New 180g stand and canopy build - DIY How To

[snakeblitz33]

Hello everyone...
So, I thought that it would be interesting to share something with all of you - and that is how to properly build your own aquarium stand.
In this case, my customer wants a pine stand with a middle bookcase (yes, it is a freshwater tank, because you probably wouldn't want a book case in a saltwater tank stand.) with a black satin painted finish.
First came the planning. I had to know EXACTLY what the tank measurements are. Turns out it is 72.5x24.5" x2" which is the base and top - as a stand and canopy builder, you are only concerned about the base and the trim (2") on the top and bottom - or if there is trim at all (think Amano).
So, I decided that I was going to build the stand with the dimensions 73" by 24 3/4". This works out well because of the amount of plywood used - and what cuts need to be made. More on that later.
The tools that I used to complete this job:
skil saw / rip saw
miter saw / framing saw
18v battery powered drill (I like black & decker)
Sharpened hand planer
small square
large square
24ft tape measurer
wood pencil / pen if painted.
C-clamps
long clamps
220 grit sandpaper
150 grit sandpaper
100 grit sandpaper
Power sander
Pocket hole jig
Materials:
One pound 2 1/2" screws
One pound 2" screws
Tight bond wood glue
Satin black paint - Beher (sp??)
Paint primer - Beher
3 sheets cabinet plywood
five 2x4x8's
two 2x4x12's

 

[snakeblitz33]

First, make a top and a bottom frame. In this case, it measures 71.5x24" exactly. Use a square on the inside and outside of all of the edges and make sure that the screws go straight in, so that there is no pressure on the wood that can cause twisting. ALWAYS check your 2x4's for square on the ends before assuming that they are so. Make sure your miter saw is set at exactly 90D to the wood to make an exact perpendicular cut. The middle supports are equal to the stand - they aren't exactly 24", but close enough to it.
I make absolutely that the outer box is square and measures exactly what it should - and that each piece of wood is level and doesn't have any defects - I do this while I am at the lumber yard buying lumber. Another tip is that your frame should hold the majority of the weight - but not be seen, so buying number two pine is no problem.

 

[pbienkiewi]

You are missing some tools:
Your Brain
Electric screw gun
Finish nails or ring nails - For plywood
And a swear jar
What is the total cost to the customer?

 

[snakeblitz33]

At this point, I would like to talk a little about wood glue - wood glue can hold something together tighter than screws or nails can. By using wood glue on each joint and each piece of important plywood, you can increase the overall strength of the stand without filling it full of unnecessary amounts of unsightly screws. Wood glue is a very important invention! In fact, if you know a little about history - Howard Hughes built the worlds largest propeller plane with wood glue and plywood! The name of the airplane was the Hercules - otherwise dubbed - the "spruce goose." After the glue dried, they removed all of the nails - removing about four TONS (or 8,000lbs) of weight off the plane!
I put wood glue all over the top of the frame and then set a piece of perfectly cut plywood down on it that measured 71.5x24" to fit the frame. Keep in mind - how in the world is this tank going to fit on a frame that is nearly an inch and a half short?!!?! Well, that comes later.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by pbienkiewi http:///t/393760/new-180g-stand-and-canopy-build-diy-how-to#post_3503630
You are missing some tools:
Your Brain
Electric screw gun
Finish nails or ring nails - For plywood
And a swear jar
What is the total cost to the customer?
Obviously if you want to tackle a project like this, you will have to use your brain.
A battery powered drill is all that is necessary.
No finish nails necessary as the trim work is glued and clamped on - which I will show later.

 

[snakeblitz33]

As stated in the previous post, you lightly set the plywood cutout on top of the bottom frame. This ensures that the entire bottom frame is very, very strong. Once it is placed on the bottom frame, check it all for square again and line it up with the 2x4's to make absolutely sure that it is all even, flush and square. THEN you need to put screws down in strategic spots.

 

[snakeblitz33]

This is the top frame - the whole thing is actually flipped over so that it is easier to work on. Each single joint and leg has wood glue, and each leg has four pocket holes. A pocket hole jig is required to complete this part of the project. Make sure that your using your pocket hole jig according to the directions and make sure you are not drilling into any knots in the wood. Having solid and well thought out plans make a big difference in the quality of your work! Make absolutely sure each leg is exactly the same length each. This may take a little time to get it right on the miter saw.
While you are screwing on your pocket hole'd legs, make absolutely that they are square. Making sure everything is exactly square will prevent a lot of work later on. Making sure the legs are perfectly square! You will have to keep re-squaring and re-checking every single leg until it is all perfectly square! I'm SERIOUS! I can not reiterate this enough, use your square and your brain!

 

[snakeblitz33]

Flip the frame over with all the legs all correctly squared and then make sure they are absolutely square when you screw them in place. Make sure you have your wood glue on hand for these joints. This will take more time then what you think. It took me nearly two hours to get everything perfectly square at this point, but I was making sure that everything was square before this point. If you don't do that - then you are in for a heck of a time getting everything "just right."
At this point you may be wondering if pocket holes are a "good enough" joint for a heavy aquarium. Well, they are. Not only are they screwed in place, but they are also wood glued. The pine legs are there for strength, not twist. Putting more legs on there doesn't prevent twist, and ten legs on a stand such as this is well,.. overkill.
I highly suggest OVER BUILDING and OVER ENGINEERING each stand that you build. Sometimes less is more, but not when it comes to things that can easily weigh in upwards of more than 1500 pounds.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I cut the top piece of plywood 73" by 24" and set it on top and checked for square. The top does NOT go on at this point. In fact, the top is perhaps the last thing that will go on this stand before the trim is done.

 

[snakeblitz33]

The ends go on at this point. Each end is perfectly 29 1/4" tall by 24" Make sure you are still using that square when you make your cuts! After you rip it with your saw, re-check for square. If you have a belt sander, it would come in handy to get it perfectly square at this point. If you don't have a belt sander, no worries! Tack on the ends. You may find at this point that you might be out of square or something is wrong!!! That's fine - Tack the bottom end of the ends first onto the bottom frame. The bottom frame serves as your "square reference." Then, you may have to have someone push the frame one way or the other and then screw the end on from the inside using a 2" screw. It shouldn't be more than 1/8th of an inch off if it is out of square. More than 1/8th of an inch and you need to take the leg off and figure out what is wrong - and if your top frame is out of square.
The inside cabinet for the bookcase was cut - but it's too deep to actually be a book case. So, I figured I would build in some "secret storage." That is why there is a backing on the back part of that cabinet. There will be an ingenius way that I am going to do some hidden storage behind the bookcase. More pictures on that later.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Right now is a PERFECT time to go ahead and prime the inside of the stand. Without the top being on, you don't have to sit on the ground and paint on the primer and paint. Going ahead and painting it all lets you do less back breaking and hip hurting work. You definitely need to take this step if you are planning on painting the inside of any stand. I'm not a big fan of sitting on the cold hard ground for an hour or two with a paint can.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Ok, I don't have a picture for it, but I will discuss how I got the measurements for the front piece of plywood. I know that the stand measures EXACTLY 73" long by 30" tall, and so that is the main peace that I cut out. Once I had it cut out, I "tacked" it to the front of the stand by placing a couple screws in strategic places (so that the screw holes will be covered up by the trim work.) ... without the holes cut out just yet. Then, I took a pencil and marked out on the inside of the stand where the boards and everything was... FROM THE INSIDE. This is why you don't tack on the top piece just yet either. This is what I believe is called "scribing." You know EXACTLY where each door needs to be. Once you have made the marks (in this case, three square cutouts) unscrew the plywood from the frame and take it back to your sawhorses.
Once the plywood is up on the sawhorses with the "measurements" side up - and the top clearly marked, I measured the doors to be two inches in from the sides and an inch and a half from the top and bottom marks. Once I make the door cutout marks, I X out the lines, so I know which lines NOT to cut. This helps not making any mistakes. I wanted the book case frame to be exactly flush with the rest of the woodwork, so I didn't have to measure out and make different lines for the middle cut.
Once you have all of the correct marks, take your rip saw and hold the guard back (This is not for the faint of heart.) and make sure you hold it FIRMLY and that the blade is rotating at full speed before plunging into the wood. Make one plunge as close as you can to each one of your marks, but you may not want to cut directly on your mark. This is where a jig saw comes in handy. Make the rest of the cut-outs with the jig saw, once you have a nice place to put the blade in. IF you are uncomfortable with using a rip saw in that manner, PLEASE by all means, use a large drill bit and drill a hole in the cutout and THEN you have a place for your jig saw blade to enter to make the cut. I highly recommend using a drill bit over the rip saw for novices.

 

[acrylic51]

Looks good Seth!!!!!!

Very good info IMO.....Only thing I don't like or do differently is I like to tie my legs supports actually to my bottom frame....not to the plywood top on the bottom.....

 

[snakeblitz33]

Before this step - and I regret not having a picture, but make sure your front and top pieces of plywood are PERFECTLY level and flush, so that there is much less sanding. In this case, I had to use a hand planer to cut 1/8th of an inch off of the middle portion of my top 2x4 to keep the top piece of plywood from "bending" so that the entire tank bottom sits flush on the stand.
The whole stand is turned on it's back at this point and a generous amount of wood glue is applied to the front. Making sure that EVERYTHING is not only SQUARE but also FLUSH. Sometimes, you may have to fit it on there several times and use a long square to make sure that the front isn't bowing because of twisted 2x4's. Hand planes are cheap - and keeping them sharp is even cheaper. I highly suggest getting one for these kinds of projects. Using hand planes, power sanders like belt sanders and what-not keep things very smooth, flush and most importantly - square.
Once you have applied the wood glue to the top frame, place your newly cut out front plywood to the top of it. It isn't as heavy as it used to be, and you should be able to do this part yourself. If not, find someone to help you.

 

[acrylic51]

Again looks very good Seth......I hope Santa puts a router in your stocking bud.....Would make your work easier......

 

[acrylic51]

Why the dividers in the middle of the stand.......

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/393760/new-180g-stand-and-canopy-build-diy-how-to#post_3503644
Looks good Seth!!!!!!

Very good info IMO.....Only thing I don't like or do differently is I like to tie my legs supports actually to my bottom frame....not to the plywood top on the bottom.....
You make a good point, However, the screws that are used are 2 1/2" screws, which definitely go deep into the wood, and deep into the bottom frame. You could even use 3" screws if your battery powered drill can handle it. What is really holding the tank up in this case isn't the frame, but half of the weight is also supported by the plywood that is glued and screwed into the frame.
While you can definitely do it your way, and by all means, if that is the route you want to take - do it! I'm not stopping yah! BUT, it sure does make it a lot easier putting the plywood down then having to make a bunch of leg cut out's on the bottom piece of plywood. Even then, not only are the screws going through the plywood (that is also glued to the bottom frame) but also to the actual bottom frame of wood by 2 1/2" to 3" screws. I like my way because it's basically doubled. THE piece that you are talking about is actually the ENDS - which not only screw into the actual bottom frame, but also to the legs and the top frame - tying everything together and making an even stronger bond. ESPECIALLY if you take the time to glue the ends to the frame as well as screwing them in place with 2" screws.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/393760/new-180g-stand-and-canopy-build-diy-how-to#post_3503646
Again looks very good Seth......I hope Santa puts a router in your stocking bud.....Would make your work easier......
I have a decent router already - I just don't have all of the proper bits necessary to do a lot of the work, so I use a lot of tools that the average Joe will have around his toolshed.
I need router bits for my stocking! lol 1/2" shank if your feeling generous. LOL!

 

[acrylic51]

I'm a 3" screw man myself.....Maybe that's why my cordless drills don't last very long.....

Definite on the glue....What glue are you using......A big plug for the pocket holes.....I don't know how I survived until I bought the Kreg setup....makes work so much easier.....I've been eyeing the big setup here lately, but can't justify the $200 price tag.....

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/393760/new-180g-stand-and-canopy-build-diy-how-to#post_3503647
Why the dividers in the middle of the stand.......
The dividers are for the bookcase in the middle. I blocked off the whole middle so that 1/2 of it can be the bookcase (roughly 12" shelf) and the other half of it will be "secret storage." behind the bookcase...
A 24" deep book case is just way too big to be practical. So, I thought, why not do some hidden storage? Who would ever think about looking behind the wall of a built-in book case in an aquarium stand?