Cool diy stand site
- Thread starter Dean
- Start date
I agree that the site is kinda cool how it shows what is needed to make the stand, but where they get the info and just about always suggest using 4"x4" posts is way over-kill!!
I have built over ten different stands and reverse-engineered several other "store-bought" units and you'd be surprised how little wood they use in those!! Most of them are made from 3/4" plywood and 1"x2" or 1"x4" lumber... no where near a 4"x4"!!
Last year I built a nice, open stand for my headboard that would hold both a 55 gallon and a 20 gallon high next to it. It was just over 7' loong and about 12.5" wide. I used 2"x2" oak posts 36" long and oak 1"x4" boards is all. I used a total of 8 of the posts and tied them together using the 1"x4" lumber and never have had a single problem with it. It is a bit unstable with the tanks full (at least less stable than I prefer!), but I have no doubt it will hold up forever! My latest 55 gallon stand I used 2"x4" lumber for the 'cage' and then faced it with 1/2" plywood for better looks. I guarantee it would hold up my 7,000 lb truck!! I'll try to get some pics of the final project if anyone is interested.
Bill C.
I have built over ten different stands and reverse-engineered several other "store-bought" units and you'd be surprised how little wood they use in those!! Most of them are made from 3/4" plywood and 1"x2" or 1"x4" lumber... no where near a 4"x4"!!
Last year I built a nice, open stand for my headboard that would hold both a 55 gallon and a 20 gallon high next to it. It was just over 7' loong and about 12.5" wide. I used 2"x2" oak posts 36" long and oak 1"x4" boards is all. I used a total of 8 of the posts and tied them together using the 1"x4" lumber and never have had a single problem with it. It is a bit unstable with the tanks full (at least less stable than I prefer!), but I have no doubt it will hold up forever! My latest 55 gallon stand I used 2"x4" lumber for the 'cage' and then faced it with 1/2" plywood for better looks. I guarantee it would hold up my 7,000 lb truck!! I'll try to get some pics of the final project if anyone is interested.
Bill C.
if you think about it a 55 gallon tank is about 630 pounds, so that is like 4 people, and you could probably have 4 people standing on a wooden coffee table without it breaking. Those things are not built to be structurally strong either. Or how about a deck or patio or whatever, those things hold a bunch of people and they usually have 4x4's or 3 2x4's together or something like that.
Making the comparison between a piece of furniture that can hold a similar weight in people to something holding up a tank is a false analogy. Put 4-5 180 lbs people on a couch--sure it will hold. For a while. And the people only sit there for a while. So, the weight is a temporary load and usually fairly stable. This is not the same scenario as a fish tank--that holds the same weight, 24/7, for years at a time. The weight fluctuates (water changes, re-arranging, adding decorations, etc), there's a good chance of water exposure, etc. Apples and oranges!
I agree, using 4X4 is over-engineering. Wood is sturdy stuff, and properly built, can hold tons, easily. However--using stronger material than absolutely needed is better than using inadequate woods. I'd rather have 4x4's, know it's more than I need, than use 2x2's and wonder.
For what it's worth, I have only 2 tanks that are NOT on stands I've built. My 40 is on a stand made of 2x4, the 55's are also on 2x4s. The SW system is on a cabinent that could withstand several close range hits from a grenade and weighs about 600 pounds. Over engineered? You bet! There's well over $4000 worth of rock, corals, fish, and lighting on that puppy. I want it to be solid.
I agree, using 4X4 is over-engineering. Wood is sturdy stuff, and properly built, can hold tons, easily. However--using stronger material than absolutely needed is better than using inadequate woods. I'd rather have 4x4's, know it's more than I need, than use 2x2's and wonder.
For what it's worth, I have only 2 tanks that are NOT on stands I've built. My 40 is on a stand made of 2x4, the 55's are also on 2x4s. The SW system is on a cabinent that could withstand several close range hits from a grenade and weighs about 600 pounds. Over engineered? You bet! There's well over $4000 worth of rock, corals, fish, and lighting on that puppy. I want it to be solid.
static strength = the ability to hold weight at rest from 0 sec or 30 years or more
dynamic strength = the ability to withstand shape or not break for a sudden instant in time, which is a lot less time then the 2 hours it takes to watch a movie.
600 pounds of fish tank = 600 pounds of people
strength of pine wood for furniture = strength of pine wood for fish tanks
sure the distribution is different, but all i'm saying is that people think fishtanks need huge support, but those same people take for granted a coffee table could probably hold 4 people of equal weight to that fish tank.
dynamic strength = the ability to withstand shape or not break for a sudden instant in time, which is a lot less time then the 2 hours it takes to watch a movie.
600 pounds of fish tank = 600 pounds of people
strength of pine wood for furniture = strength of pine wood for fish tanks
sure the distribution is different, but all i'm saying is that people think fishtanks need huge support, but those same people take for granted a coffee table could probably hold 4 people of equal weight to that fish tank.