# ADA style stand (updated pics)



## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

So my friend and I decided to try our hands at building stands for two 60-P aquariums I had laying around. We planned on MDF but the stock was shoddy; crumbled edges, deep gouges, etc, and didn't look like fun to work with. Went with birch instead as it was still pretty reasonably priced for an experiment like this. We definitely aren't builders, just went at it with a circular saw and drill. The black garden mat hasn't been trimmed yet, so the overhanging edges are hiding the nice fit, matches up to the tanks perfect.










Painted the cabinet frame:










With front faces added:


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## reybie (Jun 7, 2007)

Looks good to me! I'm no woodworker though but that looks better than my stand


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Paint it silver.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

I 've used Howard's Feed & Wax alone on wood rifle stocks and was very happy. I got a the wood a shade darker but not as much as a stain wood. You get a nice satin shine. You simple get some 0000 steel wool, run it in the direction of the grain only. To clean the surface. I advise rubber gloves to prevent skin oil at this point. Then you just wipe it on with a soft cloth. Let it soak in for an hour, the buff it up with a clean dry cloth.

You can repeat this a few times over the following days so it drinks in more oil & wax. Depending on how dry the home is you'll use it to polish the stand once a month to 4xs a year.

Water will bead up on the surface. Old school green method. Try some on a scrape of your birch stock first to see if you like it. I buy mine at Home Depot in the paint aisle


http://www.howardproducts.com/feednwax.htm


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## mcqueenesq (Aug 29, 2011)

You guys did a great job! How much to get the third one shipped to New Orleans? Lol.


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## scags (Sep 22, 2003)

Looks awesome! I would leave it as is, the birch looks really good. Gives it more of a naturalistic modern look. I'm going to be building one soon, was thinking of cheap wood covered in formica, now I'm thinking birch!

Good job!


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

reybie: Thanks. Seems like DIY usually results in better looking or more sturdy stands than offered at the fish store. Even by us amateurs. :hihi:

Geniusdudekiran: Considering it, as I have a big ADA stand in the classic gun metal grey. Still think I'm leaning towards leaving some wood visible though.

DogFish: Thanks for the info and link. I might give it a try, especially if it doesn't darken the wood much and keeps it highly water resistant. I know I'd probably slack on the re-application part... Guess I'll have to read up on my options. 

mcqueenesq: We actually discussed the possibility of making and selling some stands. It was fun and quick enough to assemble. We planned, cut and put together the two stands in a day. And that included trips to the store, figuring things out, beer breaks, etc. Greyhound shipping makes shipping an assembled stand this side pretty affordable too.. 

scags: Thanks. I was considering the formica skin as well. But after reading more and talking to people who've installed it, I decided against it. The material is a bit pricey to make mistakes on. I can't imagine trying to trim edges flush while avoiding chipping from cutting and drilling is a pain for the unexperienced. I also question how well the seams are at resisting moisture long term. My ADA bought stand is showing separation gaps at the corners where water has dripped down. I think I'd be more confident with wood sealed or hit with a couple coats of polyurethane. No seams in that.


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## mcqueenesq (Aug 29, 2011)

Do it! You only have to beat the $735 ADA price tag.


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## iKine (Aug 4, 2011)

We use birch plywood for 80% of our cabinets at work (other 20% is maple plywood). The stuff is great for the price, pretty much a knock off maple. You have some old growth grain in there too (the darker grain), looks really nice.

and 30$ average a sheet for birch, sure beats 80-100$ average for maple!

And DogFish is right with the rub wax. Birch does not take stain very well and could ultimately look terrible. A first coat to "grain fill" the wood, and then a second coat should get some good results. We also suggest using something like Bri Wax to all of our customers for maintaining the solid wood, I love the stuff.


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## NatCh (Feb 23, 2011)

Paint is for ugly wood, it would be criminal to paint such pretty wood. At the same time, sealing it is a really Good Idea. 

I have done some woodwork (not a lot, just some), in addition to the other suggestions I would add polyurethane (I've seen some gorgeous results from it with birch). Shoe polish gives a quick, waterproof finish. If you want involved-but-stunning results, look up linseed oil finishing. It takes some doing, but the results are astounding on nice wood like that.

Since you have scraps, you could experiment with them until you find a finish you like.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

prototyp3 said:


> ...
> DogFish: Thanks for the info and link. I might give it a try, especially if it doesn't darken the wood much and keeps it highly water resistant. I know I'd probably slack on the re-application part... Guess I'll have to read up on my options.


It's maybe the most stupid easy finish you. Even easier than Tung oil. The re-app is pretty simple just like waxing you car, if it looks dull put a little on a clean rag(old T-Shirt) and polish it up.

Some poly's can yellow with age & UV light. An Oil finish becomes part of the wood.

I agree paint is for cheap wood, it's shame to hide true natural beauty of nice piece of wood.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

mcqueenesq: That would be plenty easy to do! I'm running the numbers to see what a reasonable cost would be.

iKine: The grain pattern is what sold me. I looked at everything there, and the birch was the most visually appealing to my taste.
I was reading about how birch likes to stain unevenly if not first conditioned to protect against that. I think I will try the wax route. 

NatCh: I'm definitely going to look into the poly sealer. I really do like the current color, it'd be great to put a little shine and protection on top without changing the color tone. 
I'll look up the linseed oil thing. Stunning sounds great, the involved part... not so much. :biggrin:

DogFish: If it's really that simple I think I'll pick it up and give it a shot. You're saying that it doesn't darken or shift the color much? Being inexperienced I was just lumping the oil rub in with staining as requiring a fair amount of experience and involved application to get a nice even result.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

I've used on walnut rifle stocks and on both red & white oak. It will darken a little but you are looking at DRY wood that is much light than if you just cut a tree open. You see what wood should look like hydrated.

Do test a scrap 1st so you get to see the effect. It's actually easier than waxing a car. When it dries out and loses the sheen, just give it a light coat. really just a few min. work.

BTW - There are plenty of brands of this stuff. The one I use is at Home Depot and that brand works well for me. I friend is a gunsmith he told me about it.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

And, yes...You guys have a good nitch market opportunity. That's a nice clean look stand. I would suggest you only offer them in raw wood. The headaches will come when you start finishing the wood for people as the colors will never be "right" for some customers.

I build my own stuff and I would buy one of your stands from what little I can see in the pics, they look very nice.


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## ch3fb0yrdee (Oct 2, 2008)

Looks legit. It's nice even without painting it.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

DogFish: I picked up some of that feed-n-wax and treated some wood scrap to a helping of it. It looked good, brought out the grain patterns nicely. Easy enough to apply, that's always a bonus in my eyes. I can't wait to hit the actual stand with it now. Got a little more sanding to do first.. Thank you for the suggestion of this stuff.

There's some interest in these, got a couple PMs on them. Next stand will have some extra goodies, like leveling feet and soft self-close doors. Got a slide out work surface idea I might work into it as well.

ch3fb0yrdee: Thanks!


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I love it, without any finish. If it was me, I would just do a quality spray clear or matte clear on it. Exceptional work, especially for not being a wood worker.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

prototyp3 said:


> >>> Got a little more sanding to do first.. Thank you for the suggestion of this stuff.
> 
> >>> Got a slide out work surface idea I might work into it as well.


When I do a gunstock, I would hit the stock 0000steel wool between coats 1 & 2 to help build an even finish. Experiment on the scrapes. In very consistent grains it is not as important.

Slide out work surface!!! Run with that idea. Everybody needs that option, I've not seen it offered. 

Good luck with this


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

So I hit one stand with some semi gloss paint. Still need to sand this guy down and apply the final coat. Planning to keep the front facing surfaces as wood, conditioned and sealed, want to see how the two tone look feels. Otherwise painting the door to match. 

Cyber Monday special $300 for this one when it's finished :icon_mrgr


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## NatureGrafix (Nov 21, 2011)

Nice work! Makes me want to give it a try.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

NatureGrafix said:


> Nice work! Makes me want to give it a try.


Sometimes I feel that way watching gymnasts at work:hihi: I think these guys are just very talented with working with wood. I have worked with it for over 60 years, and their quality looks better than most of mine.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

Thanks guys.

Updated the main post with pics.


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## khanzer22 (Jan 14, 2008)

Nice stand! I'm also planning to build one for a 75P as my winter project  Question, what European hinges did you use? Was it 0 clearance to the side (no gap visible?) or did it require you to trim/sand/route a certain portion of the side panel to make a recess/little gap? The top panel and door looks dead flat even!


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

These use the frameless full overlay hinges.
(http://www.mcfeelys.com/images/items/MP-CS22--lrg.jpg) 

They didn't require any special treatment outside of drilling the hole in the door to mount the hinge.
The adjustment screws on the hinge will help correct for any alignment issues if you run into any.


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## khanzer22 (Jan 14, 2008)

prototyp3 said:


> These use the frameless full overlay hinges.
> (http://www.mcfeelys.com/images/items/MP-CS22--lrg.jpg)
> 
> They didn't require any special treatment outside of drilling the hole in the door to mount the hinge.
> The adjustment screws on the hinge will help correct for any alignment issues if you run into any.


Nice, thanks for the pic... By looking at the frameless full overlay image, there's still a very small gap between the door and carcass but I think that's barely noticeable... I guess that answers my question, on top of my head, that you can't really fully butt-in the plywoods (door and carcass on the hinges area) with each other, unless there's another type of hinge that I don't know of... Thanks again!


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

So the stand made a new friend.










Laminate isn't much fun to work with.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks great!

i love the way the wood looked before staining and coloring!

i also love the gray one!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Both really look nice!!

Stands are not one size fits all. They not only hold the tank they should complement the room. Other wise they look like aisle 3 at PetCo.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

DogFish said:


> And, yes...You guys have a good nitch market opportunity. That's a nice clean look stand. I would suggest you only offer them in raw wood. The headaches will come when you start finishing the wood for people as the colors will never be "right" for some customers.
> 
> I build my own stuff and I would buy one of your stands from what little I can see in the pics, they look very nice.


Agreed.. make them to the dimensions of the tank then dry fit them so when the buyer gets the box it is a simple reassemble of the cabinet that has already been predrilled etc with doors hung.. don't forget that because hanging doors sucks hot donkey testicles. I have a DIY myself and cannot begin to tell you about the unspeakable horrors the doors are. They still don't hang right and sag which ticks me off. Unfinished though is the key.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

very nice craftmanship prototyp3!

Starting my 75P build today, got my materials together yesterday, went with 3/4" birch. Got a question or two if you or anyone else could help out a first time DIY stand builder :icon_conf

One thing I've yet to figure out building these DIY ADA style stands is what sits under the bottom of the cabinet itself? Is it just a piece of 3/4" (or doubled) plywood under the base that gets attached when the stand is complete/in place, or does it just "float" underneath?

Also, I see the top itself doesn't support the front edge of the tank but rather the fascia board (?) on the front. No issues with doing so? I've seen the when doing the laminate route, the top of the stand does support the entire dimensions of the tank flush to the edge and the laminate hides the plywood edges, but I'm not doing laminate.

Another thing I've still not decided is whether or not to double up the 3/4" or not. Maybe gonna go 3/4" all around but add a center 3/4 piece of ply down the middle with a cut out for space.

Sorry, not trying to derail your thread, just looking for an experienced opinion...your work is so nice.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Unless you are building a stand for a 6 foot long tank I don't see a good reason for a center vertical support. 3/4" plywood on edge can support an awful lot of weight if it is braced well, which it is when you are making a "box". The weakest point is the center of the front edge, so a vertical piece maybe 4 inches wide at the front, oriented so the edge is forward, should take care of that. Wide stands need double doors anyway, so that piece can act as the stop for the closed door. Also, when the joints are glued with any of today's woodworking glues, the glue joint is stronger than the wood.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

salmon said:


> very nice craftmanship prototyp3!
> 
> One thing I've yet to figure out building these DIY ADA style stands is what sits under the bottom of the cabinet itself? Is it just a piece of 3/4" (or doubled) plywood under the base that gets attached when the stand is complete/in place, or does it just "float" underneath?


That bottom piece is just another sheet of 3/4" which provides a toe kick and allows clearance for the door to swing open. Without it carpet can get in the way and make opening the cabinet difficult.



> Also, I see the top itself doesn't support the front edge of the tank but rather the fascia board (?) on the front. No issues with doing so? I've seen the when doing the laminate route, the top of the stand does support the entire dimensions of the tank flush to the edge and the laminate hides the plywood edges, but I'm not doing laminate.


No issues on the front overhang of 3/4". It's fully supported.



> Another thing I've still not decided is whether or not to double up the 3/4" or not. Maybe gonna go 3/4" all around but add a center 3/4 piece of ply down the middle with a cut out for space.


You don't need to double up on the walls. Like Hoppy said, a center support would work well for additional support and for the doors to meet at.



> Sorry, not trying to derail your thread, just looking for an experienced opinion...your work is so nice.


No problem. And thanks for the comments.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

@ Hoppy. Thanks for the tips! My concern was indeed the weight on front center so I took your advice and did use a vertical support of 3/4" ply, but ended up just running it full-length to the back....def overkill but also ease of mind.

@ prototyp3. Thanks so much for your help! Got two more quick ?'s.....how did you fasten the overhang other than glue and does the bottom piece of 3/4" underneath get centered all around or just at the front and sides? Again thanks for your help....awesome thread


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## lushlife (Feb 27, 2008)

Id consider buying one off you if you can make it for a 20g long (30"w & 12"d) and the stand itself ~46" tall.


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## Texex (Aug 15, 2003)

Did you guys end up using plywood for this project? I was thinking of going with solid birch, but it doesn't seem as strong and could be subject to warping. The only concern I have is wanting to have solid edges without the stacked look of the plywood. I'm not a good woodworker by any stretch, so was curious how you guys hid the edging on the plywood.


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## khanzer22 (Jan 14, 2008)

Texex said:


> Did you guys end up using plywood for this project? I was thinking of going with solid birch, but it doesn't seem as strong and could be subject to warping. The only concern I have is wanting to have solid edges without the stacked look of the plywood. I'm not a good woodworker by any stretch, so was curious how you guys hid the edging on the plywood.


Also thought about this, and currently working on a 75P stand as well using red oak plywood, and I could only think of 3 ways

- edge banding then stain/paint
- plaster the plywood edge, sand it then paint
- lay down a laminate like formica




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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

lushlife: 20L wouldn't be a problem. Fire me a PM if you decide you're interested.

Texex: We went with birch plywood. It's a little more stable to work with as you've pointed out. And like khanzer22 mentioned you can apply edge banding to the open edges. It's basically a thin veneer that you apply and trim to fit.


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## Texex (Aug 15, 2003)

Hmmmm.…. May have to give it a shot. Plywood is definitely cheaper than solid wood.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

Sold one one of the original stands and did an all black painted version. :bounce:


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

prototyp3 said:


> Sold one one of the original stands and did an all black painted version. :bounce:


this is slick! very sleek looking roud:

did you do this one in birch too? how many coats of paint? I'm planning my second stand with my leftovers from my other one, and have some black lami kicking around, but paint seems like more feasible idea.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Is that solid wood?
How did you join the pieces?

...If it's solid wood and the temps/humidity fluctuate too much you might find your piece coming apart at the seams or not being flush at the joins anymore.

edit: oh woops I read some more - yea plywood is way better for this application, and if you are providing them to people unfinished some people will prefer the look of uniform face veneered wood with all matching grain. 

Check out the tank in my sig - you can see some of an ADA style stand I made for my Mini M. 
It has formica and the construction is a bit different then yours but pretty similar!


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Hoppy said:


> Unless you are building a stand for a 6 foot long tank I don't see a good reason for a center vertical support. 3/4" plywood on edge can support an awful lot of weight if it is braced well, which it is when you are making a "box". The weakest point is the center of the front edge, so a vertical piece maybe 4 inches wide at the front, oriented so the edge is forward, should take care of that. Wide stands need double doors anyway, so that piece can act as the stop for the closed door. Also, when the joints are glued with any of today's woodworking glues, the glue joint is stronger than the wood.


What I did for my stand was cut out 3/4" on each side panel and then glue 2 x 3/4" pieces together to run across the front to make the front load bearing.










Not a great photo to demonstrate but you get the idea, maybe.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

Chlorophile: Your stand turned out great, looks very sharp.

I see what you're talking about in regards to the construction. That method is helpful with your tank having a smaller footprint than the cabinet top. That extra support will help keep the top from sagging. I didn't go with that method as my tank edges rest directly over the vertical panels. My brace was simply to keep things square and resist any sort of twisting. I would approach it differently for a larger tank. As-is it's extremely sturdy. It took the 2 men combining for 400+ pounds jumping on the top celebrating test and passed with flying colors. :bounce::bounce:

It certainly doesn't hurt to overbuild though!


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

prototyp3 said:


> Chlorophile: Your stand turned out great, looks very sharp.
> 
> I see what you're talking about in regards to the construction. That method is helpful with your tank having a smaller footprint than the cabinet top. That extra support will help keep the top from sagging. I didn't go with that method as my tank edges rest directly over the vertical panels. My brace was simply to keep things square and resist any sort of twisting. I would approach it differently for a larger tank. As-is it's extremely sturdy. It took the 2 men combining for 400+ pounds jumping on the top celebrating test and passed with flying colors. :bounce::bounce:
> 
> It certainly doesn't hurt to overbuild though!


Yea it seemed like a good idea. 
I'd probably do it on any stand I build in the future simply for as you said, overbuilding!
Works to prevent twisting too, hard/bad part about it is figuring out how far to inset it to make the door flush with the top bar piece.
I set my top bar too deep and my door isn't quite flush, sticks out about an 1/8" more than the top bar of the tank. 
Someday I will probably sell this stand and make a new one!


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

salmon said:


> this is slick! very sleek looking roud:
> 
> did you do this one in birch too? how many coats of paint? I'm planning my second stand with my leftovers from my other one, and have some black lami kicking around, but paint seems like more feasible idea.


I missed this the first time around. Thanks. Yeah, this made from the same grade birch. I ended up hitting it with 4 coats of paint. 

I see pros and cons to both the laminate and paint. Laminate gives you that perfect finish and can be completed quicker. It's not really fixable though should you run into a problem like chips, scratches or cracks. Paint takes more time with multiple coats, sanding, and dry times. But at least you can fix things should you make a mistake.

My first attempt at laminating had some burning/marring from the trimming. My guess is too much pressure caused the bit to burn the adjacent surface. I didn't lube or cover that surface with tape as I've now seen recommended. I'm going to give it another try though. I have a good amount of material remaining to play with. I weirdly found it very relaxing to bust out the metal file and bevel all edges to 45 degrees.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Chlorophile said:


> Yea it seemed like a good idea.
> I'd probably do it on any stand I build in the future simply for as you said, overbuilding!
> Works to prevent twisting too, hard/bad part about it is figuring out how far to inset it to make the door flush with the top bar piece.
> I set my top bar too deep and my door isn't quite flush, sticks out about an 1/8" more than the top bar of the tank.
> Someday I will probably sell this stand and make a new one!


Ya I did the exact same design, doubled the overhang and notched the sides to just shy of 3/4" to allow for the door/hinge gap so that it would flush up. If you give yourself even a little extra, the hinges can compensate as its easier to adjust the door than the overhang. :icon_wink I really like your Mini stand btw!



prototyp3 said:


> I missed this the first time around. Thanks. Yeah, this made from the same grade birch. I ended up hitting it with 4 coats of paint.
> 
> I see pros and cons to both the laminate and paint. Laminate gives you that perfect finish and can be completed quicker. It's not really fixable though should you run into a problem like chips, scratches or cracks. Paint takes more time with multiple coats, sanding, and dry times. But at least you can fix things should you make a mistake.
> 
> My first attempt at laminating had some burning/marring from the trimming. My guess is too much pressure caused the bit to burn the adjacent surface. I didn't lube or cover that surface with tape as I've now seen recommended. I'm going to give it another try though. I have a good amount of material remaining to play with. I weirdly found it very relaxing to bust out the metal file and bevel all edges to 45 degrees.


Thanks again for your feedback prototyp3! I tried lami on my 75P stand, and had never done it before but it turned out ok. I had one spot where it marred a little, but I did buy a brand new high quality bit and that made a world of difference. Never thought about using the tape idea though. Your very right on the irreversible side of doing laminate, I have a side panel that has a minor bubble, and there really isn't anything I can do. How do the seams look after 4 coats? 

Also, I "forgot" to precut my holes for the filter tubes in the side before laminating. Kinda stuck here, short of masking tape and drilling, looking for some ideas on how to tackle it :help:


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

prototyp3 said:


> I missed this the first time around. Thanks. Yeah, this made from the same grade birch. I ended up hitting it with 4 coats of paint.
> 
> I see pros and cons to both the laminate and paint. Laminate gives you that perfect finish and can be completed quicker. It's not really fixable though should you run into a problem like chips, scratches or cracks. Paint takes more time with multiple coats, sanding, and dry times. But at least you can fix things should you make a mistake.
> 
> My first attempt at laminating had some burning/marring from the trimming. My guess is too much pressure caused the bit to burn the adjacent surface. I didn't lube or cover that surface with tape as I've now seen recommended. I'm going to give it another try though. I have a good amount of material remaining to play with. I weirdly found it very relaxing to bust out the metal file and bevel all edges to 45 degrees.


When you trim up your laminate make sure the contact cement is completely dry or it will gum up the bearing on the bit. 
When the bearing gums up it doesn't spin freely so instead it spins with the bit. 
Before each trim, especially on very noticeable areas, make sure your bearing is still spinning freely, if it isn't go at it with some goo gone first! 
I had to redo an entire side panel because it just had one long burn across it =[


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## Justintoxicated (Oct 18, 2006)

Wow I wish I was that good with wood working.

You could do a light sanding then hit it with some 100% real tung oil. Then finish it off with some wax maybe that howards stuff. Tung oil takes a few days to apply though since you have to let it dry between coats. Might be good for that natural look though.

Very nice tank and stand you have there. I would love to get an ADA tank myself.


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## Pen3 (Jan 2, 2007)

Can you do this with glue and stainless screw or only biscuit and glue?


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

salmon said:


> Ya I did the exact same design, doubled the overhang and notched the sides to just shy of 3/4" to allow for the door/hinge gap so that it would flush up. If you give yourself even a little extra, the hinges can compensate as its easier to adjust the door than the overhang. :icon_wink I really like your Mini stand btw!
> 
> Thanks again for your feedback prototyp3! I tried lami on my 75P stand, and had never done it before but it turned out ok. I had one spot where it marred a little, but I did buy a brand new high quality bit and that made a world of difference. Never thought about using the tape idea though. Your very right on the irreversible side of doing laminate, I have a side panel that has a minor bubble, and there really isn't anything I can do. How do the seams look after 4 coats?
> 
> Also, I "forgot" to precut my holes for the filter tubes in the side before laminating. Kinda stuck here, short of masking tape and drilling, looking for some ideas on how to tackle it :help:


I like to work with thinned paint, so 4 coats was fine. It didn't round out the edges.

Only thing I can think of for those side holes would be to rough cut it and use a grommet to "finish" it. I never really liked those orange slice openings anyways, didn't really fit the crisp lines IMO. 




Chlorophile said:


> When you trim up your laminate make sure the contact cement is completely dry or it will gum up the bearing on the bit.
> When the bearing gums up it doesn't spin freely so instead it spins with the bit.
> Before each trim, especially on very noticeable areas, make sure your bearing is still spinning freely, if it isn't go at it with some goo gone first!
> I had to redo an entire side panel because it just had one long burn across it =[


Yeah, that sounds like the problem. The temperature wasn't cooperating and I was wanting to get it done. I'll definitely wait it out next time to avoid this problem. Thanks for the help.




Justintoxicated said:


> Wow I wish I was that good with wood working.
> 
> You could do a light sanding then hit it with some 100% real tung oil. Then finish it off with some wax maybe that howards stuff. Tung oil takes a few days to apply though since you have to let it dry between coats. Might be good for that natural look though.
> 
> Very nice tank and stand you have there. I would love to get an ADA tank myself.


Thanks for the comments.




Pen3 said:


> Can you do this with glue and stainless screw or only biscuit and glue?


Yeah, I went with screws and glue on mine. You could do biscuits and glue, it'd save you from having to clean up the countersunk screws.


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