DIY 300 Gallon Stand and Canopy

[Trunks]

do you have any plans drawn up?

 

[RBE17]

You guys are lucky. You got to see it all, start-to-finish, in one night! The guys on the CamaroZ28 forum had to follow along for a year. It's frustrating following a thread for that long, because you're so anxious to see the final result!

I'll say. It's about time you post this on here!!!

 

[shock6906]

Very impressive. How much do you think you spent on lumber? How many hour to build?

I've probably got about 600 bucks into it. If I had to estimate hours, I'd put it somewhere around 35-45.

do you have any plans drawn up?

I do, but really just for the stand. I changed designs on the canopy about three or four times, and after making so many changes, everything just ended up in my head instead of on paper.

I'll say. It's about time you post this on here!!!

I recognized your name as soon as I saw this thread again. :CZ28:

 

[Redearsunfish]

Cool tank, stand and canopy! wow!

 

[Intobigfish1818]

WOW Great Build ! ! !

 

[dawnmarie]

Very Nice. Aren't tools are a wonderful thing ? The only thing better is thinking in 3D.
Good for you.

 

[DaveB]

Nice job. I especially like how you provided so much information about the small details of the build.

Speaking strictly about style choices, what made you decide to put crown moulding and trim on the canopy but not mirror that style on the stand itself? That trim with the squares (I know it has a name, just can't think of it) seems like it'd also have gone well on the top trim of the stand too.

I especially like that you made your own doors. I know most people just buy their own.... which is what I always expected to do. I might be taking a woodworking class though so maybe I will learn how to do the dadoing and make raised panel doors or something. I have always wanted to make a stand that matches my kitchen cabinets.

Besides a table saw, what other tools were essential to this build?

 

[shock6906]

Very Nice. Aren't tools are a wonderful thing ? The only thing better is thinking in 3D.
Good for you.

Power tools are the best!

Nice job. I especially like how you provided so much information about the small details of the build.

Speaking strictly about style choices, what made you decide to put crown moulding and trim on the canopy but not mirror that style on the stand itself? That trim with the squares (I know it has a name, just can't think of it) seems like it'd also have gone well on the top trim of the stand too.

That would be dentil crown molding. I thought about doing a more decorative trim at the top of the stand, but I don't think crown molding would have been my choice even if I did go with something different for it. The problem with crown molding for the stand would be that I would have needed to make a cap at the top of the molding since it isn't a solid block of wood.

See, I would have been left with a channel all the way around the stand. Overall, it wouldn't be too difficult to remove that trim at the top of the stand and replace it with something else. I'm happy with the way it looks, though, so I don't think I'll be replacing it.

I especially like that you made your own doors. I know most people just buy their own.... which is what I always expected to do. I might be taking a woodworking class though so maybe I will learn how to do the dadoing and make raised panel doors or something. I have always wanted to make a stand that matches my kitchen cabinets.

This was actually my first attempt at making doors. They're not absolutely perfect, but they're close enough that I don't think I'll have any critics for a first attempt. I wanted to make my own doors, though, because that allowed me to reuse the wood that I cut out for the openings, which then allowed the grain to flow all the way from the bottom of the stand to the top of the canopy.

Besides a table saw, what other tools were essential to this build?

I think a miter saw is priceless for getting perfect angled and 90° cuts. You can make those cuts on a table saw, but it's not as effortless. A good power drill makes a difference. I also really liked using my drill press to drill out the holes for the hinges in the doors. I used my hand drill the first time, and the forstner bit can really have a tendency to walk if you don't use a lot of force to bury it in the wood.

Finally, I used a circular saw for all of my cuts on the sheets of wood. I dislike using a table saw for sheets of wood because I feel I can get a straighter cut if I take my time to set up with a circular saw. If you get a good straight edge (I use a piece of 1x3 poplar) you can clamp it down to the sheet and get a laser-straight cut every time.

You can probably get away with a fairly basic stand with nothing more than a circular saw and a drill. I love doing woodwork, so I had no problem buying the additional tools. The miter saw makes cutting those 4x4's a lot easier because you don't have to flip it and cut from the other side like you would with a circular saw. They're also a heck of a lot more accurate in terms of cutting angles, and that's a huge plus when you're doing trim.

 

[DaveB]

That would be dentil crown molding. I thought about doing a more decorative trim at the top of the stand, but I don't think crown molding would have been my choice even if I did go with something different for it. The problem with crown molding for the stand would be that I would have needed to make a cap at the top of the molding since it isn't a solid block of wood.

Yeah, the only way I'd also do crown underneath the tank would be if I had a cup ledge there or something. One guy in Louisiana here made his stand match his kitchen and had a granite lip and that looked nice, but otherwise a flatter moulding is the way to go. What I meant about the match though was the little decorative trim you put below that on the canopy.

This was actually my first attempt at making doors. They're not absolutely perfect, but they're close enough that I don't think I'll have any critics for a first attempt. I wanted to make my own doors, though, because that allowed me to reuse the wood that I cut out for the openings, which then allowed the grain to flow all the way from the bottom of the stand to the top of the canopy.

Ooh, I hadn't even thought of that with the grain, that's awesome.

You can probably get away with a fairly basic stand with nothing more than a circular saw and a drill. I love doing woodwork, so I had no problem buying the additional tools. The miter saw makes cutting those 4x4's a lot easier because you don't have to flip it and cut from the other side like you would with a circular saw. They're also a heck of a lot more accurate in terms of cutting angles, and that's a huge plus when you're doing trim.

Yeah I'll definitely be getting a sliding compound mitre saw, table saw, and circular saw. Beyond that though I'm not sure what's the best use of money and what's just excess. Good point about using the circular saw for the straight line cuts. I imagine feeding a giant sheet across a small table is difficult too.

 

[shock6906]

What I meant about the match though was the little decorative trim you put below that on the canopy.

I guess one reason is because I bought the lower trim for the canopy almost a full year after finishing the stand. I think I like the wider trim for the stand, though, since it's so much larger a piece than the canopy.

Ooh, I hadn't even thought of that with the grain, that's awesome.

One of my goals for this build was to have the grain flow from floor to ceiling.

Yeah I'll definitely be getting a sliding compound mitre saw, table saw, and circular saw. Beyond that though I'm not sure what's the best use of money and what's just excess. Good point about using the circular saw for the straight line cuts. I imagine feeding a giant sheet across a small table is difficult too.

I ruled against a sliding miter saw and just went with a 12" saw instead of a smaller 10". The 12" saw can cut a 10" wide board in one pass. Also, the slide bars can occasionally wear out and become sloppy over time. And yes, feeding a 4x8 sheet of wood is pretty tough, and can't even be acommodated for the most part without a table built around it. Since my garage is for cars first and woodwork second, it just wasn't an option. If I had a dedicated wood shop, then I probably would cut my sheets on a table saw.