# DIY stand



## Dominateprimate (Aug 27, 2011)

hey im planning to build a custom stand for my 125 and the more and more i look at it the bigger and HEAVIER it starts to look i was planning on using just simple 2x4s and 2 24s screwed together for the 4 corner braces. i was planning on it to be about 6'x19"x42" 
any suggestions or should i just calm down.


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## BigDaddyK (Nov 6, 2006)

Calm down :thumb:










Build it like that. 2x4's are technically overkill but it's worth it for the piece of mind IMHO


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Yes, it is big and heavy but there are good reasons for that. When you get in smaller wood, it can become more expensive to find good wood. One could use two 2X2 at each corner but I find it is hard to get a really good straight 2X2. Then fastening the top and bottoms on 2X2 gives you little room to put screws through and not make it split. With the right equipment, pocket screws and such can be used but most of us don't have the tools or training for that. Thinner wood takes a bit more knowledge to judge how to keep the fasteners from pulling through which might wreck the whole project. The 2X4 may be heavy but it matters little to me. If I were going to carry it a lot it might but that isn't what we do with stands. The 2X4 frame is just a simple, cheap and workable way to get it done. Then one can add almost any cover he wants to make it look the way he wants. There is a good reason why 2X4's are the most common lumber used for many things.


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

I made a step by step for a 125G in this thread: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=233415 About 2/3 of the way down. :thumb:

Like I said in the thread I haven't tested it (yet, I plan to build it in a week or two) but I'm sure it would hold up.

Good luck in building your stand, and remember MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE. That rule has saved me a lot of frustration and failure :lol:


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## Dominateprimate (Aug 27, 2011)

thanks for the diagrams and the steps to all of you it truly helps, i've been stressing about setting this tank up ever sincei got it and the stand is the first step towards getting it all set up. i'm thinking about taking the majority of your idea on my stand king krabb :lol:


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Dominateprimate said:


> I'm thinking about taking the majority of your idea on my stand king krabb :lol:


Good to hear! :thumb: It's pretty easy to make, I did and the only wood working experience I had was a semester of using a lathe in woodshop :lol:


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## Dominateprimate (Aug 27, 2011)

that's a very comforting thought, I've been worried that I'm getting over my head every day now. what did you do to smooth the rough edges? just sand them down with sandpaper?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I don't see any major flaws in that design. It has all the major points of stress covered but there is a question about attaching the top and bottom layers to the legs securely. Figure how to drive the screws at a 45 degree angle or put a block inside to screw to both top and legs? Either will work but think first, right? Glue at all the joints will help a great deal as well. I just use yellow carpenters glue but some recommend waterproof glue. My stands never get wet enough to soak in and come apart. If you take some time standing around the 2X4's at the lumber yard, you will be able to find good ones that are smooth enough to need very little sanding. You may have to pay 50 cents each more for good ones but it is a good investment. Know how to find straight ones? Lay two down beside each other and they should touch the full length. Turn one over on each of it's sides and it still should touch all the way. Take some time to get really nice straight wood that has smooth edges and it will save you hours of sanding and grief. Don't buy the big knots, either!


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## pistolpete (Dec 28, 2009)

those are good tips. I often look through 100 or more sticks to find 4 nice ones for a project, then I let them dry inside for 1/2 a year, but I guess I can get a bit carried away. I am and have always been a proponent of all plywood stands, but they do require more advanced wood working skills.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Any time I buy lumber, I do it with the thought that it will have some moisture left and as it dries it will try to warp. I don't have a way to keep it straight while it dries so I design the project to keep it from moving while drying and then try to get it done before the wood goes bad. A 2X left in my garage more than a few weeks if often useless.


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

PfunMo said:


> ...there is a question about attaching the top and bottom layers to the legs securely.


I've always just used 2" wood screws, 2 or 3 in each leg and none of my stands have ever moved on me. :thumb:



> what did you do to smooth the rough edges? just sand them down with sandpaper?


Yes, just sand paper! I have an electric handheld sander so that definitely sped the process up a bit 

PfunMo gave some excellent advice on choosing wood, I'd follow that.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

My main questions about the top/bottom attachment is more due to a question of choosing the right spot for the screws. Toe nailing is often done near the ends or sides of wood and if not done with some light handed moves, the wood can split pretty easy and then the split wood is not as strong as we might like. For new woodworkers, running screws straight in rather than toe-nail is usually easier.


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

I've always used 1x4s and drilled the hole before I put in the screw, I've never had a piece of wood split on me but what you say makes sense. Maybe I'm just incredibly lucky?


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

PfunMo said:


> I don't see any major flaws in that design. It has all the major points of stress covered but there is a question about attaching the top and bottom layers to the legs securely. Figure how to drive the screws at a 45 degree angle or put a block inside to screw to both top and legs? Either will work but think first, right?


Very neat solution to that is a KREG jig. Made for face frame construction on cabinets but works beautifully for this application. There are several kits starting at ~40 bucks or so. http://www.kregtool.com/Pocket-Hole-Jigs-Prodlist.html The $20 kit may be too minimal.



PfunMo said:


> Glue at all the joints will help a great deal as well. I just use yellow carpenters glue but some recommend waterproof glue. My stands never get wet enough to soak in and come apart. If you take some time standing around the 2X4's at the lumber yard, you will be able to find good ones that are smooth enough to need very little sanding. You may have to pay 50 cents each more for good ones but it is a good investment. Know how to find straight ones? Lay two down beside each other and they should touch the full length. Turn one over on each of it's sides and it still should touch all the way. Take some time to get really nice straight wood that has smooth edges and it will save you hours of sanding and grief. Don't buy the big knots, either!


Good advice on both glue and wood - when it comes to making aquarium stands I am definitely a "belt and suspenders" kind of guy. Glue and Screw. FWIW - most yellow glue is waterproof - errr 'water resistant' when dry. I know Tightbond II is.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Trying to make it as simple as possible and still come out with a good result. We've all been where this poster is, I think. At 15 he wants to do a big project, he has parents that are not quite sure about the job, good chance that money is not growing on trees, and not a lot of experience. We all pick up some experience but it comes with nickes and cuts. If we can help him get it right and at a level where he and his parents feel right, the sun will be just a bit brighter!


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## iwade4fish (Jan 5, 2009)

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:


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## Dominateprimate (Aug 27, 2011)

yeah......... the project has just been brought to a screeching halt due o the parents... and a bribe.

sorry i put you all through the truble


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

No problem. We needed the exercise , both mind and body! The project make come around again.


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

PfunMo said:


> Trying to make it as simple as possible and still come out with a good result. We've all been where this poster is, I think. At 15 he wants to do a big project, he has parents that are not quite sure about the job, good chance that money is not growing on trees, and not a lot of experience. We all pick up some experience but it comes with nickes and cuts. If we can help him get it right and at a level where he and his parents feel right, the sun will be just a bit brighter!


That's an amazingly accurate description of last year for me :lol:


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