You have mad skills. I actually read this thread from start to finish, haha.
Please adopt me, haha
Please adopt me, haha
My 125 gallon build a.k.a. in the deep end...
- Thread starter 1cooljeep
- Start date
Amazing build and setup i love your tank! I will be doing a 125 discus tank in the near future and was thinking of getting a 125 off of craigslist but this thread has made me want to make my own stand and canopy since i have 2 marineland 360s and 6 t5 bulbs. I have some expernice with wood just dont have the tools right now. also i would like to make my stand at least 42 inches high so you dont have to been down to look at it, which most stands aren't. i will check to see if this route would be cheaper since i dont have tools and will have to buy them. what type of tools are NEEDED to do this build? thanks for your help.
Also look forward to your 75g build!!!
Also look forward to your 75g build!!!
Thanks for the interest and kind words. I very much enjoyed building my 125 stand. Great project to work on. I too had some wood working experience and consider myself "handy", but in no way am I a fine wood worker or cabinetmaker.
The tools I used primarily were:
1 - chop saw to cut pieces accurately to length
2 - router with table to cut groove in rails and stiles of doors for panel ends
3 - belt sander, random orbit sander, and lots of hand sanding
4 - power drill
5 - POCKET SCREW JIG!!! (I now consider this tool the great woodworking equalizer! No need for mortise and tenon joints or dovetails. 90% of my finish joinery is held together with these.
6 - circular saw to cut panels to size
7 - tons of clamps of all types, as Norm says "you can never have enough clamps"
8 - finishing materials, stain, dyes, poly, etc. by far my least favorite part
All lumber and trim is stock Home Depot. Honestly, it was easier than I thought with good planning. Designing it with stock lumbar widths is key to avoid needing table saws, joiners, or other high dollar stuff. If you're resourceful, maybe you could borrow some tools from friends (like I did).
Good luck! You MAY save some money, but it does cost tme and effort. But the result is something that I'm proud of, especially when friends can't believe I built it.
The tools I used primarily were:
1 - chop saw to cut pieces accurately to length
2 - router with table to cut groove in rails and stiles of doors for panel ends
3 - belt sander, random orbit sander, and lots of hand sanding
4 - power drill
5 - POCKET SCREW JIG!!! (I now consider this tool the great woodworking equalizer! No need for mortise and tenon joints or dovetails. 90% of my finish joinery is held together with these.
6 - circular saw to cut panels to size
7 - tons of clamps of all types, as Norm says "you can never have enough clamps"
8 - finishing materials, stain, dyes, poly, etc. by far my least favorite part
All lumber and trim is stock Home Depot. Honestly, it was easier than I thought with good planning. Designing it with stock lumbar widths is key to avoid needing table saws, joiners, or other high dollar stuff. If you're resourceful, maybe you could borrow some tools from friends (like I did).
Good luck! You MAY save some money, but it does cost tme and effort. But the result is something that I'm proud of, especially when friends can't believe I built it.
thank you so much i really dont have friends that have any but i might just buy them so i have some tools for the future since i do like to work with wood! the time and effort is no problem i will have so much fun building it!
Tank and stand look great. Did you use a pore filler like Crystal Lac with a tint to bring out the grain? Something I have noticed with big box store lumber and veneered plywood, oak in particular, is that just finish alone doesn't make the color of the lumber and plywood match. Stain is usually needed to color match frame and panels.
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Thanks. You are correct. In the oak project, I stained the whole cabinet with a blend of oil based stains to get the color close. I then used dye mixed with satin poly the blend the colors together. When I was happy, I covered then whole project with clear satin poly.
For my current project I did something different. It's a 75 gallon saltwater tank with a similar stand design. However, I made it from pine. I also needed it to be dark to match some existing furniture. I chose a dark water based dye first to tint the wood dark brown. Then mixed a small amount of the dye with a water based poly to even and darken the finish. Finally, I covered the whole thing with water based poly. Turned out great. Drying time was only 1-2 hours between coats instead of a day, and clean ups a breeze. We'll see about durability, but manufacturer claims its just as good as oil poly. Time will tell.
I'll try to post some comparison shots for you to check out. Thanks again for your interest.
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The saltwater stand looks good. Are you using a gel stain? That tint looks like it could be General Finish's Java Gel Stain. Any wax free shellac as a sealer to limit blotchiness?
I am not familiar with pine plywood, unless it is the sanded one side stuff from the big box stores. I imagine it would need some sealer before staining.
It looks good. I like to see and feel the wood grain in furniture. No glossy finish on my projects.
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I am not familiar with pine plywood, unless it is the sanded one side stuff from the big box stores. I imagine it would need some sealer before staining.
It looks good. I like to see and feel the wood grain in furniture. No glossy finish on my projects.
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Both of your tanks are BEYOND GORGEOUS!! Awesome job! Great craftsmanship! Makes you wonder how aquarium companies get away with selling stands made out of 1" MDF instead of 2x4s. Ridiculous!
