What type of wood shold i use for my stand?

[reefin]

i need to build a new stand for my 125. which is the best wood for the price. i heard oak was the most common so i priced it out and it is very expensive are there any other woods that are as strong as oak but not as expensive?

 

[yetex]

Cherry would cost more then oak.

 

[fshhub]

Wha t woudl you like??
You can even make it out of PINE and stain it, many do this, and heck you can even purchase them this way, IT DOES WORK. It all depends on what you want. and woudl it go with your decor.

 

[jjboods]

A good cabinet grade plywood would probably be the strongest. You can stain it any color you want and don't need to worry about gluing up the pieces.

 

[dockery07]

Mine is plywood. And lots of it.

 

[fulcrum]

I highly recommend plywood, and with any wood veneer finish. Mine is 3/4 teak veneer plywood. A little price, but it looks great.
Plywood will be better than regular wood, for resistance to warping and bowing.

 

[jackdp]

I would have to go with the plywood option too. The edges aren't as pretty but you can get thin laminate to take care of that. Birch is nice, oak, poplar, some Home depots are even stocking maple now. I would also go with 3/4 inch...nice and strong. Cherry would definitely be more expensive than oak and not as easy to come buy...pine, birch, oak, poplar, maple are all available at Lowes or Home Depot, even in smaller 2'x4' cuts. Happy building.

 

[robchuck]

I'm biased to pine because I love the look

 

[richard rendos]

Pine or White wood. Inexpensive and stain well.

 

[iceburger]

IMO go with a pine base, use then use cherry or oak or you're other choices for cosmetics, go with the cheapest wood for base, as long as it is treated so it doesnt bow when wet,
also another really really cheap and very stable way to do you're stand is cinder blocks, don't laugh, what you do is use cinder blocks on all 4 corners and 2 on the sides longways, then build a nice skirt around it out of whatever wood you like, cinder blocks are very very stable...

 

[reefin]

if i use plywood with a veneer finsh how thick should the wood be, do i need to use supports/bracing o top of that (2x4's)

 

[jjboods]

I plan on building my next stand for my next tank. Probably going to be at least 90 gallons. It may be overkill, but I am going to build a skeleton out of 4x4's and 2x4's and then wrap it in a nice 3/4" cabinet grade plywood.

 

[fulcrum]

That is overkill. There's nothing wrong with overkill as long as the frame doesn't take up all the room under your tank, and leave you with no room for equipment.
I recomment 2x2 vertical stanchions with 2x2 cross suports on the top. The 3/4 plywood skin will really carry alot of the load.
Go to you LFS and "borrow" the design elements from one of their stands.

 

[jjboods]

I am using 4x4's more for the surface area on top of them to lay the 4x2's. Not so much for the strength. A 4x2 can hold a significant amount of weight on it's own. I read here once someone talking about the weight of a tank on a floor. The analogy was about having a party in your house...if 4-5 heavy guys were all standing talking on one small area of the floor, would you be worried about it falling through. Same idea with a fish tank...our floors are stronger than we worry they are.

 

[reefin]

if is use 2x4 for the frame and then put plywood over them for looks should i put the edges of my tank flush with the 2x4's or can i take it out on top of the plywood?