canister?


The stand build was last summer. Filtration went from an AC70 and XP2 to a single FX5 with spray bar (which sits beside the stand) and a Koralia 750.


deaver said:


> My parents live in florida,where's the best place to buy that jig? Any canadians know if it's available here?


I got the jig at Home Hardware.


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## deaver (Apr 23, 2011)

thanks, i'll look there.


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## AulonoKarl (Mar 9, 2012)

I like to think I'm pretty creative, but you all and your stand builds blow me out of the water. 
Nice work, GTZ.


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## 123vb123 (Feb 10, 2012)

May i use some of your ideas for my next project? Regards.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

AulonoKarl said:


> I like to think I'm pretty creative, but you all and your stand builds blow me out of the water.
> Nice work, GTZ.


Thanks!


123vb123 said:


> May i use some of your ideas for my next project? Regards.


By all means, feel free. :thumb:


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## deaver (Apr 23, 2011)

any pics of the jig and accessories?


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

deaver said:


> any pics of the jig and accessories?


Just what's on page 1.
The jig is a Kreg product. You can find more info at kregtool.com. I used the Kreg Jig Mini.


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## deaver (Apr 23, 2011)

thanks, exactly what i was lookin for.


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