building tank stand

[The Zigman]

3/4" is plenty to hold that tank...
80# is not that much weight, think about it, I bet you have set down on more flimsy furniture than that.

Most tank stands I have seen are WAY over built.
I would suggest making this whole cabinet out of 3/4 " plywood, and covering the entire back of it with 1/4 inch plywood. the back (1/4 inch plywood) will keep the whole cabinet square, and wont let it fold over like an accordian.

get your 3/4 plywood and rip it to the depth of your cabinet (IDK 14-16"?)
If you keep it under 16" you can rip a sheet of plywood into 3 equal strips, about 15 1/2" each. Anyway.. rip the plywood into 3 strips...

Build the box that makes the 2 sides, and the top and the bottom...
Make sure it is square, and nail, and glue the back on...

then cut the center vertical divider. glue, and screw in place..It will provide the lateral support for the top.

then cut the shelves, you can mount them with small blocks or brackets, or even dowel pins..

Always use yellow wood glue.
Always try to use screws.
If you use screws always drill the correct size pilot holes.
When the cabinet is finished, you can face out the front with some 1x2's or use some wood trim. they make outside corner trim that covers the plywood edges very nicely..

Whew! I am tired now, Think I got carple tunnel or something...
and I need a beer...

 

[Luc]

Just to illustrate Nopalete's comments on sheer-strength.

1st picture is the frame for a stand of a 99gallon tank I'm building up right now. I estimate the total weight will be somewhere 500 to 600 kg. (Say 1200 Lbs) (the top was put on it for measurement, but imagine without that top cover)

Now, having the stand as in the first picture, sure it will collapse to the left or right very easily with that kind of weight on top.
The wood I use is 2cm x 6cm and it's nailed/glued together
So, what Nopalete and others are telling you:

Picture 2: Added back and top for sheer-strenght.
I've used compressed wood with about 5 layers (1 stain, 4 finish) to make it water-proof, but the layer is 1cm thick and gives a rigid, very strong support to it.

Picture 3 is a detail of the back-side corner, top layer was only glued, but the back-side has been attached using both glue and screws.

Hope that explains it....

 

[Nolapete]

The sheathing doesn't have to be thick. You could use 1/4" plywood. Most bookshelves have thin sheathing on the back for this very reason, but most people don't know it's there for anything other than aesthetics.

 

[coach_z]

thank you for the further explanations. they are very helpful.

zig. why do you suggest ply over pine?

i was told today that she would rather buy her own stand and squeeze it in the room...i think that is because she was mad at me. ill have to see what is really going to happen.

 

[wackydan]

LUC,

Thank-you for your pics...Proves time and time again, that you can build with less and still have a sturdy, safe, and good looking stand without 2x lumber coming into play every time.

As a woodworker, I can't thank you enough for the sanity check for others.

 

[Luc]

Wackydan, now that's a compliment to close the day here...thanks...

No woodworker myself, though trying to get into it a bit more. Amazing how much you can do with it, even with only some simple tools and paint.

Coming back to the topic, I'm quite sure that even my stand is still overbuilt. Zigman did nicely point out the most important parts for building the stand: Glue and Screws.

If your stand is done with proper wood-joints, then only the back (plywood, compressed wood, whatever wood) needs to be both glued and screwed. The rest can be glue only.
I prefer to have the top in one piece, so I only glue that part, the back I surely screw tight after applying glue. (doesn't need to be a deep screw though, 3/4 inch screw will do just fine on 1/4 inch plywood or compressed wood. Every 10 inch 1 screw on every piece of underlying frame.

Let the top have an overhang at the back so your joint (frame & backside) is covered by it and you won't risk any water getting into it. Looks better as well.

 

[Neonsilver]

A lot more woodworkers here than I originally thought. Just a quick update on wood sizing as well. 1" would be the rough cut measurements that are usually known as 4/4 in the lumber industry. When you get that completely planed flat and square you are looking more at 3/4 and yes, it is very strong. 90 lbs. is not that heavy when it comes to furniture strength and if you dado the spots where everything meets and rabbit the corners you would have plenty of strength with glue added. You also need to add in a back panel like everyone else has said. One more thing I would suggest is making it out of ply as well because from the way everything sounds accounting for wood movement may be a little out of you skillset at the moment.

 

[The Zigman]

thank you for the further explanations. they are very helpful.

zig. why do you suggest ply over pine?

i was told today that she would rather buy her own stand and squeeze it in the room...i think that is because she was mad at me. ill have to see what is really going to happen.

Ply would make a solid more sturdy cabinet, and to me, its just easier to work with. A full sheet of 3/4 plywood is like $50.
to sort through, and pick out decent 1X pine stock would be a hassle, and if you bought select or quality pine, it would cost alot more.

A lot more woodworkers here than I originally thought. Just a quick update on wood sizing as well. 1" would be the rough cut measurements that are usually known as 4/4 in the lumber industry. When you get that completely planed flat and square you are looking more at 3/4 and yes, it is very strong. 90 lbs. is not that heavy when it comes to furniture strength and if you dado the spots where everything meets and rabbit the corners you would have plenty of strength with glue added. You also need to add in a back panel like everyone else has said. One more thing I would suggest is making it out of ply as well because from the way everything sounds accounting for wood movement may be a little out of you skillset at the moment.

True 1"thick lumber is tradidtionaly known as 5/4 boards, whish means they were originaly cut 5/4" thick (yes thats 1 1/4") before they were finish planed down to their final size. All dimensional lumber, 2x4, 1x6, 4x4 etc are actually smaller than their dimensional size says because the dimensions were the rough cut size, and then the lumber is planed to its final dimension. Sawmill blades are made to cut fast, but they dont leave the best finish, thats why the lumber is then planed down to remove the rough sawmarks left by the blades at the sawmill. Look at the studs in an old house, and you will see unplaned true dimensional lumber.

 

[Nolapete]

I find it funny that most of the people who build their own stands overbuild them with 2x4 or 4x4 framing when NONE of the commercially available stands ever use anything bigger than 1" lumber.

 

[Neonsilver]

Sawmill blades are made to cut fast, but they dont leave the best finish, thats why the lumber is then planed down to remove the rough sawmarks left by the blades at the sawmill.

Rough cut lumber looks almost furry, it is definitely strange. You could build a very sturdy tank stand for anything under 100 gallons using 1/2" ply, it just depends on how you build it.

I think the reason most people use 2x4's to build stands is becausethey are easier to work with and faster.