# Help with a DIY stand?



## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

Hey All,

I'm preparing for a new planted tank and i'm about to start putting ideas together for a new stand. I have some experience doing cabinets and furniture, however, I've never had to take into consideration any serious load. Ideally, i would like to make a raised panel stand. The main support would be 4 3"x3" legs connected by rails and mortise and tenon joints. My concerns are two fold. First, most of the DIY stands i have seen around here have been some variation on a 2x4 internal frame with some kind of cladding on it. Will 4 3x3 legs support a 350 - 450 lb of tank and water? Secondly, I have seen other stands in this style, however, does anyone know what kind of joinery they used?

Just in case the explanation of what I'm trying to do doesn't make sense, i have attached a link for a similar looking stand from amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EHCCP4...e=394997&creativeASIN=B001EHCCP4&linkCode=asn


----------



## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

3 x 3 legs will easily carry the weight, but, the general methodology is to have the top frame on the legs, rather than between them. There are several ways to join the top to the legs, such as notching the legs. The thing that I would aim for is rigidity, and avoiding materials that would warp.


----------



## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

Hey Bill,

Thanks for the advice. I'll make sure is get qaurtersawn wood for the legs and the rails, and then i'll do the panel doors in plainsawn. I was thinking about doing it in cherry, however, i may just use hard maple to be on the safe side.


----------



## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I would laminate the thicker sections to avoid warping. A word of warning about cherry. I was told years ago by a pattern maker, that cherry looks nice but is unstable and warps like crazy. I don't know that for a fact, but that is what he told me and they used a lot of it in their shop.


----------



## waj8 (Jun 30, 2010)

You don't have to go crazy making sure a stand is super strong. Just take a look at a common item around the house. A couple of hundred pounds on 4 legs is often called a chair and chairs suffer from some pretty serious abuse. All sorts of loading and unloading and side loading. An aquarium just sits there.

I think it's best to make the frame out of 3/4" plywood. It is very stable, comes in large panels so diagonal bracing is not a problem, is far more than enough to hold up an aquarium and doesn't take up a lot of space.


----------



## JYoung (Oct 2, 2010)

My dad and I Built this stand for my tank last summer. will hold up a truck. just something to look at and get an idea maybe ... all wood is 1'' pine( if i recall correctly) cut out with a router and glued together,


----------



## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

Thanks for the advice and pictures. I think i am going to pass on the cherry. I have a few cherry canoe paddles that don't warp, but they do have an excessive amount of flex in them.

I'm trying to stay away from the plywood if possible and keep the piece as delicate as possible. The general plan i'm going to use if a modified version of this from fine wood working:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/small-cabinet-video-preview/

Opposed to the drawer I'm thinking i might like something like a cutting board that slides out. I like have a bit of work space to set out plants, tweezers and scissors when I'm working on the tank. That said it would be a great place to store test kits, said tools, and any random small stuff.


----------

