# Another Aquarium Stand - 45 gallon tank



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

My journal for a new riparium, http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/97010-45-gallon-rimless-riparium.html includes a pic of the tank I picked up on Craiglist, with a not-so-great stand, for $100. So, I want to build a better looking stand, that will blend in well with the existing entertainment center which will be right beside this tank. Above is the sketch for what I will make, starting tomorrow, I hope.

The stand will be made of birch and birch plywood and will be stained a light reddish color to match the entertainment center as best I can.


----------



## intermediate_noob (Jan 23, 2007)

Another great Hoppy project! This looks a lot like your other stand you had made for your 40+ gallon tank that you took down for your 65. Just an observation.

Cannot wait to see it!


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

intermediate_noob said:


> Another great Hoppy project! This looks a lot like your other stand you had made for your 40+ gallon tank that you took down for your 65. Just an observation.
> 
> Cannot wait to see it!


Yes, this is very similar to that other stand, made the same way, but different wood and size. The biggest differences are that the top will be made slightly differently, and the doors will be frame and panel doors. It's like baking bread - once you find a good recipe, why not use it again?


----------



## intermediate_noob (Jan 23, 2007)

Will you be building your own doors or going with pre-built? Doors from http://www.ameradoor.com/ seem to be very reasonable.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

intermediate_noob said:


> Will you be building your own doors or going with pre-built? Doors from http://www.ameradoor.com/ seem to be very reasonable.


I always try to reduce the cost of this hobby any way I can, so I will make my own. I have made doors enough times not to be intimidated by doing so. It really isn't that hard to do, unless you want an ornate profile on the frame pieces, or want raised panels. Then you need a router table and 3 Hp router, preferably. But, for this I will just use simple recessed panels, made of 1/4" plywood.


----------



## skinz180189 (Jun 26, 2009)

Look forward to the progress. I've lost all motivation with mine currently.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I like to use just yellow "carpenters" glue, like Titebond, to make things like this. Yesterday I rediscovered the problem with that at this time of year. Titebond doesn't bond tite when it is colder than about 60F. My first glue joints didn't set up at all in an hour at about 55F. I finally brought the parts inside, where it is warmer. This is an annual problem for me, one that I always manage to forget during the hot summers. Now, I just have to remember how I manage to work around this.


----------



## MoonFish (Feb 12, 2006)

If it's above 45, it'll set overnight. I've been there.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

MoonFish said:


> If it's above 45, it'll set overnight. I've been there.


I have had weak joints that way, but in any case, the temperature was around 40F last night. So, I just glued another joint, and carried the assembly into the house, with a pipe clamp holding it together, and it is setting very nicely. I also keep the bottle of glue inside, to keep it warmer. When things are going well I only wait about 30 minutes between gluing on new pieces. Titebond sets strongly enough in that time to easily resist my handling of the assembly. But, only in warm weather.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

This is the glue-up to make the top, 8 boards, laminated, end glued, and slightly overlapped. The 8 drywall screws just hold it together as the glue dries.









Next, I used the old, ugly stand to mark the new top shape for sawing out with an electric jig saw. Because my top corners will have 1/2 inch radius rounding, I had to make the top a half inch bigger all around. Later, I will use a belt sander to smooth the cut edges and slightly adjust the curvature to fit the line.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The bottom frame is done, laying on top of the top frame, both ready for some belt sander, and router work.

Today my wife pointed out how strong the fumes from Titebond glue are. I had never noticed that before, since I enjoy that smell. Has anyone else noticed the strong smell? I've used that glue for several years, but never considered it to be a strong smelling substance.

EDIT: I just recently switched to Titebond II from original Titebond. From the MSDS for Titebond it looks like neither one is at all toxic, but only Titebond II is noted to have a slight odor. So, I will have to switch back. (Or let my wife move away) I'm still curious about whether anyone else has noticed this.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Yesterday I found that my HD didn't have any 3/4 birch veneered plywood, so I had to change my plans a bit. Instead of using the plywood to support the tank, I'm using a frame of 1 x 4 Poplar to do so, with a 5.2mm birch/maple plywood cover over it. This will be cheaper too, and a bit more fun to make. Progress is shown above.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

With the stand upside down, gluing the front vertical pieces on.







With the stand right side up, gluing the bottom horizontal piece - the shelf - onto the vertical pieces. It is cold enough now that I used a hair dryer to warm up the wood before gluing, and periodically as the glue dried, to be sure it sets up well.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The basic frame done. Next will be a "pedestal" for it to sit on, probably only 3/4 inch high, but maybe 1 1/2 inches high. Then the skin of 5.2 mm plywood. And, finally the doors.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The "pedestal", flat 1 x 2 poplar, glued to bottom.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That's a very nice stand. You really like woodworking!  You're good at it too.
Your work never disappoints.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's looking great. I really gotta get some clamps so that I can glue more capably.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Gluing the skin on one end. No nails, screws, etc, just glue.


----------



## intermediate_noob (Jan 23, 2007)

Hoppy, did you use a router for the edges of the top and bottom pieces to get that nice curved edge?

Thanks again for sharing with us!


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The top and bottom pieces are double thicknesses of 3/4 inch thick birch and/or maple. I used a 1/2 inch round over bit, with a guide bearing on it, to round the top and bottom corners, after I used a hand jig saw to cut a radius on the front corners and shape the bowfront profile on the front edge of the top. I had to use a random orbit sander to finish off the profile. My "big" router is only a 1 hp router with 1/4 inch collet - a cheap Skil plunge router. I also have a second hand little trim router that I use most of the time for smaller bits. The secret for making low powered routers work well is making the cut in 2-3 passes, a little wood removed each pass.


----------



## skinz180189 (Jun 26, 2009)

Progress looks great on this


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The body of the stand is done, except for final sanding. Everything is glued together with no metals, except the back is held with brads while the glue dries, and the top layers are held together with drywall screws until that glue dried. As usual with my projects, there are plenty of mistakes in the assembly, but none so glaring as to be very obvious.

I should start on doors tomorrow.


----------



## intermediate_noob (Jan 23, 2007)

Hoppy the stand looks great, and thanks for the tips for the router. Mine is the same "lower" power with only a 1/4" collet as well. 

Great work on another project. I cannot wait to see it all together.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The two door frames, made from maple 1 x 2's. I used a power miter saw to cut the mitered ends of the frame pieces. It is very easy to do that way, because you can, and should, stack the equal length pieces and cut the 45 degree cuts on the whole stack at once - 4 pieces at a time in this case. Then I have a cheap Ryobi biscuit joiner, so I used it to cut biscuit slots in the miter faces to make gluing easier and the joints stronger. For clamping I have a band clamp - a length of 1 inch wide nylon band with a rachetting device holding the two ends together to tighten them and clamp all 4 pieces at once. This all took about an hour and a half at most, with an hour between gluing each door frame, to let the glue set enough to hold it together. Tomorrow, the panels, which will be inset into rabbits cut with a router in the frame back sides, and glued in place. Before plywood was invented you couldn't do that. Solid wood panels change size too much with humidity changes, so gluing them in place just results in them cracking down the middle. That is why panel doors made the "classic" way fit unglued into grooves, not glued into rabbits.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Doors done, except for sanding and a little trimming.


----------



## airborne_r6 (May 2, 2008)

Hoppy, you are amazing. 

I have a considerably better woodshop than you and have built absolutely nothing in the last year. I have had the wood for a new canopy for my 20 since May and havent made a single cut.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

airborne_r6 said:


> Hoppy, you are amazing.
> 
> I have a considerably better woodshop than you and have built absolutely nothing in the last year. I have had the wood for a new canopy for my 20 since May and havent made a single cut.


Being retired does make more time available to do things like this:icon_mrgr


----------



## airborne_r6 (May 2, 2008)

Hoppy said:


> Being retired does make more time available to do things like this:icon_mrgr


Ahh, that would help. I am at the exact opposite end of the work spectrum. Finishing my bachelors and and applying to graduate school so I basically have no free time, in fact I am in the library and should be reading microbiology right now.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The doors trimmed, sanded and just laying in place. Now off to get the hinges. What looks like a knob is just an imperfection in the photo.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks awesome Hoppy. It will be so cool with that curved glass tank on top.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

For two days now I've been struggling with installing the hinges:









These are never really easy to install, but I've had more problems this time than I can remember in the past. I'm almost done with that job, so next will be staining the wood. For that I will likely use:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2000760/HOMESTEAD-TransFast-Dye-Powders.aspx
but I'm not sure which color will work best to match the entertainment center that will be right beside the stand. As I recall I dyed that piece with a mix of two colors, but I won't go that way this time.


----------



## davocean (Oct 11, 2009)

Cab is looking really nice.
Those hinges can be a pain, I prefer the euro type myself, the ones you bore w/ a forshner bit.
I always tell folks custom stain always becomes a pain to match later, much better to go w/ a stock color IMO.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I much prefer the Euro cup hinges, but I have no drill press now, nor a special fixture for locating and drilling the holes with a hand drill. So, I use these instead. When the installation goes easily they are great. When it doesn't, they aren't great.

My entertainment center was originally made for our master bedroom, to match the color and general style of the existing bedroom set. So, I did a lot of experimenting before the Chief Designer in Charge agreed that I had the right color. Then I wrote down the formula, so I could duplicate it. After we moved I assumed I had no use for that stuff, so I got rid of the dyes, the formula and the memories of how I did it. You are 100% right about custom colors!


----------



## davocean (Oct 11, 2009)

It's funny, I sometimes get people insisting on doing their own custom color experiment, and I always warn them, and then add to receipt it was their own custom color design right next to their sig which they so proudly sign.
It's always funny when they call me down the road wanting touchups and I say that was ALL you Sister!(I say sister cause it does seem to be women doing this most)
Too bad so far or I'd let you borrow my jig, but a forschner bit for that wouldn't be too expensive, though if you don't use it often...
If you need the offset loc LMK if change mind, but sure you'll get it handled.


----------



## airborne_r6 (May 2, 2008)

Hoppy said:


> I much prefer the Euro cup hinges, but I have no drill press now, nor a special fixture for locating and drilling the holes with a hand drill. So, I use these instead. When the installation goes easily they are great. When it doesn't, they aren't great.


Take a look at these drill guides (you will have to scroll down a little):
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2406&filter=forstner guide
http://www.ptreeusa.com/forstner_bit_sets.htm


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

When I moved away from my big workshop I figured I wouldn't be making anything that might need Euro hinges. So, the first time I wanted to use some, I figured that was likely the only time, and buying that type of drill guide wouldn't be worth it. The second time I knew I would never do that again. The third time I wished I had bought it when I first could have used it, but it was too late for that. This fourth time.....well, I won't need that again....


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I finally got the doors installed and fitting well, so staining was next. I bought two colors of wood dye at Woodcrafts Store - one was golden maple and the other brown mahogany. After a day of experimenting I dyed the stand today, first with brown, then with a mix of the golden maple and the brown. The color almost matches the entertainment center so the CEO should be pleased.

Those wood dyes are great, but expensive - $20 with tax for a tiny bottle of liquid dye and $10 for a tiny bottle of dry dye. I spent $30, just for that! Their advantage is that they do a much more uniform color job, and they work very well on very hard wood, without much in the way of pores to hold stain, since they actually dye the wood, not just leave a deposit. I mix mine with distilled water, but you can use alcohol too.

Tomorrow I will apply water based acrylic varnish, probably 3 coats. (I'm not big on multiple coat finishes.)


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The stand is done, except for the door handles, which are still TBD. The color turned out not to be a very good match to the adjacent entertainment center, as you can see, but I still like it and the wife isn't unhappy with it. This will become a riparium, with a thread in the Journals forum describing it.


----------



## cojo0667 (Feb 21, 2008)

Looks very nice. The color turned out well.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

cojo0667 said:


> Looks very nice. The color turned out well.


Thank you! The odd thing is that with certain daylight light it is a good match for the entertainment center, but at most times it isn't a thing like it. It's weird.

Now, I'm off to make a matching light fixture.


----------



## davocean (Oct 11, 2009)

It actually has a nice aged look that I like.
Also enough color variation that some parts match, and others have good contrast.
I find that often better than trying to match a piece exactly, I'll go w/ a contrasting color.


----------

