3ft stand with wood finish

[TroyFish]

Hey guys

Been at it the whole day trying get it finished!
So far its only the stand, wood should be done by the weekend, hood by
next weekend, but will see how it goes!


Dimensions: 920(L)X330(W)X750(H) 25x25 steel square tubing.
Finished off with some kind of steel protector paint.

Will keep you posted on the progress:bigsmile:

P.S Thanks to the guys who helped me with some ideas!

http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7012.jpg
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7013.jpg
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7014.jpg
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7015.jpg
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7017.jpg
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7019.jpg
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7020.jpg


P.S.S Please excuse my MESS!

[Vis]

Hi Troy
Planning to do the same with mine so will like to see the progress. can you also include some cost?

[f-fish]

Looking good TroyFish ... Are you planing on adding a table top and/or just a Styrofoam sheet under the tank.

Good days work ..

Later Ferdie

[TroyFish]

9m tubing cut to size was R180 more or less.

The rest of the materials i had lying around so cant really give a price on that.


Looking good TroyFish ... Are you planing on adding a table top and/or just a Styrofoam sheet under the tank.

Good days work ..

Later Ferdie

Hey Ferdie,

Going to go with just Styrofoam. Don't have one for my 3ft at the moment though.

All steel will be hidden when done....thats the plan

[Vis]

I got a stand so thats Ok. Was thinking more in line with the wood works.

[TroyFish]

@Vis

What type of wood are you going for?
Was going to go with pine....but its a bit $$$ for me.

Going to go with plywood (20mm) then finished off with a dark varnish.

Its going to be the 2 sides, 2 doors, shelves, a slider and a single ply at the
back to make it look neat. Not sure how on much i will be using so will only be
able to give you a rough price when done.

Edit: And the hood, not sure on design yet though

[f-fish]

"Going to go with just Styrofoam" - that should be perfect .. stand and tank look well matched.

You can use supawood 16 mm .. but need to make sure it is painted with something that will seal it. 2.4m x 1.8m x 16 mm is under R500.

[TroyFish]

"Going to go with just Styrofoam" - that should be perfect .. stand and tank look well matched.

You can use supawood 16 mm .. but need to make sure it is painted with something that will seal it. 2.4m x 1.8m x 16 mm is under R500.

Thanks man!
Thought about using that, but just trying to stay on budget.
But will see how it goes

[Vis]

Would also look at supawood painted or a melamien in a black or cherry finish.

[Zoom]

looking good troyfish.

Be careful with supawood... You'll have to seal it VERY well... Ideally with a polyurathene paint or epoxy.

Melamine is chipboard... Not water friendly.

Varnished pine will give you the best look. Varnished Merani or Cherry would look stunning. Ply would give you the closest to pine. So you on a good track there mate.

[TroyFish]

Thanks Zoom

Yeah i agree with the chipboard and water.
Plywood will work great, got everything worked out in my head but the doors and hood lol.

Mind giving some advice on a layout or design?

[Whipme]

Someone mentioned the other day that they use fiber cement boards. The type you get for drywalling and fascia boards. Sounds like a good, cheap idea to me.

[Vis]

The only problem with those things are if you hit it there is a hole :)

Wonder if you can get those plastic boards that looks like wood.

[Reafer]

9m tubing cut to size was R180 more or less.

The rest of the materials i had lying around so cant really give a price on that.



Hey Ferdie,

Going to go with just Styrofoam. Don't have one for my 3ft at the moment though.

All steel will be hidden when done....thats the plan
Am i reading this right that u not going to put a top on the stand and just put the tank on top of a piece of foam directly on the metal stand?

[TroyFish]

Am i reading this right that u not going to put a top on the stand and just put the tank on top of a piece of foam directly on the metal stand?

Yip you reading correct. Stand has a cross bar.

[Reafer]

Am i the only one that this this will end in a cracked tank? My thoughts are and i might be completely paranoid but here is goes , Your tank on just the metal stand will be supported my a very small surface area( thats if your welder is really good and we presume that the top is completely flat , which is really hard to get) and what i mean by this is that glass bends alot easier than people think and if you put weight on the part of the base that isnt being supported by anything you are increasing the pressure u put on the base of the glass in the area were the tank is supported.
hmm i am having trouble putting thoughts into words today :)
But basically what i am saying is that by putting a nice flat 16mm-20mm-board on top of the metal stand you are giving the base about 50 times more support that if you leave it as is and for a R60 piece of board is it not worth it avoid any risk?
Just my thoughts :)
Antony

[TroyFish]

I hear what you are saying. I thought about this long and hard. My 300l tank is the same way I'm doing my 100l.

The 300l wasn't built by me, havent seen it in person filled (Still empty) but have seen pictures.
Now that I think about it you could be right. I am not 100% sure about this as this is my 1st build
The stands they sell at a LPS (have owned one) are build with corner steel, most of them. IMO that is not the way to go, provides minimum support for the sides a zero for the base!

Someone that has build this type of stand or knows about it, could you possibly share your thoughts or personal experiences?

Thanks

[Zoom]

I haven't built a stand before... but reafer posts a very good point. Only having one cross beam is asking for trouble, especiaully if you have never built anything like this yourself before. I would consider putting a piece of shutterply under the tank. That's my personal opinion.

[TroyFish]

Think so too.

On my way to go get my Wood. Not going to get them to cut it to size, not sure what i want done yet

[TroyFish]

Got my wood. Now to the drawing board!

http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7022.jpg

[f-fish]

LOL you could have made the stand without the steel with all that wood. Keep the pics coming like your build.

[TroyFish]

LOL you could have made the stand without the steel with all that wood. Keep the pics coming like your build.

Thanks f-fish:bigsmile:

Lol maybe, but only realized once they told me i cant get a smaller one
oh well maybe i will have some left for my 1.5f

Not sure how long the build will take but i can tell you it WONT be done
this weekend, to much other things that need to done

[Reafer]

are you going to clad the whole metal frame and make a cabinet out of it? it would look nice in shutter-ply finished of properly . if i can make a suggestion, make the wood go past the lip of the top of the stand so that if you put a soil or other plant substrate in you will hide it with the lip of the stand so you just see the top capping not the substrate underneath . just leave the back with no lip so you can slide your tank in nicely

[TroyFish]

are you going to clad the whole metal frame and make a cabinet out of it?

Yip thats what the wood is for:blink1: Had a mind blast of ideas today...head hurts.

Making that lip is a very good idea. Its to bad i dont know how to make a 3d image to show you what i want to do:push:

[Reafer]

Have you tried Google SketchUp its easy to use and free , i find it very helpfull

[TroyFish]

i had it, but dont know how to use it....:wondering:

[JaguarCichlid]

nice start.

I have the same concept running with my tank, except that impatience took over and I am STILL trying to get it finished...... After a year and a half...... but the fish are in and happy... the stand is only half clad with wood and my wife has NO sense of humour at all with the half done job.. I'll get to it one day :)

On the part that I have actually completed, I clad with knotty pine and then edged with pine strips from Builders Warehouse (Trimmed a bit) but due to the moisture, the knotty pine is warping. Do yourself a favour and varnish it totally before attaching the cladding to the frame, and seal the edges really well with varnish that has been diluted with thinners (a few coats) then your final coat. I must now start again from scratch.... (my wife still has no sense of humour.......)

[viking]

Hi there.
I know this is an older post but I was reading it and decided to put in my 2c worth.
Seriously bad idea to put the tank on the stand with just foam in between.You absolutely have to spread the load across the frame.You must use a board under that tank. It may well hold for a while but you're setting yourself up for a tragedy!

[TroyFish]

@Jaguar
Its time for you to get that project finished! When doing so create a thread and share with use.
Would like to see others DIY build!

@Viking
No worries, i have decide to go with a board placed under it. All makes sense
when others knock it in your head lol

Quick update start date:
Tomorrow i wont be able to do much but design
Thursday and Friday is...party day...sorry
Saturday the cutting shall begin
Sunday, more cutting if necessary
Hopefully next week it shall be done!

[SuperPrit]

http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/SuperPrit/Tank.jpgHey. Here is what I built about a week ago. Should have documented it but will do it with the next one. What I originally planned was to just build the bottom part so I could store all my crap there. It just slides over the front of the tank. But then when I was done I decided to do the canopy as well.
You will have a lot of problems along the way but that’s how you learn. My stand is the same as yours except for the middle beam at the top so it has less support than yours is going to have and it’s been standing like that for 2 years now. Use the Styrofoam, if there are any imperfections in your frame it molds around it, wood wont and that will make it unstable. My tank is 4ft and 260 liter so you don’t have to worry about that part.
To get ideas of how to build the bottom and canopy I went to the pet shop and looked at every possible stand. Take photos, you can’t remember the smaller details.
The 4ft tank I have now goes for R895 and all the supplies and wood cost me about R600. That’s way better than paying R5995 for a setup like that.

[Vis]

Hi superprit do you need to take the whole thing away when you need to get something? Looks good anyway.

@Zoom and Troyfish, Melamien is not always presswood. You get supawood with that same melamien finish. Just thought I would mention it here as a possibility.

[SuperPrit]

Yes. It just slides out and it’s no big hassle and very light. But to be honest I was a bit lazy when I started it. I just wanted to cover up all the junk that was down there as its standing in the reception area at my work. I’m thinking of building a proper cabinet but for now it does the job. And the other problem is that I have a 100litre container at the bottom for water changes so that wouldn’t have really fit thru a tiny door. I also had to build it around the existing tank as I didn’t want to remove all the water and my precious…

I will take some more photos and post them 2nite.

[TroyFish]

Hey superPrit.

Thanks for the tips. I still haven't got a design but will do as you suggested, go to
LPS and take pics, might help me a lot.

What problems did you face? I'm guessing the hardest must be the hood?
Anything else I might need to know will be much appreciated

[SuperPrit]

The hood wasn’t that hard. Just painting and sealing it’s a real pain in the ass because you have to do it like 7 times. I guess it also depends on the wood that you decide to use.

Here’s a picture of the inside of my hood. It drops around the sides about 4cm to hide the water line. The pressed wood that I put on the inside is where it rests on the tank itself. The ones for sale are only a 2 by 2cm piece of wood keeping it from sliding all the way down but I don’t trust that.
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/SuperPrit/IMG00069-20100715-1354.jpg

I struggled to get a photo of the back. I just left a gap open for my hang on filter and the back part then also rests on the tank.
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/SuperPrit/IMG00070-20100715-1355.jpg

[SuperPrit]

To finish it off around the sides I just put some of the wood they normally use for skirting. Make the lid about 3mm bigger on the front and the sides. I now have to take my lid off and sand the insides of the skirting because it can’t close properly.
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y333/SuperPrit/IMG00071-20100715-1355.jpg

[TroyFish]

Starting build tonight. Just telling my father and bro what i want done.
Going to enjoy watching with my feet up!

Will post pics as it goes along!

P.S

SuperPrit, doesnt the press wood 'swell' up?

[Zoom]

I'm pretty sure that it will eventually. Pressed wood hates water at the best of times, and in winter, when the air outside it cold, and the air inside the tank is warmer, from the heated water, moisture builds up, and eventually "pops" the pressed wood. I've seen people smeer silicon on the edges of the presed wood, and then paint/varnish the flat sides. This will more than likely prevent the inevitable... but I'm not convinced that it can be stopped alltogether.

HOWEVER, that is a really stunning looking hood there.

[SuperPrit]

Thanks Zoom.
I sealed it like you won’t believe. It sucks up the sealer so the inside is sealed as well. And I kept on doing that till it couldn’t take any more and was smooth.

[TroyFish]

Father only managed to cut the sides...rugby reasons. YEAH SHARKS!!!!

Anyways heres a pic. Sides have been mounted using 25mm self tapping screws

http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/photo0009.jpg

Tomorrow we should be done with the outside, excluding varnishing.

[f-fish]

Remember to seal / varnish all the wood before final assembly ...

[TroyFish]

Yip will do thanks!

[Zoom]

Um... Troy... Did you paint the frame before putting the wood on?

Another suggestion... make everything to fit, put everything together... then strip is completely and paint the frame, and varnish the wood. Then put it back together again. You'll be surprized, and really pissed off, to see what damage water does when it get's under the cracks of an unvarnished piece of wood/unpainted steel!

[TroyFish]

Um... Troy... Did you paint the frame before putting the wood on?

Another suggestion... make everything to fit, put everything together... then strip is completely and paint the frame, and varnish the wood. Then put it back together again. You'll be surprized, and really pissed off, to see what damage water does when it get's under the cracks of an unvarnished piece of wood/unpainted steel!

Yip i did.

Been at it the whole day and impressed what we have done. Will post a pic as soon as i find my USB cord....

Father told me the same thing Zoom:p Thanks!

[TroyFish]

Updated pics of todays works.
Top was added
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/Photo0010.jpg

Back and bottom was added
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/Photo0011.jpg

Front frame was done. Middle section isnt fastened
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/Photo0013.jpg

Doors, shelving, holes covered, sanding, varnishing, tank hood and the left top piece still to be done!


Hope its looking good!

[Donny]

Looking Good :) :)

[TroyFish]

Update on progress:

No other work has been done.

This is going to take longer than i thought.
Father is leaving the country on sunday and will only be back begining of august.
So i hope the doors can be done before he leaves otherwise a long wait....

[f-fish]

looking good - if it is only the doors then nothing stops you from doing the final sanding .. taking the sharp corners off with some sandpaper do the re-assembly - if needed etc ... doors could probably be done even after the tank is full of water - but be careful you might never get doors on the stand once in use.

Later Ferdie

[TroyFish]

Good point.

Think i will get my bro to drop it off by me so that i can do that at work.
Should i use the power one that uses virbration? The belt one is taking a risk? Or hand sanding?

[f-fish]

You could cheat and use a router then just hand sand for the edge ... what ever you use keep the lines straight.

[TroyFish]

Cabinet build is complete! Finally! Just need to sand everything down and seal it!

Hood is going to be built at a later stage.

Will post pics when it is complete!

[TroyFish]

Alright, i know i said i will ad pics when done but i cant help myself

Everything is sealed. Going to sand it tomorrow and then seal it again.
Once done the varnishing can begin!

Sorry for the dark pic, forgot to put flash on:p

http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7023.jpg
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7025.jpg

[CoolBeansz]

Found itt! Finally LOL it lloks great! Can't believe you actually got it done. Too bad about the black though :\ what bad luck

[TroyFish]

Finished doing the 2nd coat now. Is a 3rd required?

http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7041.jpg
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx194/troyfish101/IMG_7040.jpg

[TankMaster]

Nice! Similar design I had in mind

[TroyFish]

Nice! Similar design I had in mind

If you going to build one upload pics as you go alog. Always nice to see others DIYs

[TankMaster]

Yeah, but it wont be now.... probably towards the end of the year or beginning of next year.

[shihr]

What was that white stuff on the wood?

[Zoom]

What was that white stuff on the wood?

Wood filler

[TroyFish]

Wood filler

Yip thanks Ashley!