Sorry guys, I don't think that the pic's are doing the project justice. This stand is for a 125G tank, it is 63"Lx20"Wx36"H. You are correct, I did start with maple ply ($28 pre sheet at Home Depot).
The plywood frame is 3 layers of 3/4 ply glued and screwed. The 2 ends and back panel are one solid sheet layered with the strips of 3/4 x 3. What we did is made 2"x3" frame for the stand to carry the weight. All of the corners and joints are locked together like a puzzle (I think I put up a pic of that).
Once the base frame was done we covered the whole thing is what was at one time a 500 gallon french oak wine tank. You can still see the wine stains on the inside of the doors. There is also 2 strips of black walnut on the top and bottom to finish it off. I also made a canopy to match.
I had a buddy help me with this project, he had the know how and the tools.
wamp we used a table saw, chop saw, router, saws all, pin-nailer sanders, biscuit cutter, clamps. I also used my uncles planer and 20" band saw to mill the oak. And a trip to the local cabinet shop to use their wide belt sander.
This project took about 1 month for 2 people working 2 nights pre week and 1 to 2 days on the weekend.
