First off i am cleaning up my old thread and perhaps we should make this a sticky so we can lose the 220 DIY thread that is a sticky seeing there are NO pics to help anyone out.
Tools used.
Circular saw.
Compound miter saw.
cordless drill.
jigsaw
palm sander.
level.
counter sink bits.
punch
hammer
I did the main frame with 2x4's used 14 total. main frame was glued and screwed together. some people have asked ,well how do you level your frame in a garage as they all drain towards the road. its quite easy. level your floor. and if every cut on your stand is right on and all is square then when you go to level your stand it should be off just as much as your floor. so when it is time to move it into your house it will be right on. perfectly level.
i did put in a floor and a top, just for myself, it is not needed but if you plan to use a sump i would at least install a floor, i did the deck as well just in case i decided to go with a acrylic tank in the future it was already there. (these two pieces of ply are NOT glued down. in case of water damage) i can remove and replace with ease. also don't forget to decide on what filtration you are going to use as you will want to be able to get it in your stand . so sections of the stand may have to be off from front to back. as mine are wider in the front then they are on the back. allowing for the doors to open wider for a sump.
once you have your frame done it is time to decide what type of wood do you want to wrap it in. pine will work just fine if your on a budget. but i really like to work with Oak. cuts really nice and is a brute.
remember measure twice cut once! if using oak it becomes a costly mistake if you don't cut correctly
don't worry about which needs to be on first or what side will over lap, front or sides, because if you are using trim as i did , it will cover up your corners. and all of your outside screw holes. again every screw was counter sunk. ( all the wrap oak and trim was glued as well)
i did the main front first and just squared it off with the frame, then the sides over lap the front. again don't worry about seeing the edge of the sides as the trim will cover it. all the wrap ply was screwed and counter sunk.
Don't forget your doors. i bought prefab oak doors from Menard's. you can use when you cut out for the doors if you would like to save. that is up to you.
once all of the stand is wrapped in your choice of wood. it is time to pic your trim. (I predrill and nail trim, no screws) don't cut all at once , do one at a time. i started with the base board first. then did the top trim that over laps the trim of the tank. " you ask how do i know how much to leave hang off of the top of the stand" measure your trim on the bottom of your tank. in my case i had 2" of trim to cover off of the tank. so i got 3" trim. 1" on the stand and 2" over lapping the tank. "what about the gap? ( a BIG reason i leave this gap is with larger tanks is, when you go to move your tank onto your stand with you and your buddies someone is going to bust your trim. it never fails with a big glass tank. so with a 3/4" gap to play with all the way around mishaps are reduced greatly.
once your top trim and baseboard trim is on start on the corners. i do the ends first and butt it up with the front so that when you tack down the front trim it will cover the seem from the side trim. (don't forget when picking out base and top trim that your side trim is NOT thicker or it will over lap)
take your time. the stand isn't going anywhere. but if you speed through it your wallet will empty fast.
once you have on all of your trim it is time to counter sink your trim nails. i used a punch, just a couple light taps to get the head of the trim nail below the surface of the trim. buy a good wood filler putty. fill them in! everything! you will have to sand this off later after it drys.
pick a stain. again take your time. apply with a brush wipe off with a cotton cloth.
Main frame
Floor and top installed (Again you do not need to put either of these on but a floor is nice if you plan to use a sump and i put the deck on incase i upgrade to a acrylic tank)
holes cut out for the reef boxes
Some pics of this process were lost i apologize (wrapped in ply and getting the doors on.
Trim.
Staining
Canopy, i did lose some pics of this as well but i will take some more as i will be doing some last min changes to it. such as fans etc
There is no frame to the canopy and one does not need it.
finished, but i will still be installing fans in the canopy when time permits.
and its all together less the water
Gap fillers for around the top lip of the stand
Sump Pro clear aquatics 300
I will be shutting it down, to hard plumb everything and install a external pump
with some water and my sons fish seeding it
Tools used.
Circular saw.
Compound miter saw.
cordless drill.
jigsaw
palm sander.
level.
counter sink bits.
punch
hammer
I did the main frame with 2x4's used 14 total. main frame was glued and screwed together. some people have asked ,well how do you level your frame in a garage as they all drain towards the road. its quite easy. level your floor. and if every cut on your stand is right on and all is square then when you go to level your stand it should be off just as much as your floor. so when it is time to move it into your house it will be right on. perfectly level.
i did put in a floor and a top, just for myself, it is not needed but if you plan to use a sump i would at least install a floor, i did the deck as well just in case i decided to go with a acrylic tank in the future it was already there. (these two pieces of ply are NOT glued down. in case of water damage) i can remove and replace with ease. also don't forget to decide on what filtration you are going to use as you will want to be able to get it in your stand . so sections of the stand may have to be off from front to back. as mine are wider in the front then they are on the back. allowing for the doors to open wider for a sump.
once you have your frame done it is time to decide what type of wood do you want to wrap it in. pine will work just fine if your on a budget. but i really like to work with Oak. cuts really nice and is a brute.
remember measure twice cut once! if using oak it becomes a costly mistake if you don't cut correctly
don't worry about which needs to be on first or what side will over lap, front or sides, because if you are using trim as i did , it will cover up your corners. and all of your outside screw holes. again every screw was counter sunk. ( all the wrap oak and trim was glued as well)
i did the main front first and just squared it off with the frame, then the sides over lap the front. again don't worry about seeing the edge of the sides as the trim will cover it. all the wrap ply was screwed and counter sunk.
Don't forget your doors. i bought prefab oak doors from Menard's. you can use when you cut out for the doors if you would like to save. that is up to you.
once all of the stand is wrapped in your choice of wood. it is time to pic your trim. (I predrill and nail trim, no screws) don't cut all at once , do one at a time. i started with the base board first. then did the top trim that over laps the trim of the tank. " you ask how do i know how much to leave hang off of the top of the stand" measure your trim on the bottom of your tank. in my case i had 2" of trim to cover off of the tank. so i got 3" trim. 1" on the stand and 2" over lapping the tank. "what about the gap? ( a BIG reason i leave this gap is with larger tanks is, when you go to move your tank onto your stand with you and your buddies someone is going to bust your trim. it never fails with a big glass tank. so with a 3/4" gap to play with all the way around mishaps are reduced greatly.
once your top trim and baseboard trim is on start on the corners. i do the ends first and butt it up with the front so that when you tack down the front trim it will cover the seem from the side trim. (don't forget when picking out base and top trim that your side trim is NOT thicker or it will over lap)
take your time. the stand isn't going anywhere. but if you speed through it your wallet will empty fast.
once you have on all of your trim it is time to counter sink your trim nails. i used a punch, just a couple light taps to get the head of the trim nail below the surface of the trim. buy a good wood filler putty. fill them in! everything! you will have to sand this off later after it drys.
pick a stain. again take your time. apply with a brush wipe off with a cotton cloth.
Main frame
Floor and top installed (Again you do not need to put either of these on but a floor is nice if you plan to use a sump and i put the deck on incase i upgrade to a acrylic tank)
holes cut out for the reef boxes
Some pics of this process were lost i apologize (wrapped in ply and getting the doors on.
Trim.
Staining
Canopy, i did lose some pics of this as well but i will take some more as i will be doing some last min changes to it. such as fans etc
There is no frame to the canopy and one does not need it.
finished, but i will still be installing fans in the canopy when time permits.
and its all together less the water
Gap fillers for around the top lip of the stand
Sump Pro clear aquatics 300
I will be shutting it down, to hard plumb everything and install a external pump
with some water and my sons fish seeding it
i dont recall a price but i think around $20-$30 each as they are oak. the doors on the canopy are just drawer covers
