My DIY 125 Stand Build, Lots of Pics

Thanks again. Doors are now hung. On another note I need to decide on a finish. I'm toying around on some scrap with Watco Danish Oil. Anyone know anything about this and how well it will protect?

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I am by no means trying to be negative, but have you thought about the 1000+lbs of tank and water that will be supporting? I just dont want to see something that nice get crushed and all the other horrible stuff that 125 gallons of water would do to the inside of a house.
btw, way off topic but does your username mean drag racer?
 
Loreson, no offense taken by your concerns. Actually, I had the same concerns about this construction with no 2 x's and such, so I PM'd the guy who built his on another forum. He is a very experienced carpenter and cabinet maker and told me of the compression strengths of oak plywood stood on end, as taught to him by others with 30+ years of experience. According to him, plywood on end has the strength of like 11 1x3's nailed together. It was explained to me how 2x4 and 4x4 construction was WAY overbuilt, not to mention very heavy. And honestly, I looked at the construction of my manufactured 72g bowfront stand, and it is basically the same thing.

And yes to the last question, it is drag racer. NHRA Competition Eliminator.
 
DrgRcr said:
Loreson, no offense taken by your concerns. Actually, I had the same concerns about this construction with no 2 x's and such, so I PM'd the guy who built his on another forum. He is a very experienced carpenter and cabinet maker and told me of the compression strengths of oak plywood stood on end, as taught to him by others with 30+ years of experience. According to him, plywood on end has the strength of like 11 1x3's nailed together. It was explained to me how 2x4 and 4x4 construction was WAY overbuilt, not to mention very heavy. And honestly, I looked at the construction of my manufactured 72g bowfront stand, and it is basically the same thing.

And yes to the last question, it is drag racer. NHRA Competition Eliminator.
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Very good, I know oak is a strong wood. :)

Cool on the drag racing, I used to have a tt 351 mustang a year or 2 ago. Been down the strip a few times myself.
 
If you can spray, I would use a precatalyzed lacquer. Valspar makes a good one. Many sheens to choos from. Precatalyzed makes it impermeable. I use it alot where wetness might be an issue.
 
I don't have spraying capability, so I wound up using the Danish oil as the instuctions state. Basically 2 coats, the 1st is wiped on heavy and it soaks in for 30 minutes. The Then you wipe on the 2nd coat, wait 15 mins and wipe off the excess. I tried it on some scrap and it looked good so I went with it. It's supposed to be a stain and sealer all in one. You can actually see the penetration depth and it does seem to fill the pores well. If I have the piece, I'll post a pic later, plus others once the poly is on and the doors are re-hung.. I plan on going with 2 coats of satin brush on polyurethane.

As an aside, after reading LoresonDE's concerns, I looked at my manufacturer built stand for my 72g bowfront. Absolutely NO 2x's anywhere, just 1x construction and a rim, no solid top. And it looks like all nails also, no screws. If I were a betting man, mine is better built than there's!
 
DrgRcr said:
Loreson, no offense taken by your concerns. Actually, I had the same concerns about this construction with no 2 x's and such, so I PM'd the guy who built his on another forum. He is a very experienced carpenter and cabinet maker and told me of the compression strengths of oak plywood stood on end, as taught to him by others with 30+ years of experience. According to him, plywood on end has the strength of like 11 1x3's nailed together. It was explained to me how 2x4 and 4x4 construction was WAY overbuilt, not to mention very heavy. And honestly, I looked at the construction of my manufactured 72g bowfront stand, and it is basically the same thing.

And yes to the last question, it is drag racer. NHRA Competition Eliminator.
Click to expand...

Yup, no need for 2x4's at all. You could make that whole stand out of MDF if you wanted to and it would hold that tank no problem. If you have the skill you can make a strong stand out of just about anything. If you are not used to working with wood or have limited tools, then using 2x4's is sometimes simpler and more bullet proof for the novice.

My next stand is being made out of all Pine 3/4 stock.

As for the Danish oil. - It is easy to repair damage to the stand with an oil finish applied. However, oil finishes are not tolerant of long term or regular water exposure, so swabbing up small spills is important. Once the oil has hardened - you can take paste wax and buff the stand. That will add some protection and add a bit more shine than what the oil will give you.

Now... If you want more durability and want to maintain the ability to repair blemishes in the stand you can top coat it with blond Shellac. Shellac is not immune to water damage but holds up pretty well if you put multiple coats on. Shellac is dissolved in alcohol, so you can take denatured alcohol and rub out a water spot/damaged area and simply re-coat that area.... Many antiques were protected with shellac back in the day and that is what makes repairing them a bit easier.

You can also top coat with an oil based poly -Hard to find if you live in California. Do not try to use a water based poly over the danish oil...It will not coat well and look like crap. Two or three coats of poly offers the best protection against water damage, but is very difficult to repair when compared to Shellac.

Shellac or poly, make sure you wait 5 or more days to let the danish oil completely cure and sand in-between coats.

I digress... PM me with any questions.
 
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