hi everyone, and thanks for looking.....
I know everyone loves DIY threads, so I thought I would make one
the project is already done so I will be posting everything right away...
if there are any explanations needed don't hesitate to ask, I will do my
best to answer......
enjoy


we started with all these materials....a lot of plywood, 2x4's 2x2's tonnes
of trim, nail gun and air compressor, table saw, chop saw, sanders, jigsaw,
and a bunch of other stuff that I can't think of right now



we started by screwing and gluing the front back and side pieces of plywood
together like this


different angel




then we added another piece of plywood in the center, and 2x2's in all the
corners (vertically)...then 2x4's running horizontally along the top and bottom
between the 2x2's, making, basically a cube, like this



then the holes for the doors were cut out, and pieces of plywood were laid
down on the 2x4's on the bottom to make a place to store stuff (and the
sump)


this is the bottom...there is a brace in the center on the left because
that's the side were the sump would go.



now the tank is finally here...and we got the canopy built.....the canopy opens
up on the front and folds over on top of itself with a piano hinge.


here is another angel



then we added all the trim...like this


and this



I don't think im allowed to post more pics so ill add a reply with the rest

here's a view from the back


and a view of the inside joints....kinda


ill skip all the staining because that's just more pics of what you have seen
just with some different colours.........here's the finished stand when it's set up

and here's the finished product


well thats it....hope you liked it....and I would love to hear your comments

Matt

Great work, thread and information!

Would you happen to have the blueprints or drawings to
this project?

That would probably help tremendously!

Thanks for sharing!

ummm......no Giggly ......the only thing we actually planned out was the size of the thing ...and the cuts that needed to be made on the plywood (the only reason we did that is because we wanted to get the major cuts done at the home depot).....we basically just went day by day and did what we thought was best....we obviously had a rough idea of what we wanted to end up with...but we never actually drew any plans or blueprints out....I know that it's not what should have been done....but my cousin built a similar stand and canopy (on a smaller scale) and we just copied that idea...so we didn't really think we needed blueprints...............it's actually a very simple design...... its just a plywood box with a simple cube frame inside it.........it's so simple, one of my friends wanted a 400 gallon tank (for lizards) so we built a stand for him using exactly the same idea (we also built a simple plywood tank that we just made up as we went) in construction class as our final project (30% of our mark....and we got 100% on it whoot whoot)...........as you can see if a couple grade 10's could do it in 1 week worth of classes, it can't be too complicated......
sorry for that rambling
and sorry I couldn't get any plans...but again....if there are any questions at all ask and i will be glad to answer Good Job

I think that is really impressive for a couple of 10th graders. There are plenty of adults that couldn't do that nice of a job. I'm one of them.

The trim is a nice touch - looks every bit as nice as any I've seen.

Absolutely gorgeous! I can appreciate all the time and work that went into it, because I did one on my own as well! I find the canopy the trickiest to make the way you want!

actually I was in grade 8 when we did this one......the one we did in grade 10 was exactly the same, just bigger and a different colour.....and it was a lot easier because we did it in our construction class where we had all the fancy machines available to us....unfortunately I didn't have a camera handy for that one so I don't have any pics.

I have agree with that 100%......especially since it had to open in the front for easy access...it required a lot more support than we originally thought, because the weight of the hinged part was more then expected..................and when it was done and stained my dad thought it looked like a casket Giggly

thanks for the comments Good Job

do you have any idea how much this would cost to make?

Dave are you anywhere near PA??? Would you come and make me one? LOL the Clap I built one with very limited tools and it turned out okay for my first one, but that stand and canopy looks better than some show tank stands in the LFS that they have their display tanks on!

Great job!

wow!
very nice.
im in graade 9 and i dont think i could have made that :(
and i have wood shop in my school...
from your posts, it doesnt look hard, just a ton of cutting and planning. oh and gluing too. but its actually really hard. it was hard for me to make a train...
who was "we"?

but either way, a fantastic job!

That is one fantastic stand!
I made one a few years back. It was a fun project. I don't think I would have dared to try something like that at your age.

Tha canopy is a nice touch, I wanted to build one but the wife wouldn't let me cuz she would have to move all the family pictures on the wall behind the tank.

Cheers!!!

I'm interested to know what finishes you used. How many coats etc.
It looks like the mahogony polyurethane from Minwax.

the plywood you used looks like 3/4" birch. is that what it is?
and the doors. Are they plywood with trim?

thx

as great as that set up looks, you might have a future building custom stands.

Hi everyone, sorry I didn't get back to you posts......I didn't mean to abandon this forum...I kinda abandoned fish forums altogether for the last few months...between school (I have some pretty hard courses this year), and work, and the lifeguard training I was doing (now i'm a certified lifeguard and swimming instructor Wooo hoo!! ...hopefully I can get a job soon), I had basically no spare time......but anyway...now I am starting to get back into it, since I have a bit more time......

umm....not exactly....I can give you some rough numbers (but I can't remember exactly)
I would say I spent about $125 on the plywood
2x4's and 2x2's...about $25-35
trim.....not sure...I know it was really expensive...I think $5/foot x about 50-60 feet...about $250-300 (if you have a router...make the trip yourself Tres Bien! )
and then $300 for the tank (just the glass)
and another $150 to have it drilled, and the overflow box put in
and about $100 for the overflow kit.
unless you want me to, I wont go into further detail about the other equipment (sump, etc.)

the stain used was minwax 225 red mahogany stain....I put on one coat with a cloth, and then another coat... and when it didnt come out dark enough I decided to use a very soft paint brush...I think it only took one coat (on top of the other 2) with the paintbrush
then I applied (I think) 2 coat of waterproof varnish (not sure the exact brand because I couldn't find the can) and I used the same type of paintbrush for this aswell

the plywood is 3/4" maple, not birch (the trim is also maple)

the doors were made with the pieces of plywood that was cut out to make the holes for the doors.....I just glued a 1" strip of plywood along the side and bottom to make them bigger then the openings....then I added trim around the edges to make them look good

any other questions....please ask...I'm glad to answer
again, sorry for taking so long to reply

Sigh. The 8-foot stand I built when I was 23 years old looked like 8 vertical 4x4's held together with 1x8's and supporting a bed of 1x8's. Actually, that's exactly what it was.

I am so jealous of you guys.

I would never have thought of gluing and screwing the plywood first, THEN fitting in the frame. But I can see how it produces cleaner lines, so long as you have the patience to get the fit right for the studs so you don't get settling once the tank is filled.

Really beautiful project.

Don

.....well....that was the hardest part....we spent a lot of time measuring 10,000,000 times before cutting to make sure all the framework was perfect....

and yes....it did produce cleaner lines, and I found it fairly easy to put the framework in after the plywood was together

and it works perfectly.....no tanks falling through the floor, yet (knock on wood), and it will be 4 years old in july

Definitely one of the most impressive set ups I have seen built the Clap ...you could make some serious cash doing that this summer. Contact a local fish club and sign people up to have you make them stands Tres Bien!

In a word "MAGNIFICENT"


Absolutely beautiful work.. Cheers!!! Cheers!!!

thanks Cichlidman....thats the reaction I was going for.....since it is my parents house, I wanted something that would look good......and not just be another "big ugly fish tank" as some people (who have very small minds, imo Nanananaa ) would say