# BiscuitSlayer's 90 Gallon Stand and Canopy Build Journal... 56K Beware!



## jinx©

Great build journal so far and one I've been waiting on. 

I have plans for a 75g in the future as well and had ideas for the stand etc., but this will be tons of help.

I'm looking forward to seeing the electrical as well. I was leaning towards the standard power strip type deal, but this may sway me as it looks like a great alternative.

It's looking like a beast of a stand, but I'm all for overbuilding when it comes to a big heavy box of water in the house around kids and pets...lol

Great job so far and thanks for taking the time to do a build journal to share. :thumbsup:


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## BiscuitSlayer

Thanks Jinx! 

I'll try to keep things going to keep it interesting. The electrical isn't too bad, and ultimately I will be using some strips. They will plug into the receptacle side of the swith/receptacles. Unfortuately, it is a little more complex to use the switch receptacle combo than I had originally thought. No show stoppers, but a bit of a PITA all the same. I'll post specifics with some pics so that you can get an idea of how I had to wire it up to meet my needs.

Once the stand is done, it is going to be pretty heavy. I am using light 1/4" oak plywood for the skin, but I have a ton of trim and I am going to use 3/4" oak plywood for the canopy and the doors on the stand. I was going to use 1/2 inch, but every piece they had at the store had water stains, and I didn't know how deep they penetrated. No big deal, but it will add signifigantly to the overall weight.

I am going to re-inforce my floor joists where this is going to properly handle the weight without causing the floor to sag, etc. I have 2 x 10 joists, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I'll try to get an update tonight.


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## eyebeatbadgers

Great build and pictures. I'd like to see a cost total at the end of the project, as I'm thinking about a 75 myself.


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## BiscuitSlayer

eyebeatbadgers said:


> Great build and pictures. I'd like to see a cost total at the end of the project, as I'm thinking about a 75 myself.



Thanks eyebeatbadgers! I can probably work up a rough cost now, but I think I will be returning some things. I'll just wait to the project is complete and then I'll post the total after returns, etc. I can tell you this now. It would be cheaper to buy a built stand. I have about $350 into it so far with all of the electrical and lumber.


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## BiscuitSlayer

Update:

I wired things up for the most part. The key to the switch/receptacles is to break off the little brass tabs that isolate the switch from the receptacle. When you chain one receptacle to another using the type that I am going with, you want your hot load and line to connect to the one side where the switch is so that the unit always has power. To make the receptacle run off of the switch, you want to run a small line from the switch control side to the hot side of the recepatcle. All neutral wires tie into the netral silver terminal. I hope the pictures below make that clear. The switch control side is the same side as the white neutral wires in this case.



















After finishing up the wiring, I like to wrap up the terminals and the ground wire with electrical tape. I do this just as a precautionary measure to keep any stray copper from making contact with another wire. If the hot wire was to touch the ground, it would make quite an arch/spark. You don't want anything like that happening.











Here is everything pretty much buttoned up. I split the plywood pannel and attached it with a hinge so that I could get into the wiring and fix anything that might be problematic should the need arise. Its better to be safe than sorry.











I am going to use two of the lights pictured to work off of the bottom switch so that when I open the cabinet to work on things there will be some light in there. I was able to get two of these lights for about $16.











This is somewhat of a technical question. The plugs for the lights are polarized, meaning that one side of the plug is larger than the other so you can only plug it in one way. Does anyone know which side is the hot side? I don't want to make a guess. Any help will be appreciated. Here is a picture of the plug:










My intent is to cut the plug off and wire it directly to a switch. Shouldn't be a big deal as long as I have the wires in order.

Thats my update as of now. Next steps will be skinning the stand and starting the trim work. I can't wait!


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## eds

You do nice work.
Coupla questions, tho.
What exactly is the function/need of the "floaters"?
And do you think the 2x6s were necessary?
I agree with the tendency to overbuild, but just thought that stand looks mighty heavy. Especially when you add in the 1/2" ply.
What do you think it will weigh when finished?


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## BiscuitSlayer

eds said:


> What exactly is the function/need of the "floaters"?


The purpose of the floaters is to attach the main 8 sections of legs to the upper and lower frames. They float so that load is not transfered to the floor of your house or to the tank/ply that the tank sits on. All load is transfered to the 8 outer sections of the legs.



eds said:


> And do you think the 2x6s were necessary?


The original design states that you should be fine using 2 x 4s for tanks upto 4 feet and 2 x 6s are used for tanks up to 6 feet. Bottom line is I didn't need to do it, but I am glad I did. 


Edit: 

After thinking a bit about this question some more, I have some relevant information why I would use 2 x 6s for this type of frame again and again. When I built the upper and lower frames, the lower frame was warped and twisted pretty bad. The upper frame was level and true. I was somewhat worried about this as I thought that the stand woudn't sit level or it would have wobble to it, etc. Since the upper frame was level and rock solid, I attached the legs to it first. Once I was done I attached the lower frame to the legs. Everything pulled together and the warping and twisting of the lower frame was brought in check.

The bottom line for me is that the 2 x 6s are level and true if you get a couple of good lengths. Had I used 2 x 4s for the upper frame instead, I think I would have some major issues with the stand being level and wobble free. Instead of having one frame with some issues, I would have two. If they had the issues in "the same direction" problems might be compounded.




eds said:


> I agree with the tendency to overbuild, but just thought that stand looks mighty heavy. Especially when you add in the 1/2" ply.
> What do you think it will weigh when finished?


The stand isn't too bad yet. I can still handle it at this point. I can't really tell you how much it will weigh, but I know it is going to be heavy. I will try to get a good estimation once all of the other trim, doors, etc. are added.


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## rolloffhill

The floater makes absolutly no sense to me. Yeah I see that it is attaching the upper and lower frames together, but you make a point to say that it shouldn't make contact with the floor. Since you are finishing out the top with ply why would it matter if it makes contact or not? The ply is gonna distribute the weight to all points beyond the 4 corners....

IMO the "floater" looks like an after thought of someone that didn't plan ahead....


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## intermediate_noob

This is the thread from Reef Central where we all started and it talks about the floaters: Reef Central DIY Stand

I was going to try to explain what everything was for, but I do not want to take the wind out of Biscuit's sails because this is one heckuva awesome looking stand. All your questions and more are answered in detail on the ReefCentral thread and I am sure Biscuit could offer up his info too.

Once question to Biscuit, are the switches controlling each outlet they are connected to? Meaning the switch would turn off their respective output? Also, do you think one GFCI is enough? I wired three of them for my last project (two for lights, one for heater and pump) because I did not want a single point of failure. Do you think this was overkill?

Where did you get your plywood and did you buy a 4x8 sheet for the 1/2" and 1/4" oak? I cannot seem to find any good plywood at the local Home Depots or Lowes. May have to go to a lumber yard.

Kudos to you man, you are my hero!


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## jinx©

BiscuitSlayer said:


> This is somewhat of a technical question. The plugs for the lights are polarized, meaning that one side of the plug is larger than the other so you can only plug it in one way. Does anyone know which side is the hot side? I don't want to make a guess. Any help will be appreciated. Here is a picture of the plug:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My intent is to cut the plug off and wire it directly to a switch. Shouldn't be a big deal as long as I have the wires in order.


The wide prong side of your plug would get wired to the silver terminals/white wired/neutral side if that makes sense. 

Look at the face of your outlet. If you were to plug it in the outlet, the wide pronged side of the outlet has the silver terminals/neutral (white) wires correct?.


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## BiscuitSlayer

intermediate_noob said:


> This is the thread from Reef Central where we all started and it talks about the floaters: Reef Central DIY Stand
> 
> I was going to try to explain what everything was for, but I do not want to take the wind out of Biscuit's sails because this is one heckuva awesome looking stand. All your questions and more are answered in detail on the ReefCentral thread and I am sure Biscuit could offer up his info too.
> 
> Once question to Biscuit, are the switches controlling each outlet they are connected to? Meaning the switch would turn off their respective output? Also, do you think one GFCI is enough? I wired three of them for my last project (two for lights, one for heater and pump) because I did not want a single point of failure. Do you think this was overkill?
> 
> Where did you get your plywood and did you buy a 4x8 sheet for the 1/2" and 1/4" oak? I cannot seem to find any good plywood at the local Home Depots or Lowes. May have to go to a lumber yard.
> 
> Kudos to you man, you are my hero!



IN- 

Don't worry about taking the wind out of my sails. You know this design as well as anyone, so feel free to speak your mind. It is because of your thread that I built the stand this way. Maybe you would have more luck articulating the purpose of the floater.

As far as the switch/receptacles go, each switch will control the respective outlet/receptacle it is attached to. The GFCI will protect the lower switch/outlets from ground faults, etc. Not sure what you mean by overkill on this. The single point of failure is that if the GFCI trips, everything will shut off. If you are thinking I missed something, please explain. I don't want to overlook things while I am still building it out. It is easier to make changes now than later. 

I was only able to buy 1/4" eight foot sheets of oak plywood at Lowes. For the canopy, I am going to use 3/4" ply, but I only bought 2' X 4' sheets. I have a plan that will require some work to make it fit the actual tank. 

As far as heros go, you're mine. If it wasn't for you and your thread, I wouldn't be building it. 

Once again, feel free to comment as you wish. I won't mind at all.


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## BiscuitSlayer

rolloffhill said:


> The floater makes absolutly no sense to me. Yeah I see that it is attaching the upper and lower frames together, but you make a point to say that it shouldn't make contact with the floor. Since you are finishing out the top with ply why would it matter if it makes contact or not? The ply is gonna distribute the weight to all points beyond the 4 corners....
> 
> IMO the "floater" looks like an after thought of someone that didn't plan ahead....



Essentially it is not an afterthought. The whole point is that you don't want the load of the tank, water, substrate, etc. to be transfered through the floater to the floor. You would effectively be taking all of that weight and transfering it to your floor rather than evenly transfering it to the lower frame (which covers more area).

If it doesn't make sense to you now, read the original link to Intermediate_Noobs thread at the top of mine. From there it will take you to the reef central threads where this design was originally thought of. 

It is definately not an afterthought. I originally thought like you do, but now I am a believer.


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## BiscuitSlayer

jinx© said:


> The wide prong side of your plug would get wired to the silver terminals/white wired/neutral side if that makes sense.
> 
> Look at the face of your outlet. If you were to plug it in the outlet, the wide pronged side of the outlet has the silver terminals/neutral (white) wires correct?.



Jinx- 

Thanks for your input. I do agree that it does look like what you are suggesting. I just wanted to be sure. I might tear a receptacle apart just to make sure.


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## intermediate_noob

BiscuitSlayer said:


> IN-
> 
> The GFCI will protect the lower switch/outlets from ground faults, etc. Not sure what you mean by overkill on this. The single point of failure is that if the GFCI trips, everything will shut off. If you are thinking I missed something, please explain. I don't want to overlook things while I am still building it out. It is easier to make changes now than later.


Biscuit, thanks for the kind words. I am glad that I was able to help, or at least I think I helped. :smile: 

As far as the GFCI, I was talking about overkill on my setup not yours. I used two GFCI outlet (and a covered outlet) where you only used one. My thought was this. If water got on something, only one receptacle would trip. Therefore, my lights (two of the receptacles because of multiple timers) are on their own GFCI outlets. If they get wet, the lights go off, big deal. For the pump and heater, they are on their own outlet with a protective splash guard over it. Inside this is a switch so I can turn the pump on and off for water changes and a constant for the heater.

So wow that is confusing without a picture. I will try to post one tonight. Basically all I was saying is that with a single GFCI, if it trips, everything goes down. I added a secondary precaution to keep my pump and heater going. Thoughts on this?


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## BiscuitSlayer

intermediate_noob said:


> So wow that is confusing without a picture. I will try to post one tonight. Basically all I was saying is that with a single GFCI, if it trips, everything goes down. I added a secondary precaution to keep my pump and heater going. Thoughts on this?



My thoughts are that you thought it out better than I did. By making two different circuits as you did, you are less likely to have a complete outage. Nothing wrong with overdoing electrical at all with regards to splitting things up and minimizing your points of failure.

I might add another GFI now and tie it into the switch I am going to use for the filters and heaters.

Actually, it would probably be OPTIMAL to have two seperate circuits for each filter and heater. That way if there was a ground fault on one circuit, the other would remain up and running.

Very good points.


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## Sandman333

BiscuitSlayer said:


> Essentially it is not an afterthought. The whole point is that you don't want the load of the tank, water, substrate, etc. to be transfered through the floater to the floor. You would effectively be taking all of that weight and transfering it to your floor rather than evenly transfering it to the lower frame (which covers more area).
> 
> If it doesn't make sense to you now, read the original link to Intermediate_Noobs thread at the top of mine. From there it will take you to the reef central threads where this design was originally thought of.
> 
> It is definately not an afterthought. I originally thought like you do, but now I am a believer.


In addition to this, if the 2x4 was only touching on the top OR the bottom, the screws securing the 2x4 to the rest of the frame will be taking the entire load of the tank. Screws are very weak in this direction (shear force) and they are very likely to break. The way the stand is built, the only shear force that the screws have to withstand is the weight of the 2x4 itself.


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## rolloffhill

Sandman333 said:


> In addition to this, if the 2x4 was only touching on the top OR the bottom, the screws securing the 2x4 to the rest of the frame will be taking the entire load of the tank. Screws are very weak in this direction (shear force) and they are very likely to break. The way the stand is built, the only shear force that the screws have to withstand is the weight of the 2x4 itself.


So you're saying that the 2x4's inbetween the top and bottom frames aren't transfering the load of the tank from the top frame to the bottom frame to the floor? 

I don't see any flaws in the design at all, the top frame is supported by the bottom frame to the floor via the corner 2x4's. But I still don't see why the floater cannot make contact with the floor _at all. _Regardless of whether they touch the floor or not, the brunt of the load is distributed through the corners.

I don't disagree that the design is a good one, I just don't understand/agree that the "floaters" cannot touch the floor. I do agree that the "floaters" are there to keep the corners secure. In the original design the OP didn't state the use of ply on the top of the stand.

So back to my original statement, since you skinned the top with ply, that will distribute the weight _as well as _the "floaters" had they made it the full length and made it to the floor.

Additionally, if you were to skin the sides of this stand with 3/4 wood it would essentially be doing the same thing as the "floater" had it gone to the floor.

Majority of stands that are sold are nothing but 3/4" ply slapped together and they hold the weight of the tanks just fine. I personally don't like those stands as I tend to overbuild things myself.  

I basically built mine the same way but didn't have the priveledge of finding a thread to give me cut sizes but it looks like a well built stand. I did the corners similarlly but my floater goes to the ground and there is also 3/4" pine that wraps the 2x4 frame. I also put on 3/4" ply on top over all of the main structure, and then put trim around all of that. I also added an additional 1/2" foam on top for extra piece of mind. This was for a 215g Oceanic with 3/4 glass, 3-400#'s sand, 100+#'s holey rock and water.

So that said, I think you did a nice job BS!!!:thumbsup:


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## eds

BiscuitSlayer said:


> You would effectively be taking all of that weight and transfering it to your floor rather than evenly transfering it to the lower frame (which covers more area).


Okay - that makes sense to me. So instead of the weight being primarily on the 4 corners, this sort of spreads it out more to the entire bottom frame. Would it have distributed the weight better/worse/same if you had placed the floaters nearer the center of the horizontal span? 

_Apologies - I'm just a dumb lawyer, and know nothing about forces and such._


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## eds

Wow! That other thread is something! Made it thru the first 3 pages and then read the last. Bookmarked it for when I intend to build a stand next year or so. Will go back to finish it when I wish to avoid more work...

In the first 3 pages they mainly call the "floaters" screw strips, and describe them primarily as providing ease of construction. 

Like I said, I know nothing about physics or engineering. My main concern is not simply overbuilding and ending up with something that is tremendously heavy but not correspondingly strong. Not sure how big a tank I'll go with - 90, 120, or bigger.


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## BiscuitSlayer

rolloffhill said:


> So back to my original statement, since you skinned the top with ply, that will distribute the weight _as well as _the "floaters" had they made it the full length and made it to the floor.
> 
> Additionally, if you were to skin the sides of this stand with 3/4 wood it would essentially be doing the same thing as the "floater" had it gone to the floor.
> 
> Majority of stands that are sold are nothing but 3/4" ply slapped together and they hold the weight of the tanks just fine. I personally don't like those stands as I tend to overbuild things myself.
> 
> I basically built mine the same way but didn't have the priveledge of finding a thread to give me cut sizes but it looks like a well built stand. I did the corners similarlly but my floater goes to the ground and there is also 3/4" pine that wraps the 2x4 frame. I also put on 3/4" ply on top over all of the main structure, and then put trim around all of that. I also added an additional 1/2" foam on top for extra piece of mind. This was for a 215g Oceanic with 3/4 glass, 3-400#'s sand, 100+#'s holey rock and water.
> 
> So that said, I think you did a nice job BS!!!:thumbsup:


rolloffhill - 

I didn't have to use the 1/2" ply on top of the stand. I did that more or less to secure the upper frame from any kind of a shift. It will distribute the load exactly the same way as if I hadn't used it. I too plan to use a foam bed for the tank. I just wanted something for the foam to rest on without sagging in the middle below where it doesn't make contact with the lower frame of the tank or glass. 

I would imagine that skinning the stand with 3/4" ply would support weight as you have suggested. I can't really comment on how it would work as I have never tried it.

If you to run the 3/4" ply to the lower frame similar to the floater, I would imagine that it would distribute the weight very evenly to the entire lower frame. You are right about the stock stands sold in retail stores. They are exactly as you described. They do handle the load very well, or they wouldn't use/sell them. I personally did not want to go that route because I believe in a strong frame design with the ply as more of a decorative look rather than for load bearing purposes.

Thanks for your comments and praise!




eds said:


> Okay - that makes sense to me. So instead of the weight being primarily on the 4 corners, this sort of spreads it out more to the entire bottom frame. Would it have distributed the weight better/worse/same if you had placed the floaters nearer the center of the horizontal span?
> 
> _Apologies - I'm just a dumb lawyer, and know nothing about forces and such._


Eds -

No apologies necessary. You can use center braces, but it isn't necessary based on the frame design. A four foot stand design suggests you can use 2 X 4s without a center support between the upper and lower frames. It is suggested that stands up to 6 feet merely require a shift to an upper frame using 2 X 6s. Stands up to 8 feet would require a shift to 2 x 10s on the upper frame. All of the frames are designed not to use supports as center braces. I on the other hand would use a center brace on the larger stands (More than 4 feet) just as a precautionary measure. I would probably also change the legs to use 2 X 6s rather than stock 2 X 4s, although it is suggested that the lateral strength of a 2 X 4 is something like 17,000 lbs before it will buckle.

If I were to build a larger stand for a larger tank, I would do things a bit differently as I have suggested above. I would also include a center support brace. I did not think that the 75 would require this type of support.


Good questions guys. There is nothing wrong with questioning a design. Occasionally someone will find a flaw or a better way of doing things, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

If anyone else thinks I have left anything out with regards to explaining things, feel free to chime in.

We could take these types of questions to intermediate_noobs thread too. That is where the main discussion about the frame design is taking place.


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## BiscuitSlayer

jinx© said:


> The wide prong side of your plug would get wired to the silver terminals/white wired/neutral side if that makes sense.
> 
> Look at the face of your outlet. If you were to plug it in the outlet, the wide pronged side of the outlet has the silver terminals/neutral (white) wires correct?.


Jinx -

You were dead on brother. I wired it up with the prong side on the netrual side of the switch and the other side (which also had writing on it) on the hot (black) side. The switch now controls the cabinet lights perfectly.


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## plaakapong

Don't want to beat a dead horse but, for the sake of clarity(I hope), the "floaters" don't need to "float". In the design they are acting as connectors and not structural members. If the"floaters", or a plywood skin, were applied to the structural frame to the same horizontal plane as the frame(top and bottom) they would all become part of the structure without problem. There would be no shear on the screws.The problem would occur if any of these were proud of the structure, higher or lower, then they would bear the weight.


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## eds

Like I said, I intend to build a stand for a decent-sized tank within a couple of years. My main worry is I'll basically say - let's add another support here, and let's substitute 2x6s for the 2x4s just to be safe - and end up with some monster that requires that I rent a forklift and knock out a couple of walls to get it from wherever I build it into it's final location!


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## plaakapong

^^:smile: In the first set of kitchen cabinets that I built, about 25 yrs ago, I built a string of the uppers together as one. Maybe 8 ft. long! Don't remember why? Didn't know any better I guess. Anyway when I got them to the house they wouldn't go in the door! Had to take out the picture window in the front of the house to get it in!! Fortunately the people were my friends and they wanted to replace the old window anyway.


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## rolloffhill

plaakapong said:


> Don't want to beat a dead horse but, for the sake of clarity(I hope), the "floaters" don't need to "float". In the design they are acting as connectors and not structural members. If the"floaters", or a plywood skin, were applied to the structural frame to the same horizontal plane as the frame(top and bottom) they would all become part of the structure without problem. There would be no shear on the screws.The problem would occur if any of these were proud of the structure, higher or lower, then they would bear the weight.


Yes, that was the point I was trying to make too. At least I'm not crazy...


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## BiscuitSlayer

plaakapong said:


> Don't want to beat a dead horse but, for the sake of clarity(I hope), the "floaters" don't need to "float". In the design they are acting as connectors and not structural members. If the “floaters", or a plywood skin, were applied to the structural frame to the same horizontal plane as the frame (top and bottom) they would all become part of the structure without problem. There would be no shear on the screws. The problem would occur if any of these were proud of the structure, higher or lower, then they would bear the weight.





rolloffhill said:


> Yes, that was the point I was trying to make too. At least I'm not crazy...


The light bulb went off in my head! I think...

I believe what you are saying is that the floater remains a floater regardless of what length it is as long as it is level with the top of the upper frame and bottom of the lower frame. Since you are still using outer legs that support the full weight of the tank, it doesn't matter with regards to the fear of the screws shearing or weight being transferred through the inner legs because the inner legs still don't really support any of the actual weight as long as they are exactly equal and don't extend past the upper or lower frames. Am I correct with what you guys are saying? If so, I am leaning towards agreement.

One of the things that might have been a factor for the design is to insure that the floaters don't extend past upper plane or lower plane. This concept might have been to take added length out of the picture. If someone were building the stand and they happened to make one of the inner legs (or two, or three) slightly too long, then it could lead to the stand not being level or a single point of contact with the floor that carries the load rather than properly distributing to the lower frame. I don't know what the cause was for the frame design. I am merely speculating at this point.

Using the floater as a shorter cut 2 x 4 did make putting the whole thing together easier though. All 8 of the outer legs were cut exactly to 18 inches (for my stand), and the inner floaters were all cut to a length that I can't remember. My goal was to join them to the upper frame first since it was more true than the lower frame. Since I used 2 x 6s (that are actually more like 5 1/2 inches wide), I measured the floater at 5" and struck a line on 4 of them. I then used this line to line up my edge of 4 of the outer legs and screwed them into place. Then I joined the floater with one outer leg attached to the upper frame, and there was a 1/2" gap between the top of the upper frame and the top of the floater. Attaching the lower frame was also very easy. Since there was only way it could fit, I put it in place and screwed it down. Then I attached the other 4 outer parts of the legs, and it was done.

One possible reason for the design might have been for ease of assembly. You don't have to be nearly as precise when the floater length is shorter than one that would be the full height. As long as the cuts for your 8 outer lengths are exactly precise, you really only have to figure out how much space you want to float. As long as you are close, it doesn't really matter.
Are we on the same page now?


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## rolloffhill

I think so!!


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## intermediate_noob

Going back to the original post on Reef Central (can be found here) the author states the following with regard to the "floaters":

*The green pieces are screw strips. These provide limited load strength but serve to make assembly easier and help keep the stand square.

The author goes on to say this:

The reason the screw strips are shorter is that it prevents them from being part of the load bearing structure. Because they sit above the bottom frame you are assured its the frame sitting on the floor, not the screw strips. They are below the top surface to ensure that plywood or the tank frame sits directly on the upper box, rather then on the screw strips.

<Another user> So by making them shorter, you ensure the screws aren't load bearing. Otherwise, you run the risk that the actual load bearing posts are too short and aren't actually supporting the weight. I understand the principle. I found it easier to build the stands with the fastening posts the same height. I won't have the need to build another stand until probably February. I'll play with it then.

Yep, you just don't want them (the screw strips/green pieces) touching the floor when the tank weight is on them. A small piece of 3/4" plywood or 1xwhatever will shim/hold them up while screwing into them and fall off once the stand is picked up. I might suggest cutting the screw strips an inch longer if you're only able to shim them 1/2" off the floor instead of a full inch so there is plenty of material to screw the top frame into place.

So once again, the "floaters" as we are calling them only serve the purpose of squaring the stand and making sure that it is easier to put together. Anything can be used, I think 2x4s happened to be what the author had. Also, I believe they are shorter to remove the "fudge factor" where the floaters extend too far past the bottom or top of the stand and end up bearing all or most of the weight. This could lead to catastrophe. My apologies, but I think someone might have said this before. Bottom line, you shim them up to make 100% sure they do not extend past the top or bottom.

Since some of us are going to use a pocket hole jig for attaching the members together, I wonder if these screw strips even become necessary at this point. Especially if the stand will be skinned with plywood. It will be something I will check out when I build my stand this weekend.

Just on another note Biscuit, with regard to the plywood top you used on your stand. From what I read (and I am not an expert), most people use the plywood top only when using flat bottom tanks such as rimless or acrylic tanks to spread the load. With the All Glass or other tanks that have a rim or trim piece, the full top is not necessary because the bottom glass never sits on the stand, only on the trim which sits on the edges.

Anyway, once again my two or twelve cents worth. Great work. Any new pictures so far?


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## BiscuitSlayer

intermediate_noob said:


> Just on another note Biscuit, with regard to the plywood top you used on your stand. From what I read (and I am not an expert), most people use the plywood top only when using flat bottom tanks such as rimless or acrylic tanks to spread the load. With the All Glass or other tanks that have a rim or trim piece, the full top is not necessary because the bottom glass never sits on the stand, only on the trim which sits on the edges.
> 
> Anyway, once again my two or twelve cents worth. Great work. Any new pictures so far?


Thanks for the input IN. With regards to the ply, I agree with you. The main reason why I added it was to keep as much dripping out of the stand as possible. I also wanted to keep the foam bed going under the tank from saging into the cabinet space.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Here is an update. Ask and you shall receive. 

I have made some progress on the stand so far. I skinned it with 1/4" oak plywood and made a cut out for the front cabinet. Here are some pictures of the skin:







































Once I had the skin on, I added the trim for the stand. As of now, everything except for the doors is complete except for all of the putty and sanding that needs to be done.




















You can see that the upper edge in this picture is pretty far above the edge of the upper frame and plywood. I did this so that the cheesy black frame on the tank would be covered up with the oak trim of the stand. My current store bought 29 gallon stand is like this, and it is one feature that I really like. My canopy will have a similar feature where it drops down below the upper frame of the tank.












Here is a picture of the stand with the lights that I installed. As you can see, I shouldn't have too much of a problem seeing inside the stand. 










The only thing I have left to do for the stand is to build the doors and sand until my fingers and hands fall off. Lots of sanding to do!


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## helgymatt

Perfect!!! Exactly what I've been looking for. I totally love the simplicity of this. No fancy tools, brackets, or equipment required! I'll be building one just like this in a few weeks. I will be looking forward to seeing how you build the doors.


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## BiscuitSlayer

helgymatt - 

No fancy tools were required for this except for one aspect:

The frame around the opening of the stand. I used a table saw with a dado blade to cut a large groove so that it would sit into the opening and give it a finished look.

I also used a miter saw (powered) for mitered joints on the trim. This can be done with a hand miter saw, but it would take a LOT more time. The only other tool that was somewhat unusual was that I used a Dremel tool to pre drill the holes for the finishing nails. The main reason I did this was to keep the wood from splitting. You don't need a Dremel tool to do this though, and it might not be completely necessary. I just didn't want to split the oak since it was kind of expensive.

For the doors, I am kind of split as to how I am going to handle them. I don't know if I am going to run a groove in the trim piece and make miter cuts and float the 1/2" plywood pannel in the frame. The other option is to have a mitered frame that has an inset that I can just glue the plywood pannel to. I'm kind of leaning towards option 1.


----------



## jinx©

Great work Biscuit! 

I'd say smart idea on the pre-drilling on the trim. I've split a few nice pieces in my days thinking "oh it's just a little nail"...lol

I may have went differently on the doors though. I think I would have just made 2 overlay doors using the trim you already used, and just left the opening exposed cut but sanded if that makes sense?

I also seen a cabinet recently that had 2 sliding bypass doors in the bottom that I thought might be different idea for a stand. They were basically just 2 thin sheets of sanded luan in 2 routed/saw grooves. 
One drawback might be that you can only have half of the bottom open at one time.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

jinx© said:


> Great work Biscuit!
> 
> I'd say smart idea on the pre-drilling on the trim. I've split a few nice pieces in my days thinking "oh it's just a little nail"...lol
> 
> I may have went differently on the doors though. I think I would have just made 2 overlay doors using the trim you already used, and just left the opening exposed cut but sanded if that makes sense?
> 
> I also seen a cabinet recently that had 2 sliding bypass doors in the bottom that I thought might be different idea for a stand. They were basically just 2 thin sheets of sanded luan in 2 routed/saw grooves.
> One drawback might be that you can only have half of the bottom open at one time.



Jinx -

Do you have an example of the doors that you are talking about? Or are you just saying to inlay the plywood pannel into the frame I make out of trim? I am definately interested as I have not even started the doors yet. I have enough to make them, but no real plan yet.

I do know that I want doors. The main reason for this is because I have little kids that will get into the cabinet. I have already bought cam locks to keep them out of it.


----------



## jinx©

I don't have any links or pics right off, but yeah basically I would have considered just routing/sawing a groove for some 1/4" panels into the trim you have already used to trim out your opening, and made 2 doors that would have overlayed the cut out. 

It would leave your cutout a little unfinished but with the doors shut you never see it...lol

Using overlay doors (basically doors that are bigger than the opening) you don't have to worry so much about perfect fits inside the opening. (sagging, rubbing, uneven gaps etc.)


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## pirayaman

ok wow you over killed big time i guess just take stock in the fack that that stand can hold 4 75s if you wanted stacked and filled no problem 

by the way nice wood skills that sucker is prime 
guess i will have to post a diy my self


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## intermediate_noob

Pirayaman, I would not say this was overkill for a stand at all. It is not 3/4" ply only like the store bought stands are, but this is a great compromise on weight and strength. Overkill would mean so many braces that you could not fit anything inside the stand.

Biscuit, I really like what you have done, it looks awesome and I cannot wait to see it fully completed. Have you started on your canopy yet?

Also, just a request, but could you show off your lighting install for inside the cabinet? That is just plain awesome, congrats man, you are totally my inspiration.


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## khoile

Nice stand, and thanks for all the help... I'll use yours as a model when it come time to skin my stand.


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## BiscuitSlayer

pirayaman said:


> ok wow you over killed big time i guess just take stock in the fack that that stand can hold 4 75s if you wanted stacked and filled no problem
> 
> by the way nice wood skills that sucker is prime
> guess i will have to post a diy my self



pirayaman -

Are you talking about the frame or the entire stand? I would only say that the stand is overkill in the sense that it can support much more weight than what it is designed for. I'll take comfort in knowing that something I built isn't going to fall apart or cause a problem that leads to 75 to 90 gallons leaking onto my floor. 

You are probably right, it probably could hold 4 75s without any problems.  Just not sure if my floor joists could hold that much.

Thanks for your compliments. 




intermediate_noob said:


> Biscuit, I really like what you have done, it looks awesome and I cannot wait to see it fully completed. Have you started on your canopy yet?
> 
> Also, just a request, but could you show off your lighting install for inside the cabinet? That is just plain awesome, congrats man, you are totally my inspiration.


IN-

I haven't started on the canopy yet, but hopefully I'll be starting it soon. It is going to be easier than the stand. I am going with 3/4" ply with a simple way of tacking it all together. Unfortuantely, I don't have an awesome blueprint. It is all in my head right now.

As far as the lights go, it is really simple. Here is a couple of pics with the lights off and on from the back of the cabinet.




















Basically, I payed attention to the cord and the actual plug that these lights came with. Jinx actually figured out which side of the plug was which before I did. The neutral side is the side with the wider prong on the plug, and the narrow side is the hot side. I cut the plugs off and wired them directly to the lower switch in the cabinet. The neutral was wired into all of the other neutral wires, and the hot side went to the hot side of the switch (which also happens to be on the neutral side). Is this what you were looking for? If you need a visual, I have a pic on the electrical part that pretty much shows what I am describing. I wired the switch/receptacles all the same way with the exception of the one with the actual light cords. Each one of the fixtures was about $9 at Lowes.



khoile-

Not a problem man. I am looking forward to seeing your stand as well.


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## intermediate_noob

Thanks Biscuit, that looks AWESOME! I really like the lights in there and it was exactly what I was looking for to get an idea for mounting my own lights. 

I may have missed it, but how are you going to finish the stand? With natural color stain or something else?

Thanks again for sharing!


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

I am going with a natural oak colored stain and then I am going to use an exterior grade poly urethane to protect it from water. I bought cabinet hardware that had a natural stain on the handles, and I think it is going to look pretty decent with the brass / oak accent hardware.

When you get around to the electrical, hit me up if you run into any snags. Ultimately, I like your planning better with segmenting your circuits, etc.


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## BiscuitSlayer

Minor update:

I bought some 50 grit sand paper sheets to use on my palm sander. What a great move that was. Because of the way I finished the trim, there were a lot of areas where I used red oak colored wood putty to fill some gaps and all of the trim nail holes. There were also a number of uneven areas where some wood was a little bit higher than desired. I was a little worried about this as I didn't want to spend the rest of my life sanding. I hit these high areas with the 50 grit sandpaper, and it came out great. I am very satisfied with the results!





























The only things that are outstanding at this point are to sand with a finer grit sandpaper to get it ready before finishing with stain and poly urethane, and the doors. I’ll probably finish the doors next and all of the final sanding. Once that’s complete, I'll move onto the canopy and then finish them together.


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## eyebeatbadgers

Very nice detail work. This is a very professional looking product.


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## BiscuitSlayer

eyebeatbadgers said:


> Very nice detail work. This is a very professional looking product.


eyebeatbadgers -

Thanks for the kind words. I definately don't think I am a master carpenter or anything, but I do have some practice making things. My father got me into it when I was a kid / teenager. I wish he was around to see this as I think he would really appreciate it. My father also got me into keeping fish. He was never good with plants though. LOL . Leave it in the pot and stick it in the substrate without doing anything else... dead within a week.


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## ColeMan

I really like this design visually - very simple and pleasing lines. Also it seems as though it will function impeccably. I'm looking forward to seeing it after it's been stained and poly'ed...and I want to see your canopy design. 

Not to bring up a sore subject, but I still have trouble with those 'floaters.' I've talked to a dozen different cabinet makers/woodworkers/aquarium cabinet builders and they seem just as baffled as I do...the concept makes sense, I just can't see how...something...I don't know-it's a moot point, sorry to bring it up again! 

And by the way, I'm envious of your great workspace! you seem exceptionally organized (one of the shelves in the background of your a pic in your garage/workshop seemed to be more organized than my anal-retentive friend's sock drawer)! keep us updated...


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## BiscuitSlayer

ColeMan -

Thanks for the kind words. I was originally thinking about using a router to make the edges fancy, but I have decided against it. The only thing I might use a router for is the doors, but it will primarily be to take the edge off of the wood.

As far as the floaters go, they are just screw strips. They add no real structural integrity to the stand.

My workspace would be fantastic if I pulled my boat out of the garage. I'm too lazy though. It is becoming a dusty mess with all of the sawdust that is accumulating on it. Hopefully I'll take it out next week and get some dust off and catch some big bass at the same time. 

That organized shelf you are talking about is my wife's. Thats her stock pile shelf. Her hobby consists of getting things at a very low cost or next to free and then filling up those shelves with stuff. If I took pictures of the rest of my garage, I have a feeling your image of my organization and neatness would be shattered.


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## ColeMan

Ha! I knew it looked awfully "store-shelf-stocked;" little blue and green bottles all organized into nice little rows!!


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## BiscuitSlayer

<off topic>

ColeMan - 

This one is just for you. Here is a full on shot of her shelves. She is very proud of them. It is amazing how much stuff you can get for about $3... LOL 










She will get a kick out of me posting this.

Edit: I just realized that stuff is overflowing from the shelves onto the floor. Now I know why she wants more shelves.  

</end off topic>


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## eyebeatbadgers

Lol at that picture 

This may be a stupid question, or one you've already covered, but are you going to hardwire the stand into the breaker box of your house?


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## BiscuitSlayer

eyebeatbadgers said:


> Lol at that picture
> 
> This may be a stupid question, or one you've already covered, but are you going to hardwire the stand into the breaker box of your house?



eyebeatbadgers - 

It isn't a problem. I actually ran a 3 pronged cable directly into the GFI in the stand. The stand will effectively plug in to the existing wall outlets. One thing I haven't decided yet is if I am going to one seperate circuit or not. I am still contemplating it right now for filters and heaters. Intermediate_Noob got me thinking a while back and I haven't made up my mind.


----------



## 20 20

BiscuitSlayer said:


> eyebeatbadgers -
> 
> It isn't a problem. I actually ran a 3 pronged cable directly into the GFI in the stand. The stand will effectively plug in to the existing wall outlets. One thing I haven't decided yet is if I am going to one seperate circuit or not. I am still contemplating it right now for filters and heators. Intermediate_Noob got me thinking a while back and I haven't made up my mind.


That won't be a problem for me on the 75 gallon planted I'm setting up. I'm replacing a 125 gallon reef I had for several years. I had run 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits for that (reefs are power hogs, if you didn't know.) Think that should suffice for me, eh?:tongue:


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## jinx©

I'd say you have a week tops to get that stand out of the garage dude...lol


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## ColeMan

Oh...my....goodness....I hope my girlfriend doesn't come in here while I'm looking at this! she'll get ideas...


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## intermediate_noob

jinx© said:


> I'd say you have a week tops to get that stand out of the garage dude...lol


OMFG that is Hilarious!!


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## BiscuitSlayer

jinx© said:


> I'd say you have a week tops to get that stand out of the garage dude...lol


Jinx -

That was very funny. I gave my wife the link to this part of the thread and she has been keeping an eye on the replies because she is proud of her stash. When she first saw the phtoshoped image where you droped some of the wares into the picture of my stand, she said, " oh my god, someone is doing the same thing as me... wait a second. Thats our stuff!"

Both her and I got a good laugh out of it.

Good job. You made our day!


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## TheCryptKeeper

the stand is nice.. excellent build! I'm jealous


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## htn86

All that just for those stuffs.....? I was hoping you would throw another tank down there.


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## BiscuitSlayer

pwrmacG4 said:


> the stand is nice.. excellent build! I'm jealous


pwrmacG4 -

Thanks! I think that the stand and the canopy will compliment each other perfectly and give me exactly what I have been dreaming of for quite some time. Hopefully, I'll be able to start the doors for the cabinet next week as well as the canopy. I'm really excited about the canopy because it is going to have all of the aspects that I like in one canopy.




htn86 said:


> All that just for those stuffs.....? I was hoping you would throw another tank down there.


htn86 -

I am going to keep equipment, supplies, and misc stuff in the cabinet. That picture that Jinx posted was just a photoshop of part of my wife's stash inside the cabinet to scare me into getting it done and out of my garage.

With the amount of light inside the stand, I could probably have another planted tank though... LOL


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## loachlady5

Oh, to be handy! I could have saved a lot of money if I had your skill:thumbsup:


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## BiscuitSlayer

loachlady5 said:


> Oh, to be handy! I could have saved a lot of money if I had your skill:thumbsup:


LL -

Sometimes it is good to have friends that have the skillz when you don't :icon_wink .

Not sure if I saved any money though. Probably spent more than I would have than buying a new stand. It was worth it though. I am getting a product that I want.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Major update:

The stand is complete except for final sanding, staining, and finishing with polyurethane.

For the doors, I used the trim that I used for the majority of the project. I set up a jig on my table saw and routed a 1/2" groove down the center of the wood with a dado blade. I decided to do it this way because I didn't feel like setting up my new router table, and I don't think I have a router bit that would accomplish what I was shooting for. I routed the groove down an uncut piece of wood so that the route would be consistent through the entire length of wood. Here is a picture of the wood prior to cutting it:











I then cut the wood with 2 45 deg angles on each end to make the mitered joints for the frames. The whole point was to float a piece of 1/2 inch plywood in the frames to complete the doors. A friend of mine that I work with loaned me a special clamp used just for this type of purpose. It worked perfectly:




















I then let the doors sit for 24 hours so that the glue could have time to set up and cure properly. Once they were dry, I mounted them to the stand. I don't know what the proper procedure for mounting cabinet doors is, but this is the way I did it:

1. I mounted the hinges to the doors before hanging them to the cabinet.

2. I lined up the doors so that they were equal space apart and they had an equal amount of space from the trim on the outsides of the doors.

3. I lied down a strip of masking tape on the upper edge and then used this as a straight line to line the doors up.

4. I looked down the upper and lower edges of the doors to see if they lined up. They did, yay!

5. I mounted the doors to the cabinet. Everything looks great and the doors are level and straight. I forgot to mention that I did all of this with the stand lying on its back.

Here are some pictures of the doors mounted:






































After the doors were mounted, I lined up and installed all of the hardware related to the doors. I used cam locks to catch the center piece of wood behind the doors to keep prying eyes out of the cabinet. My little kids like to go into cabinets and play with shiny stuff some times.

Then I lined up the door handles and mounted them as well.










I then got a couple of brass plates to sit on the inside of the wood so that the cam locks don't totally destroy the wood over time. I had my wife lock and unlock the cams and I stood behind the stand and marked the swing lines with a pencil. In the picture they look a bit off, but they swung a little differently. Ultimately it really doesn't matter since no one but me (and you) will know the difference:











Here are a couple of pictures of the completed stand (short of stain, etc.)



















I have already started cutting wood for the canopy, so hopefully I'll have enough to snap some pics next week while I am building it. I have a concept in my head that I think will look pretty cool.


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## intermediate_noob

You are totally my hero biscuit! Did you just cut down the plywood for the floater inside the door and then glue it together? Did you use (no pun here) biscuit joints for that? Thanks!


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

intermediate_noob said:


> You are totally my hero biscuit! Did you just cut down the plywood for the floater inside the door and then glue it together? Did you use (no pun here) biscuit joints for that? Thanks!


IN -

I cut the groove in the wood (2 x 8 foot lengths of 1 x 2 oak trim). I then measured the opening and determined what size I wanted the doors to be using the outside measurements of the pieces I was going to use. Does that make sense? LOL

Then I just made 45 degree miter cuts on my miter saw using those outside measurements. Once I had all of the frame pieces cut and ready to go, I put them together dry to determine how big I needed the center piece of ply. Since I made the groove 1/2", I just added one full inch onto my measurements for the doors.

Then I glued everything together. I do have a biscuit joiner at my mother's house, but to be honnest, I'm not sure how to use it.  I just put down a bead of glue in the groove bottom and a bead of glue on the back wall of the groove. I did this one piece at a time. I got everything lined up and then used that awesome clamp to hold the doors in place.

I have to tell you man... That clamp is very unique. If you are building a similar pair of doors, it works perfect for that job. You can get all of the corners lined up and then fit that clamp around and get it tight. 

Did I answer your question? If not, let me know and I'll try to answer you better.


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## jinx©

Turned out great Biscuit. roud:

Looking forward to the canopy and stain.


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## eyebeatbadgers

Nice door work! And what a cool tool! Your attention to detail there paid off, the doors are sitting straight 

Great job as usual.


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## lauraleellbp

That's gorgeous! I really like the nice clean lines. What stain are you going to put on it?


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## tropicalfish

It looks really nice!
Now just paint it, run some electrical through it, and add a light


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## intermediate_noob

BiscuitSlayer said:


> Did I answer your question? If not, let me know and I'll try to answer you better.


100%, thanks for letting me know. I need to invest in a couple of those clamps I think. Maybe two. Found these as well:

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=102-077&LARGEVIEW=ON

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=71712&LARGEVIEW=ON

That last one would be good for building a tank. Hmmm...

Anyway, thanks for all the great pictures and advice. My friend should be back in town so I can go over to finish my stand up...without anymore drama hopefully!


----------



## Buck

Hey thats a good looking stand ! Nice job on the design , but most of all...nice work in putting it all together. Beautiful corners , very clean lines. Maybe you were a cabinet maker in a past life...


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

jinx© said:


> Turned out great Biscuit. roud:
> 
> Looking forward to the canopy and stain.


Jinx - 

The canopy, I think, will be a fairly easy build. I don't think it will require nearly as much time or effort as the stand did. Hopefully, I will get to it some time this upcoming week. I have already cut some of the 3/4 oak ply that I am going to be using. It should be interesting.




eyebeatbadgers said:


> Nice door work! And what a cool tool! Your attention to detail there paid off, the doors are sitting straight
> 
> Great job as usual.


EBB -

Thanks for the compliment! That tool is the perfect tool for the job. The same friend that loaned me that clamp also loaned me a couple of woodworking books and one of them highlighted hanging cabinet doors. One of the hardest things about hanging cabinet doors on normal cabinets is that you have to work with them with the cabinets upright. Since this is a smaller stand alone stand, it was much easier to lay it on its back to get things perfect.




lauraleellbp said:


> That's gorgeous! I really like the nice clean lines. What stain are you going to put on it?


lauraleellbp - 

Thank you! My plans are actually centered around those cabinet handles in the last picture. They have a natural oak stain and what appears to be a polyurethane coat for protection. I have already bought "natural oak stain" for the stand and canopy and hopefully it will match those cabinet handles. If not, I am going to have to sand the handles down to where the stain doesn't exist (I really don't want to go this route), and stain them and finish them the same as the stand. I am hoping and keeping my fingers crossed right now.

For the protection coat, I am going to use an exterior grade poly that is supposed to be weather resistant. Hopefully it will do the trick and not stink up my house too bad for the next few years. LOL 




tropicalfish said:


> It looks really nice!
> Now just paint it, run some electrical through it, and add a light


tropicalfish - 

Thank you! The electrical work is already done! Go back a few pages in the thread and you can see how I did it.

I might be adding another independent circuit for filters and heaters to isolate it from the rest of the electrical work. Haven't made up my mind yet. Intermediate_noob and I discussed this a while back and he brought up some excellent points as to isolating the filters/heaters from the rest of the electrical to minimize points of failure. I am still on the fence with that aspect. Maybe a bit lazy at this point. 




intermediate_noob said:


> 100%, thanks for letting me know. I need to invest in a couple of those clamps I think. Maybe two. Found these as well:
> 
> http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=102-077&LARGEVIEW=ON
> 
> http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=71712&LARGEVIEW=ON
> 
> That last one would be good for building a tank. Hmmm...
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the great pictures and advice. My friend should be back in town so I can go over to finish my stand up...without anymore drama hopefully!


IN - 

Those are some cool clamps. I have to tell you though that the one I used I would actually buy. It was an absolute snap to work with. Basically you just reel up the slack in the nylon strapping and then you turn the red handle to increase the tension to the desired amount. I am not sure how big of a door I could ultimately work with, but for anything up to say 3 feet square would work I think.

With regards to the drama, I kind of like a little here and there. It makes you feel better and more accomplished when you work past it with a resolution that is sound. I have had some drama with this build, but I haven't really shared too much of it because I was able to work past most of it fairly quickly. I have been pretty lucky too. 



Buck said:


> Hey thats a good looking stand ! Nice job on the design , but most of all...nice work in putting it all together. Beautiful corners , very clean lines. Maybe you were a cabinet maker in a past life...


Thanks a lot Buck! I appreciate the kind words. Originally I was going to use a router to bevel edges or give them rounded edges, but while I was building it I decided against it. I liked the look of the boxy edges. I guess I am a little scared about using good wood on the router too.


----------



## Vonzorfox

That's going to be sweet after you put a nice finish on it. You did a beautiful job on the stand. Can't wait to see the canopy.


----------



## intermediate_noob

Biscuit, this is the one you used? I finally had a chance to do a proper google on the internet machine today and find it 

Bessey Variable Angle Strap Clamp










and Lowes has it for 29.99

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=186520-1073-VAS-23&detail=&lpage=none


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Vonzorfox said:


> That's going to be sweet after you put a nice finish on it. You did a beautiful job on the stand. Can't wait to see the canopy.


Vonzorfox - 

The finishing is the only part that I am not looking forward to. I have done quite a bit of reading with regards to finishing red oak, and it is a multi stage process. It is a good thing I did some reading because everywhere I looked it said to sand to 180 grit paper. Good thing I did my research because I was planning on sanding to 240 grit. Evidently if you sand too fine it causes problems with sealing up the pores in the wood which makes finishing with various things such as stain, varnish, laquer, etc. next to impossible because it doesn't soak in all the way. I might also have to use a wood filler (which I have never used) to get things nice and smooth. 

Finishing is probably the one part of the project that I am not looking forward to just because if it doesn't come out the way I had hoped, I'll be disappointed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for now. 





intermediate_noob said:


> Biscuit, this is the one you used? I finally had a chance to do a proper google on the internet machine today and find it
> 
> and Lowes has it for 29.99



IN -

Thats the one my friend! Thats the right price too. I remember the guy that I work with saying that is how much he paid for it.


----------



## roybot73

Looking good!

Oak can be tricky. Sometimes it'll spit the finish right back out of the pores and make little blobs all over the place.

Are you going to stain it? Ever work with dye stains before? They're nice because they color the wood itself with out obscuring the grain and character, but they can be tricky to get on evenly, and then you have to fill the pores with a glaze or toner. Lots of work, but well worth it. 
General Finishes makes some really nice gel stains that are a dream to work with, and don't cover up the wood too much either.

Can't wait to see it done!


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

roybot73 said:


> Looking good!
> 
> Oak can be tricky. Sometimes it'll spit the finish right back out of the pores and make little blobs all over the place.
> 
> Are you going to stain it? Ever work with dye stains before? They're nice because they color the wood itself with out obscuring the grain and character, but they can be tricky to get on evenly, and then you have to fill the pores with a glaze or toner. Lots of work, but well worth it.
> General Finishes makes some really nice gel stains that are a dream to work with, and don't cover up the wood too much either.
> 
> Can't wait to see it done!



roybot73 - 

You have just reiterated what I have read regarding the finishing of oak. Spitting the stain out seems to be common with oak (especially red oak).

To be honnest, I am not much of a finishing guy. I have read a little bit on gel stains, and I don't think I have read anything about dye stains. One thing that I was hesitant with gel stains is that (correct me if I am wrong) you have to work fairly quickly and make sure to remove excess as you go.

One thing that I found very interesting is that oak contains a high amount of tanic acid and when you get water on it it reacts with the acid to create a blue liquid. This blue liquid will then dry on the wood forming what looks like a black stain. What is ineresting is that I saw some water stained pieces of lumber at the store, and all of the stains where a blackish tone. Learning this little tid bit actually probably saved my project as my uncle wanted to brush the wood with a damp brush prior to staining to open up the pores.

It looks like I have a lot more reading to do. If you have worked with red oak before and you have any more finishing secrets, I am ALL EARS!


----------



## roybot73

It's not so much the water that reacts with the tannins in the wood, as the minerals and salts dissolved in it. It's fine (but not necessary) to _lightly_ dampen the wood to raise the grain. Just use distilled water, and let it dry really good before knocking it down (gently) with some 180 or 220, but then you've got to clear all of the dust out of the pores again. If it's plywood, you run the risk of burning right through the veneer. Not worth it at all.

Gel stains have plenty of open working time. If you put it on right, you'll have very little excess to remove. I just use a cheap dry paintbrush to pull the excess out of the corners if any builds up there.

What color were you leaning towards?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

I have read the information regarding using distilled water. Knowing my uncle though, he would have used tap water.

There is quite a bit of oak plywood in this stand. The only pieces that aren't are the trim pieces which are raised off of the skin. I have noticed that the veneer is rather thin, so I am going to take it easy with sanding everything.

I am leaning towards a natural oak color (something pretty light). Once again, this is my first project with red oak, so I am not really even sure what would look good. I basically am just guessing and trying to guage what those oak cabinet handles are stained with. They are very light in color. They don't have to match exactly, but it would be nice to come close.


----------



## roybot73

Hand sand (with a sanding block) the ply stuff with some 220. Just a little bit -- feel it out and don't do more than you have to.

For a natural oak look try Minwax wipe on Poly (~$8 at Home Deep or Lowes). It's just polyeurethane that's been thinned out by about 1/3 so it doesn't build too quickly. Pretty foolproof stuff. It dries pretty quick so you don't have to worry about dust sticking in it. you can easliy get 3-4 coats in a day and a half. That's what I used on my stand. I love the stuff -- Can't miss!


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## jinx©

x2 on the Minwax Poly. 

I haven't used it on any aquarium related projects, but I used some on a beechwood kitchen table refinish and it turned out great. It went on similarly to a rub oil type product with little fuss.

It would be worth looking into and testing on some scrap pieces perhaps.


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## lauraleellbp

I like gel stains, too. SOOO much easier to work with than most of the others! (We redid our hardwood floors ourselves in our old house- NEVER AGAIN!!! LOL There's a reason that this house is all tile...)

Anyways- I was going to say that there's going to be some contrast with your handles no matter what, and that's not necessarily a bad thing? The wood grain will run different, no matter what, so the color will likely appear different even if you refinish them; I wouldn't bother, since the contrast will probably end up looking nice :thumbsup: 

You've put some impessive craftsmanship into this stand- Norm Abram would be proud!! :icon_lol:


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## BiscuitSlayer

Thanks a lot roybot73! I have actually checked out your thread with your 20L, and I love the look of your stand. Because of that thread, I have considered building a birtch stand for my next project. Prior to starting my stand, I was torn between red oak and birch because of your thread. I figured I would go the red oak route just because I already have a lot of oak furniture in my house.

I am still up in the air about the stain color, but I should be able to use that wipe on poly regardless right? Do you like the water repeling properties of that poly at 3 or 4 coats? The other thing I have been concerned with is protecting the finish as I am sure this stand will get wet to some degree over time.

One thing that is definatly appealing is the fact that you don't have to worry too much about the dust issue. I have worked with other forms of poly in the past, and I hate it when it gets the raised dust particles on it. With the way the pollen is down here right now, I might have to wait until this summer to finish the stand.


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## jinx©

The wipe on poly I used came in a few colors at the time. It was as simple as wiping on with a dampened rag, let dry and reapply.

Like mentioned I've only used it on a kitchen table, but with the 4-5 coats I used it seemed to hold up well, beading water and resisting stains etc.


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## roybot73

I'm glad I could be of help! Thanks for the compliment on my stand!

I actually picked up plywood for my new stand today. Guess what it is?
Red oak! It's going to be a bit uncoventional, though. Very similar in design (ADA inspired) to the birch one, but with only one door, and no handle. Probably ebonized with iron buff (http://lumberjocks.com/projects/6652).

You can use the wipe-on by itself or over any oil based stain. I think 3 or 4 coats would be just fine. It's gonna get splashed, but it doesn't have to be sea-worthy
This is what you want -- http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17414
Stay away from the "Stain+Poly" finishes. The colors tend to look "off" and plastickey. If you want stain, stain it, then poly it.

Try using those 3m synthetic steel wool pads to "sand" between coats. They don't cut as aggresively as sandpaper, but still smooth things out nicely.

Cheers!


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## BiscuitSlayer

jinx© said:


> x2 on the Minwax Poly.
> 
> I haven't used it on any aquarium related projects, but I used some on a beechwood kitchen table refinish and it turned out great. It went on similarly to a rub oil type product with little fuss.
> 
> It would be worth looking into and testing on some scrap pieces perhaps.





jinx© said:


> The wipe on poly I used came in a few colors at the time. It was as simple as wiping on with a dampened rag, let dry and reapply.
> 
> Like mentioned I've only used it on a kitchen table, but with the 4-5 coats I used it seemed to hold up well, beading water and resisting stains etc.



Jinx -

I will definately be testing on scraps. Ultimately, I will probably test a couple of things, post some pictures and get some input.




lauraleellbp said:


> I like gel stains, too. SOOO much easier to work with than most of the others! (We redid our hardwood floors ourselves in our old house- NEVER AGAIN!!! LOL There's a reason that this house is all tile...)
> 
> Anyways- I was going to say that there's going to be some contrast with your handles no matter what, and that's not necessarily a bad thing? The wood grain will run different, no matter what, so the color will likely appear different even if you refinish them; I wouldn't bother, since the contrast will probably end up looking nice :thumbsup:
> 
> You've put some impessive craftsmanship into this stand- Norm Abram would be proud!! :icon_lol:


Lauralee -

To put me in the same class as Norm is probably criminal LOL. I appreciate the kind words though. You are probably right with regards to the contrast differences. The grain doesn't bother me too much, but the color mismatch will. If there is too big of a difference, I am going to scrap them for all brass handles. I like to come as close to uniformity as possible. Something like that is the type of thing that would keep me up at night! 


I'll probably pick up a few different things to try including the gel stain. With the praise that it has gotten from a few people now, it seems like it will be worth a test on some scrap wood.

After looking at some different information regarding finishing red oak, I might even try a red oak stain. Maybe I'll post a voting thread and let the viewers decide. 

Thanks again for your input guys. I am thinking that the testing phase will make it more fun.


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## customdrumfinishes

i see you have some time in this stand and not to cheap either lol. i dont blame you for using 2 by 6 for the base. i have to build a 70g stand and hood soon myself. i like how you put locks on the doors! good spot to hide the boos from the kiddies lol. the outlets were great, i havent thought of that yet :icon_roll glad to see your ideas make me think.


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## BiscuitSlayer

customdrumfinishes said:


> i see you have some time in this stand and not to cheap either lol. i dont blame you for using 2 by 6 for the base. i have to build a 70g stand and hood soon myself. i like how you put locks on the doors! good spot to hide the boos from the kiddies lol. the outlets were great, i havent thought of that yet :icon_roll glad to see your ideas make me think.


CDF -

Yeah, I didn't really save too much money by doing things myself. Ultimately it probably will have cost me quite a bit more than if I bought a prefab stand and canopy. The thing is that it has been a realitively easy build so far and I liked the thought of having exactly what I want. The cam locks and the electrical work were something that you don't normally see in a retail stand, and the thought of having everything the way I liked it kind of off set the costs.

One of the main reasons why I decided to make this a somewhat detailed journal is because I was hoping that it could be helpful to spark ideas for people like you. I have been able to tap so much information on this forum, and my hope was that maybe I could provide some ideas for people to use for their own projects. 

I recently found a thread where a guy used digital timers that replace standard switches. I am actually thinking about stealing his idea and incorporating it into my stand. Here is the thread if you want to have a look:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo-album/59294-alang-newbie-65g-planted-tank-journal.html

The only problem is that I priced out the timers and they are about $50 each. Unfortuanately, my budget is pretty much exausted at this point. I don't even have enough to buy a tank, lights, filters, and substrate to get this going. Hopefully next year... lol


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## fshfanatic

Dude, you have some serious skills.


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## BiscuitSlayer

Fsh -

I appreciate the skills comment! Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Napoleon Dynamite:

"Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills. Nunchuck skills... Bowhunting skills... Computer Hacking skills..." - Napoleon Dynamite

I'll tell you one thing. Working with oak like this is a dream. I don't know what the final finishing will be like but putting the stuff together is great. Straight from the store, the stuff was pretty much finished with really sharp edges and sanded sides. It kind of makes sense why it is quite a bit more than a soft wood. If I had to do things like use a jointer or a planer I kind of would have been up a creek as I don't own them.

I actually have enjoyed this build so much that I am considering building them and selling them locally or trying to atleast. I am looking forward to the canopy part of the build. I have some ideas in mind that I think will look pretty sweet.

Thanks again for the compliment.


----------



## lescarpentier

That is quite the impressive stand!You could never ever find one that comes close to rivaling the quality of yours.After looking at your impressive and inspirational work I blush with shame when I look at my factory made mess that came with my tank.LOL 

I have done interior finish work for years and I still prefer the traditional Minwax wood stains with a Polyurethane clear coat.I avoid the gel stains,and the all in one types of stain that includes the clear coat.I swear by Deft,and I love it's leveling qualities.I started using this product over 20 years ago.This is what I use for the clear coat.It is used on the R.M.S. Queen Mary and U.S. Space Shuttle

http://www.deftfinishes.com/trade/OurProducts/details.cfm?ProductID=5


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## BiscuitSlayer

lescarpentier - 

Thanks for the kind words. I actually bought standard poly (minwax I believe) without looking around too much and then I saw this stuff on the shelf and thought it might be a good idea since it is an exterior grage poly. I think the poly is what bothers me the most since I don't really have a dust free area that I can apply it right now. Between all of the sawdust in my garage from building the stand and the outrageous pollen count here in N. Georgia, I don't know if there is anywhere I could go that wouldn't have massive amounts of dust.

Roybot actually suggested the minwax rub on poly which tends to dry quicker and keep the dust issue at bay. I might be a little torn on this one now.

Probably what I will try is to use the poly that you suggested along with some stain on a test piece of wood and see how things fair. If it comes out decent, then I'll probably go that route. Otherwise it looks like I might start up a finishing collection.


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## lescarpentier

Ideal dust free conditions are the exception rather than the rule in this business.Get the ultra fine steel wool at Home Depot and lightly go over the areas that have a speck or two of dust after the poly has dried.When you finish your test sample I suggest that you do it under less than ideal conditions for a worse case scenario test.Buff out the specks with the steel wool after the poly has dried so you can see what you can get away with.You will be amazed.

I love the way that the Deft flattens out and self levels after application.You will find that it is more forgiving than you think.


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## Gatekeeper

Excellent build. Nice stand. Great documentation.

FWIW, I see you have GFCI outlet in your wiring configuration. I would make that a dedicated circuit from the other three switched outlets. Just a suggestion though.


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## lauraleellbp

> I actually have enjoyed this build so much that I am considering building them and selling them locally or trying to atleast.


If you could figure out a way to make it modular to cut down on shipping costs I bet you could make a fortune selling stands on here, too! :icon_wink


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## BiscuitSlayer

gmccreedy said:


> Excellent build. Nice stand. Great documentation.
> 
> FWIW, I see you have GFCI outlet in your wiring configuration. I would make that a dedicated circuit from the other three switched outlets. Just a suggestion though.



gmccreedy -

Thank you for your comments!

I am strongly considering adding another circuit (also GFCI protected) to the stand. If I do, I will probably plug heaters and filters into each side for redundancy in the event one circuit trips while I am not around. Intermediate_noob and I talked about this a while back and his points towards redundancy are making me see the light. 




lauraleellbp said:


> If you could figure out a way to make it modular to cut down on shipping costs I bet you could make a fortune selling stands on here, too! :icon_wink


lauralee - 

There is actually a guy that sells exactly what you are talking about on ebay. Here is the link to his store if you want to have a look:

http://stores.ebay.com/Aquarium-Stands-and-Canopies

I have actually been eyeballing some of his stands thinking that it would be pretty nice to own one. They all come unfinished, but the shipping is included in the costs. He does build them with modular plans so that if you have a screw driver you have everything needed to get one put together. He also customizes by adding drawers, drilling the stand for bulkhead holes, etc.

If I did decide to go this route, I would have to engineer something fairly simple, attactive, easy to assemble, and well made. It would be fun to try to do something like that. I would just need the time and graphical tools to make it happen. Not a show stopper, but definately time consuming. With 3 small children at home, time is a premium comodity for me. LOL


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## helgymatt

BiscuitSlayer said:


> There is actually a guy that sells exactly what you are talking about on ebay. Here is the link to his store if you want to have a look:
> 
> http://stores.ebay.com/Aquarium-Stands-and-Canopies


I actually saw these on ebay the other day and became interested. Do you know what the framing of these tanks are like? I'm sure they are structurally sound, but I just thought I would check to see if anyone had more info about the guts of this stand. 

This would save me a lot of time and headache of building my own stand. And it looks very nice too!


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## BiscuitSlayer

helgymatt said:


> I actually saw these on ebay the other day and became interested. Do you know what the framing of these tanks are like? I'm sure they are structurally sound, but I just thought I would check to see if anyone had more info about the guts of this stand.
> 
> This would save me a lot of time and headache of building my own stand. And it looks very nice too!


I know he builds the insides with pine, or atleast he used to. I seem to remember seeing some pictures with more detail than what he has now, and they did look realitively light. If you want to see the inside of a stand, I would shoot him an email and ask him if he could take some pictures send them to you. His feedback is pretty good, and the negative comments were minimal. He has one complaining of one side not lining up and the other two don't make sense.

He has been around for a while.


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## BiscuitSlayer

Update:

I started building the canopy, and it is well under way. There are some people that are actually waiting on the canopy build to see how I got away with buying 2 sheets of 3/4" oak ply that measure 2'x 4'. I actually wound up buying 3 sheets, but that was only because I screwed up royally.


I first started with the two independent lifting sides. Here they are in raw form (no trim yet):











I then built the back half of the canopy. I wound up short (gap between two halves) as you can see in the picture. This is how I was able to get away with two sheets of the oak ply.










Here is a basic summary of how I did it. Since the 2' span on each side isn't enough to meet the 48 3/8" size of the tank rim, I cut the pieces to 24" each. I then measured out a piece of the leftover scrap 1/4" oak ply at 12" wide. I made this piece 47 1/8" wich is also too small. I did this because it was the longest span that I had. 










I used two pieces of 3/4" oak trim I had laying around to space out the scrap oak ply that I used on each side of the canopy. Using two pieces like this gave me the extra 1 1/2" needed to meet the length that I was shooting for on the inside dimensions of 48 5/8". This should give me about 1/4" total around the entire rim of the tank.











I then screwed the 1/4" oak ply to the 3/4" ply making sure that my finished edge side was lined up with both pieces. I'll get to those pictures later on.











I then removed the scrap pieces of 3/4" trim because I was only using them to space out the ply.











I then flipped the canopy over and attached the top trim pieces. I did the ends first and then cut the length to fit inside the end pieces. As you can see in the picture, I clamped them down pretty tight. This is going to be the finished side of the back half of the canopy. I will eventually mount my two hinges on the finished side for the two sides that open independently. I know you are asking "What about that gap in the middle of the wood?" I am going to use a small piece of 1 x 3 (3/4" x 2 x 1/2" actual measurements) to go right over that gap. Hopefully, you will never even know it was there. I checked the canopy back for squareness, and it measured out perfectly.











Here is a picture of the front facing edge of the back half of the canopy. Ultimately, this will make the union of the back half and the front hinged faces form a perfect seam. This is what I was referring to with having the good finished edges on this side:












This is a picture of the back half of the back edge. I don't know if you can see how imperfect it is, but the fact of the matter is it will be up against the wall and no one will see it. I will probably hit it with a file just to make it nice, but I thought I would show those of you who might be interested.










That’s it for now. It will probably be a couple of weeks before the next update. My buddy is coming over to my house for a couple of days next week and we have plans to go fishing and catch the big ones.


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## intermediate_noob

Amazing man. How tall is that thing going to be and how high will your lights be above the tank? I do not remember, did you ever say how much or what kind of lighting you are going to have? Seems like I got caught up on "woodworking geek" and forgot about the "fish equipment geek" mode.

Awesome job! again!


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## BiscuitSlayer

IN -

Thanks man!

The canopy is going to be about 12" high, but it is going to sit about 2 1/4" below the tank rim so that the rim is completely covered by the canopy edge. Most retro lighting kits sit 2" tall from their mounting surface. That should put my future lights at about 8" or so from the water. 

For lighting, I am still up in the air. Any way you cut it, I am going to have to save up for the lights because my budget is almost completely blown on the wood and everything else I have spent on this monster. 

Right now, I am torn between 6 AH Supply retro kits (55 W each) or a T5 alternative. The original goal was to use one row for actinics (dawn/dusk and fish colors) and two rows for plants. I have been considering T5 retro kits, but I would have to get 6 fixtures to accomplish the same thing. Five kits (bulbs) would be optimal, but I haven't worked that out yet. I am definately going the high tech route though. I might install some digital in-wall timers for the lights into the stand. I figure I would need three as I am going to have a 3 stage lighting system (daylight, dawn dusk, and moonlight). Here is a link to one of the timers I was thinking about using:

http://www.westsidewholesale.com/index.cgi?pid=973748&CATEGORY=371&source=ad1

I actually set up another thread that posed some specific lighting questions realitive to my design here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/62967-ahs-kits-t5-ho-retro-kits.html


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## TheCryptKeeper

that is awesome! you should make a few of them and sell them! hmmm.. maybe I know someone who is interested! lol


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## BiscuitSlayer

Torpedobarb said:


> that is awesome! you should make a few of them and sell them! hmmm.. maybe I know someone who is interested! lol


Torpedobarb -

I would love to! The only problem is that my build is not modular at all and I think shipping would cost a small fortune. I actually have some trim ideas that I think would look awesome. Like a 45 degree bevel on all trim edges. That would be a unique look.


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## customdrumfinishes

if you dont finish that stand and soon youre gonna have to take a vacation to get away from it lol. how many hours you got in that stand? 40+


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## BiscuitSlayer

customdrumfinishes said:


> if you dont finish that stand and soon youre gonna have to take a vacation to get away from it lol. how many hours you got in that stand? 40+


CDF -

Ha ha ha... yes. I probably have about 50 or so hours into it. I am not the most efficient person when it comes to stuff like this. The plan to complete everything was more or less in my head rather than being on paper, so I have a tendency of stepping back, looking at things and then deciding what my next step is going to be. If you took that into consideration, I would probably have more like 30 hours into it.

To be honest, it is cutting into my fishing time. I usually go fishing every opportunity I get this time of the year, but the stand has been drawing my attention this year rather than fishing. When I go fishing this upcoming week I will be taking a vacation from it, at least physically.


----------



## helgymatt

Thanks for the great thread! I build mine this weekend. The frame is the same, but uses 2x4 top from rather than 2x6. I also made some other mods to suit my style. Here are some pics. 

























And a link to more details how I built this. - http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...-planning-closed-loop-system-75-gallon-4.html

Matt


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Helgymat-

Thats awesome man! It looks great. I very much like the way you hinged the doors. 

You should be perfectly ok with the 2 x 4s on the upper frame. That is what is suggested for frames upto 4 feet, so you should be good to go. I did it only because it was a personal prefrence.

Great job man! I am thrilled that Intermediate_noob's thread and my thread helped out. That was their main purpose.

What did you use for a finish on the stand? Also, what kind of oak did you use? I would have loved to have seen it unfinished if you happen to have a picture of it.

Once again, fantastic job and well done!


----------



## helgymatt

BiscuitSlayer said:


> Helgymat-
> 
> What did you use for a finish on the stand? Also, what kind of oak did you use? I would have loved to have seen it unfinished if you happen to have a picture of it.
> 
> Once again, fantastic job and well done!


The wood was just red oak plywood and red oak boards. 
Sorry I don't have any pics of it unfinished. I had my cam with to take pics of the process, but I thought your threads outlined it so well that there was no need. Cheers to you. 

I used Varathane american walnut oil based stain and minwax polyacrylic. I'm not sure if that poly is going to hold up as nice as regular polyurathane, but time will tell. I just put some small pads on the back of one of the doors and I after I took one off (because I put it in the wrong spot) it brought the poly right off with it:icon_cry: Maybe it isn't totally dry yet. 

Edit: a quick search online relveals that polyacrylic (and other water based poly's) take days to cure. I also wasn't able to sand in between coats because it took off the stain and poly I already had on - even with very fine sand paper. http://www.groupsrv.com/hobby/about42990.html


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## apachepony8

Biscuit, i'm so glad you did this! That's certainly helped me get more concrete ideas for mine. Yours is looking very snazzy. 

I'm still up in the air between using boards or plywood, but now I realize how I could use those 2x4 sheets. Thank goodness. Who wants to wield a 4x8 unless you have to?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

apachepony8 - 

I am glad I did it too. It has been a lot of fun sharing the progress with this and getting input, suggestions, and comments. It has also made it fun knowing that people have projects going or about to start where this thread helps out with some of the technical problems encountered.

I am looking forward to your canopy build.

As far as the plywood/wood dilema goes, I can tell you a couple of things. If you go the plywood route, it would definatly benefit you to use a table saw to make your cuts. It will give you consistientcy that you won't be able to acheive with a hand saw.

If you go with wooden boards, try to make a complete structure rather than having a board that is free for a door, etc. This will help with rigidity with regards to moisture. You will be less likely to have warping issues.

Helgymatt-

I am amazed how the color of your red oak stand was transformed by that walnut stain. Amazing! I am quite surprised by the polyacrylic experience that you are having. I have never used it, but I thought that most water based finishes cured very quickly.

Very interesting and thank you for sharing.


----------



## helgymatt

BiscuitSlayer said:


> Helgymatt-
> 
> I am amazed how the color of your red oak stand was transformed by that walnut stain. Amazing! I am quite surprised by the polyacrylic experience that you are having. I have never used it, but I thought that most water based finishes cured very quickly.
> 
> Very interesting and thank you for sharing.


The water-based poly does dry quickly, and you are able to put on a second coat after 2 hours, but it doesn't fully CURE for days. Oil based polys on the other hand take a long time to dry, but when they are dry they are fully cure at the same time. I think that is the difference. 

I was impressed by the color of the stand also!


----------



## Gad

lescarpentier said:


> Ideal dust free conditions are the exception rather than the rule in this business.Get the ultra fine steel wool at Home Depot and lightly go over the areas that have a speck or two of dust after the poly has dried.When you finish your test sample I suggest that you do it under less than ideal conditions for a worse case scenario test.Buff out the specks with the steel wool after the poly has dried so you can see what you can get away with.You will be amazed.
> 
> I love the way that the Deft flattens out and self levels after application.You will find that it is more forgiving than you think.


I would agree with using Deft. I also use it with guitar finish repairs. It dries fast and is very easy to work with.:thumbsup:


----------



## apachepony8

Quick random question:

Someone mentioned on my topic that I forgot to allow room for the piano hinge in my measurements, and that got me thinking. If there's a "gap" between your top pieces where the piano hinge will go, do you have to allow for that on the side pieces? As in, will there be a small gap between the side pieces, or do you make them ever so slightly longer than the top? 

Hope that makes sense...my description skills are a bit slim tonight.


----------



## Gad

apachepony8 said:


> Hope that makes sense...my description skills are a bit slim tonight.


Beer does that.:redface:


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

apachepony8 -

It comes down to how you mount the hinge. If you are mounting it so that it is hidden with the hinge joint showing and mounted to two internal mount points then it will affect the size of the canopy because it will add on the size of the hinge in a closed position.

The other way to mount it is on top of the hinged section. This will show the hinge which you might not want, but it would allow you to butt the two sections right up against each other for mounting purposes. I would think that this would be the easiest way to mount the hinge, but it might be the most unattractive.

I am actually planning on routing out enough space for my hinges to mount to the front of the main section of the canopy as well as the back mounting points of the independent mounting sides. This will allow me to hide the majority of the hinges (other than the hinge pivot point), and it will allow the two sides to sit flush up against each other for the finished look. Without doing this, there would be a gap where the two parts meet together through that entire plane.

Now tell me if that makes any sense or if I even remotely answered your question. LOL. 

Edit:

I might use some scrap wood with the hinges and play around a bit to try to get the best possible look (without showing the hinge at all). I don't know if it will be worth it for you to wait on me to do this or not. I would like it though if you had no idea that the canopy was even hinged until you opened it up.


----------



## apachepony8

Gotcha. I'll have to play around and see which looks/works best. I'm not sure how noticeable either the gap, or the hinge would be, depending on which way you did it. 



> Beer does that.


I just have to blame insanity, unfortunately.


----------



## Gad

apachepony8 said:


> Gotcha. I'll have to play around and see which looks/works best. I'm not sure how noticeable either the gap, or the hinge would be, depending on which way you did it.
> 
> 
> I just have to blame insanity, unfortunately.


Oh, well. It does taste good. At leat to me. :smile:


----------



## intermediate_noob

Biscuit, I never asked this, or do not remember at least, but where did you get the wood you used for facing your stand and canopy?

I thought I would "Just go to Lowes" but they do not have anything much higher than "C" grade plywood. I have a couple of local options, and just thought you could throw out some advice. Thanks man!


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

IN-

I actually bought all of my wood at Lowes. I used 1/4 oak ply, 1/2 oak ply, and 3/4 oak ply and all of the trim is solid red oak. The quarter sheets I used were by the oak trim pieces and the full sheet of 1/4 oak ply was by the standard non pressure treated plywood and other woods.

That sucks that you can't find it at your lowes. I guess they sell different things regionally?


----------



## Gad

You might try another Lowes in your area if there is one. Everyone I've been to carries this type of wood. If not I'm sure they will get it for you.


----------



## lauraleellbp

hey- important question here- how was the fishing trip?

Don't tell me any fish stories 'less you got PICS? 

LOL


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lauraleellbp said:


> hey- important question here- how was the fishing trip?
> 
> Don't tell me any fish stories 'less you got PICS?
> 
> LOL


We had a lot of fun. Didn't catch anything huge, but we caught quite a few. My buddy caught a small hybrid (striper and white bass cross) using a plastic 4" lizzard (my lure of choice this time of year). It was quite a shock only because they don't usually hit that type of bait. Naturally we thought he had a monster bass on, but it was just a ticked off hybrid. 

The two types of fish we caught were Spotted bass and that hybrid. Spotted bass tend to over populate lakes in this area and it winds up messing up the eco system. People are encouraged to harvest the fish. I generally don't keep the fish because I can't stand the taste. I throw them all back unless I am with my buddy. His family loves fish so we keep a few when him and I go out. If I happen to catch something like a largemouth or a striper, the standing rule in my boat is that we throw them back. They are more few and far between, and I personally won't keep them. Hybrids on the other hand don't reproduce naturally. They are a "man made" fish that are used to keep large shad populations in check. They are an absolute blast to fish for. Here are a couple of pics of my buddy holding up the hybrid and a picture of the other fish in a cooler:


----------



## lauraleellbp

Woohoo- awesome! 

I miss always having a freezer full of seafood; I grew up on Tampa bay, but my hubby doesn't much care for fishing so we don't go often, just when I go see my parents (my Dad always takes me  )


----------



## eyebeatbadgers

Nice looking striper! I've caught a few bucketsful this past month up here. Can't wait for the largemouth to become more active!

Here's my trophy from last weekend


----------



## Gad

BiscuitSlayer said:


> We had a lot of fun. Didn't catch anything huge, but we caught quite a few. My buddy caught a small hybrid (striper and white bass cross) using a plastic 4" lizzard (my lure of choice this time of year). It was quite a shock only because they don't usually hit that type of bait. Naturally we thought he had a monster bass on, but it was just a ticked off hybrid.
> 
> The two types of fish we caught were Spotted bass and that hybrid. Spotted bass tend to over populate lakes in this area and it winds up messing up the eco system. People are encouraged to harvest the fish. I generally don't keep the fish because I can't stand the taste. I throw them all back unless I am with my buddy. His family loves fish so we keep a few when him and I go out. If I happen to catch something like a largemouth or a striper, the standing rule in my boat is that we throw them back. They are more few and far between, and I personally won't keep them. Hybrids on the other hand don't reproduce naturally. They are a "man made" fish that are used to keep large shad populations in check. They are an absolute blast to fish for. Here are a couple of pics of my buddy holding up the hybrid and a picture of the other fish in a cooler:


How far are you from Augusta, GA? I live between Augusta and Columbia, SC. If you ever need a passenger on that boat let me know.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

eyebeatbadgers said:


> Nice looking striper! I've caught a few bucketsful this past month up here. Can't wait for the largemouth to become more active!


EBB -

That looks like a little smallmouth. Am I correct? I didn't know you were a fisherman. I don't know if your into spots or not, but there are plenty of them down here. Supposedly you can catch spot tail minnows in the summer down here and the spots think of them as candy. I just need to learn how to throw a cast net.

Gad -

I live on the NW side of Atlanta close to Allatoona Lake. If you are up for making the trip over, I am all about going out fishing. I am in a bit of a holding patteren right now until I get a couple of batteries. It turns out that all three of my batteries died on me. I need a trolling battery and a crank battery at the minimum right now. Once I get that ironed out, maybe we could work something out. The fishing should be pretty decent for the next few weeks.


----------



## Gad

BiscuitSlayer said:


> EBB -
> 
> That looks like a little smallmouth. Am I correct? I didn't know you were a fisherman. I don't know if your into spots or not, but there are plenty of them down here. Supposedly you can catch spot tail minnows in the summer down here and the spots think of them as candy. I just need to learn how to throw a cast net.
> 
> Gad -
> 
> I live on the NW side of Atlanta close to Allatoona Lake. If you are up for making the trip over, I am all about going out fishing. I am in a bit of a holding patteren right now until I get a couple of batteries. It turns out that all three of my batteries died on me. I need a trolling battery and a crank battery at the minimum right now. Once I get that ironed out, maybe we could work something out. The fishing should be pretty decent for the next few weeks.


Thanks for the offer I don't have a boat anymore. I live close to Lake Murry here in SC.


----------



## Green Leaf Aquariums

What are you boys using up there spinner baits or rigs? Any top water action?


----------



## eyebeatbadgers

If I'm not working, sleeping, or doing a water change, I'm fishing on a lake or in a river.

Baby smallmouth indeed! It was the smallest bass I've ever caught 

Cast nets are super easy. I was taught a while back by some drunk guy with three teeth. It was an enjoyable lesson!

Never seen a spot tail minnow or bass. Did some google image hunting around, nice looking fishes! In the lakes and rivers I fish, I mostly see small and large mouth, striped, white, and hybrid bass, crappie, lots of different panfish, and a few different catfish. The state wildlife department stocks a few rivers around the state with trout, I'm planning on catching a few of those guys this year too.


----------



## eyebeatbadgers

Orlando said:


> What are you boys using up there spinner baits or rigs? Any top water action?


I catch on flies year round, not quite warm enough in the Cumberland river for spinners or buzzbaits, but my Berkley Blade Dancer have been wearing the big boys out now for about a month. Best darn rig money can buy IMO.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Right now, there is some spinner bait action, but I am not much of a spinner bait guy. I need to throw them and get used to the action. I know it would pay off.

From late February through May, I throw a 4" green shade of lizzard. In the early months, I use chartruse, and as time progresses, I go darker and darker. I have been fishing Allatoona for about 20 years now, and that is what I have the most success with. This last week, I used watermellon seed and they were hitting it pretty good. I use a carolina rig with either a 1/2 to 3/4 oz weight with about a 3 foot leader. Since I use a smaller lizzard, I use 1/0 hooks. If I go upto a 6" lizzard, I move up to a 2/0 hook.

My favorite lake down here, West Point, is a bass haven. I went out with my wife (fiance at the time) and my father, and the hybrids were on the surface going crazy. The three of us caught over 230 fish in about 3 hours. We did this for about a week straight. If the hybrids are running, then I am chasing them.


----------



## lauraleellbp

I'm going to be in GA this weekend; family farm out near Cordele though.

Shoot I'd love to teach you to cast net! It's so much fun! You *sure* you can't make PlantFest?  

My dad catches mullet in his 10'er- I can't even lift the thing. Do pretty well with a 6' though.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lauraleellbp said:


> I'm going to be in GA this weekend; family farm out near Cordele though.
> 
> Shoot I'd love to teach you to cast net! It's so much fun! You *sure* you can't make PlantFest?
> 
> My dad catches mullet in his 10'er- I can't even lift the thing. Do pretty well with a 6' though.


I am actually on the fence right now with going to PlantFest. My wife is thinking about going down there with the kids and I to make somewhat of a trip to Orlando to do some stuff with the kids.

If I go, I figure that between you and EBB maybe I can get a little cast net time in. If I can consistantly load the boat with spot tail minnows in the summer then catching bass would be a piece of cake during the hot months.

Not to mention I would then be able to catch shad in the winter and go striper fishing. I would just need a decent bait tank.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Oh I'm sure they'd have a blast! They'd love the tubing down the Ichetuknee part for sure (i've no clue how to spell it LOL) I used to live about 10 min from there, we'd go all the time- it's great fun! Or they could easily spend several days just at Disney and still not see everything... gets expensive, especially food- if you rent a motel room I'd recommend keeping sandwich stuff in the fridge and smuggling it into the park (can you tell I'm from a family of cheapskates? ROFL)

There's some laws about using cast nets in FW, dunno what they are b/c I only fish SW; probably just need a license? Licenses are pretty cheap online, though. (I've got my lifetime FL SW :smile: )


----------



## sea-horsea

quetions about the stand...
so basically you have a basewith 2x4s and top with 2x6 and you "connect" the top and bottom with 2x4s right? I mean the vertical beam is sitting on top of the base instead of going stragiht down to the floor....and a center support for the bottom and 4 "floater" 2x4s for more support....

sorry but I am not expert with DIY so if I sound silly please forgive me...


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

sea-horsea -

Give this thread on reefcentral.com a read and see if it helps answer your questions:

http://www.reefcentral.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1169964

You might also want to check out this thread which is where I got the inspiration to build my stand:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/60427-10-ft-long-stand-double-tank-3.html

I believe I read somewhere that you were interested in building a smaller stand for like a 20L or something right? 

If thats the case you can use 2x4s for the entire frame construction. 2x6s are needed for any tank longer than 4 feet. I used 2 x 6s strictly because I wanted to.

If you check that thread out, I think you will get the frame design. It is where the whole thing was conceived and it has illustrated pictures that show the different pieces.

I should have showed some step by step pictures while I was building the frame. I am sure that it would answer your questions if you saw the assembly steps. If you still have a problem understanding, let me know.


----------



## AndrewH

Any updated pics of your stand & canopy?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

AndrewH said:


> Any updated pics of your stand & canopy?


AndrewH - 

I don't have any new pics yet that are uploaded. I have been working on a little side project that is completely unrelated to the stand and canopy except for one aspect. I am going to use it practice my finishing technique.

I hope to get some work done on some things tomorrow and if everything goes well, I will have some updated pics for everything that I have been working on so far. If not tomorrow than early to mid week next week.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Update of sorts...

Well, I don't have any pictures of the finished canopy yet. The last week or so was spent building a side project for my wife and I. I saw a storage/charging station that mounts under cabinets several months ago on a flight I had to New York.










I thought that this was a really cool idea and the it stuck with me. The only thing is that the unit for sale is much too small. I decided to build a similar unit and make it big enough to charge our cell phones, cameras, GPS, PSP, etc. I wanted to use this project to lay out how I was going to finish the stand and canopy because I have been a bit worried about how it would come out. I am not a finishing guy, but rather a building guy. All I can say is that I am so happy that I decided to go this way.

Here are some pictures of the charging station nearing completion:



















Basically, there are two powerstrips that mount inside of the back section of the charging station. All charging plugs plug into the strips and stay behind the door that I built.












First I tried out several colors of stain on some scrap pieces of wood to see how the colors would come out. I bought 4 colors of stain, and applied it to the three different colors of wood that I have used on this project:

First I used a wood conditioner so that the stain would soak in evenly into the wood. It works very well for those of you that have never used it.



















Red Oak Stain:











Natural Color Stain:












Red oak is known for its tendancy to spit stain out after you have applied it to the surface. I had no problem with this whatsoever with the plywood pieces, but I did have this problem with the trim pieces. I read several places where this might happen and some people suggested this earlier in this thread. The fix for this is to use Pore Filler. Basically, the Pore Filler fills the pores of the wood which is what does the spitting for literally hours after the stain has been applied. I haven't decided if I am going to go this route with the stand and canopy. It will definatly lengthen the time of finishing the stand and canopy, but I would wind up with a "smooth as glass" finish, and there will be no inconsistancy with the wood arbitrairily spitting out stain. It is pretty obnoxious to have to check the wood every hour to two hours and wipe it down to get rid of the spit. 

As far as the color of the stain that I am going to use, I am not for certain yet. I am torn on the Golden Oak (pictured below) or the Red Chestnut (which I haven't posted pictures of yet. I really admire the redish colored stands that I have seen in the past. They have a deep rich color that really appeals to me. I have to say though that the charging station came out very well with the Golden Oak color. Golden Oak is the color of all of the oak furniture in my house. I think that the Golden Oak looks good on the different colored pieces of wood as well.

Here are a few pics of the charging station mounted and fully stained with a tripple coat of poly:





























I have made some progress on the canopy, but not really enough to show at this point. My goal is to work on it a bit this week and get some new pictures up.

As I mess a bit with different finishes, I hope to post those as well. I want to post pictures of the stains with poly applied so that people can get a feel for what the finished product will look like.


----------



## ColeMan

Are you leaning towards any one "tone" yet? Dark, light, natural? I absolutely love all things wood (especially anything handcrafted from wood), and the staining process is my favorite!


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Coleman -

I definatley liked the way the Golden Oak color came out, but it really didn't come to life until after I applied the first coat of polyurethane. That really made it jump. My goal is to take some scrap pieces of wood and apply two coats of the Red Chestnut stain to it and then apply the polyurethane to see what the end product looks like. I think that it might come out pretty good, and if my guess is right that is probably going to be the way I go. If not, I think I'll go the Golden Oak route.

I was extremely dissappointed with the Natural Oak stain and if you look at the picture above you can see the difference in the two colors of wood that I used. I used a test piece of each color to see what the difference would be. The natural stain didn't do anything to change the color of the wood, so you could clearly see the two colors of wood. I can't live with that. The stand and canopy will look calico and that doesn't appeal to me at all. The golden oak on the other hand came out a nice even color even though the wood varries in color.

I think the red chestnut has a pleasant color and I hope to post some pics of it. I have a feeling that other people will like it as well.


----------



## ColeMan

BiscuitSlayer said:


> Coleman -
> 
> I definatley liked the way the Golden Oak color came out, but it really didn't come to life until after I applied the first coat of polyurethane. That really made it jump. My goal is to take some scrap pieces of wood and apply two coats of the Red Chestnut stain to it and then apply the polyurethane to see what the end product looks like. I think that it might come out pretty good, and if my guess is right that is probably going to be the way I go. If not, I think I'll go the Golden Oak route.
> 
> I was extremely dissappointed with the Natural Oak stain and if you look at the picture above you can see the difference in the two colors of wood that I used. I used a test piece of each color to see what the difference would be. The natural stain didn't do anything to change the color of the wood, so you could clearly see the two colors of wood. I can't live with that. The stand and canopy will look calico and that doesn't appeal to me at all. The golden oak on the other hand came out a nice even color even though the wood varries in color.
> 
> I think the red chestnut has a pleasant color and I hope to post some pics of it. I have a feeling that other people will like it as well.


I think it will be very nice...I used an American-type chestnut stain for my stand hat didn't have quite as much red in it...I can't remember exactly what it was called (i'd have to go look at the can), but I really like the warmth that chestnut hue brings to the table...can't wait to see the finished product!


----------



## intermediate_noob

That is a great project Biscuit! I think that if this is an indication of your finishing abilities, you will definitely have an awesome product at the end of your stand and canopy build. 

What did you use for your trim pieces? Just a router or was there some other "Biscuit Magic" going on to make those awesome corners. Wow, you are a true artist man. You could probably post a how-to over at instructables.com with this as well. I cannot get over how simple, elegant, and just plain awesome this is. Congrats.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

IN -

Thanks man! Yeah, the finish for that little project came out pretty well. As far as the edges go, I ran everything through the router table with a 45 degree bit. I like the way it came out quite a bit. I almost wish I had done this with the stand and canopy. It is pretty attractive IMO.

I am thinking the poly is going to make the stand look good no matter what color I use for the stain. It really made the golden oak stain pop. I wound up using a Spar Urethane (exterior grade) Minwax product. It was nice and thin and flattened out very nicely.


----------



## fshfanatic

This thread is incredible. You should enter it in a contest, I bet you would win.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

fshfanatic said:


> This thread is incredible. You should enter it in a contest, I bet you would win.


Thanks Fsh! If you know of any contests that are going on, let me know. I'll give anything a try! 

The only thing I am fustrated with right now is the way that my progress with the stand/canopy has stalled out. I hate having projects in limbo.

I am actually thinking about setting up a vivarium/paludarium right now. I have a 55 gallon sitting around collecting dust and some extra wood laying around from this build. 

I just need to FOCUS on the task at hand. LOL


----------



## fshfanatic

You have too many brands in the fire. You and I have alot in common. I am the exact same way. You will figure it out.


----------



## intermediate_noob

Biscuit, you thinking about Dart Frogs for your Paludarium? If so I can list out all the links I found researching the same thing!

Fsh said it best with "too many brands in the fire" but it seems like there are too many fires in my wallet that keep burning through all my money!


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

intermediate_noob said:


> Biscuit, you thinking about Dart Frogs for your Paludarium? If so I can list out all the links I found researching the same thing!



IN -

I am! My main focus would be the setup and the plants. I would like a small pool in the setup, and a rain forrest look to it. I would only add frogs if I could get everything nailed down including the filtration for the setup as well as lighting, feeding plants, etc. I have kept dart frogs in the past, and they require a clean setup. 

If I didn't do dart frogs, I might just go with red eyed tree frogs and regular green tree frogs.


----------



## jinx©

I can relate Biscuit.  I have list of "Things to finish"...lol...2 switches and 3 outlets left in guest room, 16' of baseboard here or there, kitchen range sitting in the dining room, dishwasher to button up yadayada so on so on...

Your stand and canopy turned out great and I don't blame you for not rushing into applying the finish. When you're sure, you're sure and when you're ready, you're ready. roud:

Thanks for the sharing the charging station as well. It turned out nicely.

I plan on doing something similar in an alcove we have and this actually gave me some great ideas for the hidden power section.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

jinx© said:


> 16' of baseboard here or there


Oh man, if you only knew! Right now, I have about 90 feet of baseboards to put down, paint, and finish. I am lazy and unmotivated to finish that particular project. I am waiting for a compound miter saw to finish the project, but alas, it will never come!


You are dead on with finishing it as I see fit. Since I am as green as green can get, I am trying to learn on some "test projects" as I work on them. I absolutely want this stand and canopy to come out as I have envisioned it. Not just slap something toghter and call it finished.

I do have some great news though! As I was sitting at dinner with my gorgeous wife, I noticed that the table that I was eating at (Red Lobster) was oak and it was colored EXACTLY as I have hoped for. It is really just a matter of me finding this magical stain color and putting some poly urethane on it and calling it done. It might have been Red Chestnut... Have to do some testing tomorrow...

Hopefully, the color won't be as mystical as those biscuits at Red Lobster! You know I love those biscuits! 

I hope to work on the canopy a bit tomorrow as well as some more finishing on test pieces. Hopefully have a good update by Monday.


----------



## lauraleellbp

oooo I ate at Red Lobster last weekend... I know EXACTLY the shade you're talking about, and I love those deep, rich colors :thumbsup:


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lauraleellbp said:


> oooo I ate at Red Lobster last weekend... I know EXACTLY the shade you're talking about, and I love those deep, rich colors :thumbsup:


LL -

If only you had been sitting with me! At first, my wife looked at me like I was a complete idiot! I kept pointing at the table like a first grader saying look... LOOK! 

Then I had to explain what the hell I was talking about. Then she was like, "hmmm... ok yeah that is REALLY red!"

As swiper would say, "Oh mannnn!"

Not what I was looking for as far as a response, but I know how I want to proceed going forward. 

Two tears in a bucket...

 

She'll learn to like it. Just not sure she can get past the golden oak of the charging station. She really does like that color.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Sounds like a "Golden Oak" project "just for her" would be a great bargaining chip for something for you :hihi: in the near future... 

BTW- Did you guys work it out to come to Plant Fest?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lauraleellbp said:


> Sounds like a "Golden Oak" project "just for her" would be a great bargaining chip for something for you :hihi: in the near future...
> 
> BTW- Did you guys work it out to come to Plant Fest?


Actually, the charging station was pretty much my baby. I did let her have a controlling vote on the color because it was HER kitchen and the color most closely resembled our floors and other oak accents.

The stand on the other hand is my baby and I pretty much have the controlling vote. :icon_bigg 

Plantfest on the other hand is a dead topic in my household. We could have went, but this year we wanted to work in taking the kids somewhere for summer vacation and it wasn't in the cards for me to go to plantfest. 

I could have gone, but my kids are at an age where they will remember or start to remember family trips, so the verdict was to plan a trip around them. Since we have 3 little ones, I wanted to make sure that I will be with them for the whole experience.

To make a long story sort... we are planning a trip for their September break when we can afford it better and when we can enjoy it better as a whole.

I will do plantfest at some point though. I am looking forward to getting together with you guys. A good bar and some fantastic plant talk with you guys will make the whole trip memorable for a lifetime. I can't wait for the day!


----------



## TheCryptKeeper

damn.... you are really good with woodworking! I need a canopy for my 75 gallon when you are done! let me know when you are taking orders! :hihi:


----------



## waterfaller1

BiscuitSlayer said:


> Update of sorts...


Well..it would appear to me that things you do are "absolutely gorgeous" too. Look how neat and clean..very very nice. When is this tank going to get started? Oh..and to answer your question... yes, one thing in particular comes to mind~ it looks and smells just like everyone else's......:icon_smil :wink:


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

waterfaller1 said:


> Well..it would appear to me that things you do are "absolutely gorgeous" too. Look how neat and clean..very very nice. When is this tank going to get started? Oh..and to answer your question... yes, one thing in particular comes to mind~ it looks and smells just like everyone else's......:icon_smil :wink:



Thanks waterfaller! I can build stuff, but aquascaping escapes me. 

This tank isn't going to get started anytime soon. I have blown my budget for the tank and other equipment for this year. Hopefully I can get it started next year unless I happen to get lucky.

I would need to get:

Lighting (probably T5 retro kit along with a pair of 55W ahsupply PC fixtures)
Another Filter (probably XP3 or 4)
The tank
Substrate


I figure roughly $500 unless I happen to run into some fantastic deals. Should be pretty close though.

I also am thinking about going with some digital in-wall timers to run my lights. I would need three of them to control actnics for dawn/dusk, daylight, and moonlights at night.

I am considering running an isolated circuit from my breaker pannel directly to the tank. I have plenty of circuits left open and it is a short run (breaker box is about 15 feet away downstairs from where the tank will sit). Since I have a lot of time before I can get it rolling, I might just go the extra mile in the preparation.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Next Year!!??? You think _*I"m*_ going to be that patient? What about all the "little people"? What about your fans? Where's the love???

OK seriously- time to get creative and brainstorm some funding sources. I think you may have nailed one right in post #138

Build and sell those things on Ebay!


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lauraleellbp said:


> Next Year!!??? You think _*I"m*_ going to be that patient? What about all the "little people"? What about your fans? Where's the love???
> 
> OK seriously- time to get creative and brainstorm some funding sources. I think you may have nailed one right in post #138
> 
> Build and sell those things on Ebay!



LL -

Yeah... Too many things going on and not enough money to fund all of them. One reason for the lack of money is me trying to pay down my boat loan a bit with principal payments. One less payment per month would be fantastic. I am also trying to save some money to take the family somewhere (somewhat cheap) for a few days.

I am trying to brainstorm some ideas for some extra cash. I am an IT guy by trade (Systems Administrator/Engineer), so sometimes I freelance for small companies that could use my services. I haven't done anything to proactively go out looking for them though.

I do need to figure something out as I need to get this tank functional soon!


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Major update:


I have been working on the canopy very hard and I have made some signifigant progress towards completion. Sorry for the long delay with regards to updates. I have had some problems staying focused and keeping my eye on the ball.

I added a couple of support boards that will suspend the canopy off of the top of the tank. For these pieces, I used standard 2 x 2 s made out of pine. I drove enough screws through them into the canopy top so that warping will be a non issue. If the wood does happen to warp, it will have to happen between about 1 inch spans or towards the end of the wood that doesn't attach to anything.











Here is a shot down the length of the support 2 x 2. I am showing some detail on this because how important it is. It is imperitave that the support be level and true so that the canopy sits level on the tank rim:











I marked a line on a scrap piece of wood and used it as a template for the support pieces. This gave me a constant measurement through the entire length of the support pieces. In the following two shots, you can see the scrap piece I am talking about and the line that I drew for refrence:




















My next step (probably out of order) was to mount the piano hinge to the two indepentant sides as well as the main structure. I routed a groove the width of the hinge half down the two independant sides. I used this as a guide for how I would mount the hinge to the two independant sides:




















Then I put the two halves together and attached the hinge with the screws included. Man, what a lot of screws:











After I mounted the hinge to the trailing inside edge of the independant sides, I mounted the other half of the hinge to the top of the rear half of the canopy. Sorry for the lack of detail on the following shots:

Closed:











Both sides open (hinge hasn't been cut yet):











Then I cut the hinge (not all the way through) so that I could have the two sides lift independantly. I don't know if the pictures will be clear enough to show the detail on this, but the point was to not cut the hinge all the way through. I saw where it could be cut partially, and I improvised. The picture below, you can see where I made the cut with the hack saw through to the hinge joint. I also used a cutting attachment on the Dremel tool to smooth it up and make it nice. This is a picture of the hinge split in half:











Next you can see I notched the hinge a bit bigger so that one side wouldn't hang up on the other side and cause an opening and closing issue with each side of the canopy.











Now each side lifts independantly. YAY!











Both sides closed:











Length view of the hinge mounted with the canopy closed:











I then made the small doors for the canopy for minor cleanups and feeding the fish. I used the same method that I used to make the large doors for the stand. A simple dado down the length of the mitered sides with a floating pannel in the center of the door.











I tried to mount the door with a single hinge, and as you can see in the image below, I reversed my decision. These hinges are meant to be used in pairs and that was apparent with the slop in the hinge. It was crazy. Luckily, the holes are on the inside of the door and you will have to open the canopy door to see it. I am going to fill the holes with the oak colored wood putty that I have been using and then sand them down.











I then mounted some of those magnetic catches so that the door will have a tendency of staying shut. They work very well. If you look at the top right hand side of the opening, you can see the magnetic half of the catch:











Here is the basic metal plate that mounts to the door:











Here is a shot of one of the canopy halves with the mounted door:











Thats about it for now. I might post some more pictures of some detailed sanding work and use of the wood putty that I have been using. I am basically using a plastic putty knife to work it into all of the cracks and nail holes so that it can be sanded down and look somewhat uniform. It is fairly noticeable before the oak is stained and polyed, but after it is finished, it somewhat dissappears into the grain and character of the wood. You can still se it, but it is far less noticeable.


----------



## Bowles42

The canopy is looking great. Way better then the rudimentary one I made for my 20 long.


----------



## turdb0

On the topic of canopies, have any ideas for a locking prop rod that can keep the front part of the canopy propped up when it's opened? I didn't see anything at Home Depot. I hate lifting it up and having this fear that it's going to slam backwards down on the other half of the canopy. I think i need one of those gas-filled struts that some cars have for their hoods or rear hatches.
:icon_smil


----------



## Craigthor

If yo ugo with those inwall digital timers get extras and make sure you have easy access to them. I used them before but after about 6 months of usage they start to screw up and had to be replaced, I would just exchange them as they were defective but it got old and I quit using them after awhile. I got them from both Home Depot and Menards they were of the Intermatic brand.

Craig


----------



## neonmkr

turdb0, they make a safety prop for kids toy boxes that might work. Look for it near the hinges & handles @ Menards, Home Depot, etc. BiscuitSlayer,
it really is more fun to build it yourself, isn't it. When I get some photos of my project, I'll have to post them.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Bowles42 said:


> The canopy is looking great. Way better then the rudimentary one I made for my 20 long.


Bowles -

Thank you for the kind words. I have a lot of time into the stand and canopy for this project. That might be one reason why it is coming out pretty decent. I could have thrown something together quickly, but I am not really in a hurry as I don't even have the tank yet. 




turdb0 said:


> On the topic of canopies, have any ideas for a locking prop rod that can keep the front part of the canopy propped up when it's opened? I didn't see anything at Home Depot. I hate lifting it up and having this fear that it's going to slam backwards down on the other half of the canopy. I think i need one of those gas-filled struts that some cars have for their hoods or rear hatches.
> :icon_smil


turdb0 -

One of the best things you can get is a gas filled shock for this purpose. I have plans to make a toybox for my kids using one of these. They are kind of expensive, but you can't slam anything or get your fingers pinched in a folding support:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11237

My canopy design doesn't really need a supports because the two sides rest squarely on the back half of the canopy. I designed it that way on purpose, but I wasn't sure how it would actually work until I got the hindge working. The tank will be 18 inches wide and the inside dimentions of the canopy are the same. I figured roughly 1/3 of that on a 12" high canopy should give me enough access to get into the tank without taking the canopy off of the tank. It should also allow me to keep the lights on while I am working. This allows for 6"+ of the front of the canopy to rest squarely on the back half. I figure the worse case scenario is that I cut a couple of pieces of wood to act as stop blocks when I have the sides open. This would basically lock the canopy open while I am working in the tank.




neonmkr said:


> BiscuitSlayer,
> it really is more fun to build it yourself, isn't it. When I get some photos of my project, I'll have to post them.


neonmkr -

It is fun and it is gratifying knowing that I will have exactly what I want rather than something that isn't quite optimal.




Craigthor said:


> If yo ugo with those inwall digital timers get extras and make sure you have easy access to them. I used them before but after about 6 months of usage they start to screw up and had to be replaced, I would just exchange them as they were defective but it got old and I quit using them after awhile. I got them from both Home Depot and Menards they were of the Intermatic brand.
> 
> Craig


Craigthor -

That isn't what I wanted to hear. I have seen some people state that it is not reccommended to use those digital timers with flourescant fixtures. I wonder if that is the reason why.

The timers I have been looking at are the following:

http://www.amazon.com/SmartDisk-LEVITON-WALL-TIMER-1122I/dp/B0008500ZC

I have found them cheaper than the amazon link.


----------



## CL

BiscuitSlayer said:


> Essentially it is not an afterthought. The whole point is that you don't want the load of the tank, water, substrate, etc. to be transfered through the floater to the floor. You would effectively be taking all of that weight and transfering it to your floor rather than evenly transfering it to the lower frame (which covers more area).
> 
> If it doesn't make sense to you now, read the original link to Intermediate_Noobs thread at the top of mine. From there it will take you to the reef central threads where this design was originally thought of.
> 
> It is definately not an afterthought. I originally thought like you do, but now I am a believer.


I dont want to beat a dead horse, but if the floater is exactly level with the top and bottom of the stand, doesnt is just increase the surface area of the stand that contacts the floor, granted, to get it perfectly even with the bottom of the stand might take a lot of work, im just curious


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

clwatkins10 said:


> I dont want to beat a dead horse, but if the floater is exactly level with the top and bottom of the stand, doesnt is just increase the surface area of the stand that contacts the floor, granted, to get it perfectly even with the bottom of the stand might take a lot of work, im just curious


Floater was probably the worst thing I could have called it. It is a screw strip that allows you to screw the legs which are loadbearing to something that attaches the upper and lower frames.

That is why it doesn't touch the floor or come up to the bottom of the tank. They merely act as pieces of wood that allow you to screw things together. So ultimately, you don't want them to be loadbearing in any way. Some people disagree with me and the original creator of the design and state that the length shouldn't matter. I don't know one way or the other. I just go with what works and is proven.


----------



## waterfaller1

Are you talking about the Intermatic digital timers? I have used them since 03' on my sw tank with few problems. They use a triple A battery, so when it runs out or it gets near time for the battery to run out they act up a little. I just pop in a new battery and we are good for another 5-6 mo or so.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

waterfaller1 said:


> Are you talking about the Intermatic digital timers? I have used them since 03' on my sw tank with few problems. They use a triple A battery, so when it runs out or it gets near time for the battery to run out they act up a little. I just pop in a new battery and we are good for another 5-6 mo or so.


Waterfaller -

We are talking about Intermatic digital in-wall timers. They are something that you would see to replace a wall switch to work something like your outside portch lights or something of that nature. 

My goal is (was) to mount them in boxes inside the stand and wire them to a three pronged plug so I could just plug them in. Is that what you are using on your reef tank or are you talking about something else? 

Even if you are talking about something else, I would still be interested in seeing an example of one.


----------



## waterfaller1

Hold on..I will find the pics..


----------



## waterfaller1

Here is the electrical side..


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Those do look a bit different, but the concept is the same. That is encouraging though. I would very much like to implement the use of timers like those.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Hey Biscuit- you run across this thread yet?

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/g...y-2nd-120-planted-journal-pic.html#post616783


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lauraleellbp -

I had not seen that thread. Those stands are amazing. I like the classic look to them. I have actually seen fornda's stand in several threads a while back. It is the kind of stand you don't forget.

I am actually working on getting into the wood working side of things a little heavier. I have been watching several different woodworking shows and reading up quite a bit. Last week, I went to a Rockler retail store on the north side of Atlanta. AMAZING STORE! I could have easily dropped $30K in there without batting an eye. 

I have several little projects in the works as well as slowly working on the stand and canopy. I also bought some of the lumber to build a stand and canopy for a 55 gallon vivarium that I might setup as well.

This last week was mostly spent building some sleds for my table saw. I have to say that there is nothing like a crosscut sled to get some lumber cut fast. I am going to build a 45 degree miter sled next.


----------



## lauraleellbp

You totally need to find something you enjoy building that will make your woodworking fund itself- and you so could do it! :thumbsup:


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lauraleellbp said:


> You totally need to find something you enjoy building that will make your woodworking fund itself- and you so could do it! :thumbsup:


I was actually thinking about making some custom frames for diplomas that showcase the diploma as well as the tassle. My wife and I have matching frames for our college diplomas, and thats where I got the idea from. The thing I don't like about them is that they don't sit flush on the wall. Because of the tassle housing, they are pushed out from the wall quite a bit and they look somewhat cheesy from the sides. I, of course, would make them so they rested flat against the wall.

I would love to make something that people would buy. I just need to find a niche that needs to be filled.


----------



## macclellan

Did you stain it yet?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

macclellan said:


> Did you stain it yet?


I have about an hour left on finishing putting things to gether and then I need to sand and finish. I haven't made the time to do it yet. I am hoping that I can get it done this upcoming week.


----------



## Tex Gal

Looking forward to the reveal!


----------



## Bk828

Great job biscuit. Cant wait to see the finished product.


----------



## Bugman

Very Impressed!! Wish I had your skill.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Durn...

I got all excited when I saw your thread had been bumped, for nuthin :icon_cry: 

Tease! 

LOL


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Tex Gal said:


> Looking forward to the reveal!





Bk828 said:


> Great job biscuit. Cant wait to see the finished product.


Tex Gal and Bk828-

That makes three of us.  My wife said she had plans to get the kids out of the house to do some things this week. If she does get them out, that will give me some time to get things done. I would love to get some finish on this sucker this week.




Bugman said:


> Very Impressed!! Wish I had your skill.


Bugman - 

Thanks for the kind words.

My next project is going to be a good one. I am thinking about making another stand, but out of solid oak this time with no real frame to speak of. My thoughts are to make one for a vivarium that won't be tremendously heavy, but my thoughts are that It wouldn't have a problem supporting the weight of a full tank of water. 





lauraleellbp said:


> Durn...
> 
> I got all excited when I saw your thread had been bumped, for nuthin :icon_cry:
> 
> Tease!
> 
> LOL


LL -

You are making me blush.  I'll try as hard to get a fresh update out this week... I promise!


----------



## Bk828

biscuit when are you taking orders?? lol


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Bk828 said:


> biscuit when are you taking orders?? lol


I am already on the hook to build one for EyeBeatBadgers soon (just a stand though).

You looking for one?


----------



## Bk828

lol not really just a general comment, but im sure there are plenty of people on this site that would love to have a sweet/solid looking stand/canopy like yours. 
Could make it a business lol deliver in parts.

Sorry didnt see if you mentioned this or not but so far how much did you spend on the supplies for the canopy?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Bk828 said:


> lol not really just a general comment, but im sure there are plenty of people on this site that would love to have a sweet/solid looking stand/canopy like yours.
> Could make it a business lol deliver in parts.
> 
> Sorry didnt see if you mentioned this or not but so far how much did you spend on the supplies for the canopy?


I can only give a rough estimate right now. I have multiple receipts and I haven't taken the time to add everything up yet. I would estimate about $150 - $175. There is a lot of solid oak on the canopy which is really the bulk of the costs.


----------



## Bk828

around what weight is the canopy?? I made mine out of pine and its a bit on the heavy side, cant imagine solid oak.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

That is a good question. I can lift it without any problems, and I am a weakling . I would say maybe 40 or 50 lbs. The structure is made out of 3/4" oak ply. I wanted to use 1/2", but I couldn't find any pieces that weren't waterstained. The trim pieces are 1 X 2s which are actually 3/4" x 1 1/2" actuall. Individually they aren't that heavy, but they add up in numbers. I looked at reefer canopys for 75 gallon and 90 gallon tanks, and they were pretty close to the same weight. I was concerned with the weight at first, but the stock canopies are pretty heavy (mostly because of the added height for halides and such).


----------



## Bk828

True, plus weight is distributed evenly so it shouldnt really be a problem.


----------



## AtlantaMFR

how much for a stand like your? seriously. I have a 75g.


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

AtlantaMFR -

Sorry for the delayed response. I didn't see your post until just now.

The stand and canopy have cost way more than you would buy a new stand and canopy for, mainly because of all the solid oak used on the project.

I can't really give a good cost as of now because I haven't added up the multiple receipts for everything.

One way I could have cut costs drastically was to use trim pieces half the thickness of what I used. I think it would still look good, and it would literally cut the solid oak costs in half.

I am thinking about building a stand from solid oak the next time and using my biscuit jointer to join all of the pieces. If I go this route, it will probably cost a bit more, but I would not need to build a frame beforehand.


----------



## waterfaller1

So.... Biscuit Slayer has a biscuit jointer?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

waterfaller1 said:


> So.... Biscuit Slayer has a biscuit jointer?



LOL... I take biscuits any way I can get them.


----------



## lescarpentier

BiscuitSlayer said:


> LOL... I take biscuits any way I can get them.


LOL.



BiscuitSlayer said:


> using my biscuit jointer to join all of the pieces.


BTW,actually it is a biscuit* joiner.:icon_wink*


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lescarpentier said:


> LOL.
> 
> 
> 
> BTW,actually it is a biscuit* joiner.:icon_wink*



I get my joining and jointing confused all of the time. One of the tools I want to get is a jointer.

Thanks les


----------



## roybot73

BiscuitSlayer said:


> ...One of the tools I want to get is a jointer.


Get one!!!
I _LOVE_ my Rigid 6-1/8" jointer (and 13" planer)!!! Being able to buy rough lumber (much, _much_ cheaper!), and mill it yourself is one of the great joys in woodworking!


----------



## lauraleellbp

*sigh*

Another False Bump Alarm... 

:hihi:


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

lauraleellbp said:


> *sigh*
> 
> Another False Bump Alarm...
> 
> :hihi:


Well, I had hit a stopping point to some degree because I had an unusual cut on a couple of pieces where I needed a bandsaw. Well, I was able to get the pieces cut on a bandsaw, so now I should be able to proceed full steam ahead. My goal for this week is to get the canopy completed, sanded, and start on the finishing.

Hopefully the next update will satify your bumping needs LL.


----------



## kittytango

You guys are amazing!! i love all the stands, the electrical wiring is totally awsome!!! (can you make me one??? LOL)


----------



## lauraleellbp

Soooo Biscuit, you got any plans this weekend? I think this thread is due for an update WITH PICS (yeah my hints are as subtle as freight trains, eh?  )


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

LL - 

I won't have anything signifigant by this weekend, but I do hope to have something by mid week. Things are not coming out as I had hoped with the canopy, so I have slowed down to a snail's crawl until I figure out how to fix my issues.

Nothing major, but you know how things go when things don't come together perfectly.


----------



## dannyboy

i just read the whole thread on this masterpiece. But there's one problem, you never mention the size of the red oak trims for the stand, nor the debpt of the top part of the framing of the stand for which hides the tanks black frame. im very interested in knowing, and i'm sure alot of other viewers would love to know this as well.
thanks


----------



## lauraleellbp

Hmmm... I wonder if gmc threatened to move this thread and make Biscuit go on a scavenger hunt to find it, it would prompt more updating the way it worked with Torpedobarb's Journal...?

:hihi: :hihi: :hihi:


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

dannyboy said:


> i just read the whole thread on this masterpiece. But there's one problem, you never mention the size of the red oak trims for the stand, nor the debpt of the top part of the framing of the stand for which hides the tanks black frame. im very interested in knowing, and i'm sure alot of other viewers would love to know this as well.
> thanks


dannyboy - 

Thanks for the compliment. The oak trim consists of two different sizes. The trim that is going to cover the tank rim is 3/4" thick and 3 1/2" wide. I made it sit 2" above the top of the stand so it should help to hide the bottom tank rim pretty well. If a little of the rim shows, I am ok with it. 

The rest of the trim is 1 1/2" wide and 3/4" thick.

Does this answer your questions?




lauraleellbp said:


> Hmmm... I wonder if gmc threatened to move this thread and make Biscuit go on a scavenger hunt to find it, it would prompt more updating the way it worked with Torpedobarb's Journal...?
> 
> :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:


LL - Sorry for the lack of updates. We adopted a pair of kittens (Bengal shorthair mixes), and I haven't had time to work on the canopy in a few weeks. Today I am going to put together a giant cat tree I got off of ebay. 

I have had a minor problem with the canopy that I am trying to work through. Giving it a bit of time to digest.


----------



## lauraleellbp

oOo Bengals!?!

So where are pics of the kittens? It's the _*least*_ you can do, right? :flick:


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

I posted pics in the "other pets thread"

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lounge/61643-what-other-pets-do-you-keep-8.html#post656768


----------



## Chris-Indy

BiscuitSlayer,

Your pictures aren't coming through. Just a lil FYI


----------



## rountreesj

nice stand...bet it weighs as much as a tank full of water when you're all through


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

rountreesj said:


> nice stand...bet it weighs as much as a tank full of water when you're all through


Believe it or not, it isn't that heavy. I can pick it up by myself, and I am a weakling. I would say that the stand weighs at most about 75lbs. The canopy is fairly heavy because I used 3/4" oak ply along with all of the trim. I can pick it up too without issue. I would estimate that it probably weighs about 40 lbs or so. The one thing that makes it look very heavy is the frame. Pine is pretty light as compared to hardwoods milled to the same thickness. If memory serves me correctly, I used 5 pine 2" X 4"s and 1 pine 2" X 6"s.


----------



## deondrec

this thread gives me great ideas thanks


----------



## CL

Yeah biscuit, anything new happen?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

clwatkins - 

I have been pretty busy lately and I haven't had time to do much of anything related to the stand. For now, it is on hold as I am going to work on a project for Complexity and it is at the top of my list right now. 

The stand is pretty much finished short of final sanding, stain, and poly.

The canopy isn't too far behind but it is going to require a little more intense sanding. I hate that things have stalled out on this project, but the fact of the matter is that my budget is exausted for this project and it is going to be some time before I can buy the tank, filter(s), lights, substrate, etc.


----------



## helgymatt

Did this stand ever get done?


----------



## fshfanatic

Yea, where are the pics?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

The stand and canopy aren't done yet. I fell way short on funds and couldn't buy the cool stuff such as the tank, lights, filters, substrate, etc. That and the complete lack of time to work on it lately, it has fallen off of my to do list. I hope to get working on it again within the next few months.

In reality, I don't have that much left to do on it. Just a matter of setting aside some time to actually get some work done on it.


----------



## redman88

i am going to take a wood working class out at my college and build a new stand canopy for my 29 gallon i am getting this weekend. i am also going to use the class to build a better canopy for my 10 gallon


----------



## FastTimes

nice build on the canopy and stand. i built one for my 75g, and considering i have no real woodworking skills, just basic knowledge i think i did pretty good. I've learned a few things about staining. I used oak plywood also, and pine trim. Pine does not take stain evenly like oak, even with the conditioner in my experience.


----------



## waterfaller1

What did you make for Complexity?


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

waterfaller1 said:


> What did you make for Complexity?


I didn't make anything for Complexity. I was supposed to make her an electrical power station, but I ran out of time to work on it and she wanted to get something implemented to suit her needs. I wanted to make it for her, but it wound up being a bad time for me.

I am supposed to build a stand for EyeBeatBadgers at some point too. I might just wind up selling him mine.  LOL


----------



## eyebeatbadgers

With the current state of things, my aquarium budget has run pretty dry too. Available plant funds and tank dollars all went into tuition and books for another semester of college. Unless I can pick up more work somewhere, my next project has been put on long-term hold. The place I work has really slowed down with the economic panic of late, and as a result, so has my pay.


----------



## Porkchop

I saw this and I'm wondering has anything new happened with it? I like the design and such, so I'm going to attempt to copy it for my 40g breeder. I'm looking for 75 or larger and I will want a stand just like this for mine one day too. Maybe put me on the order list for one...awesome job...


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

Porkchop said:


> I saw this and I'm wondering has anything new happened with it? I like the design and such, so I'm going to attempt to copy it for my 40g breeder. I'm looking for 75 or larger and I will want a stand just like this for mine one day too. Maybe put me on the order list for one...awesome job...


Thanks for the kind words porkchop. This project has not progressed any further at this point. I had worked on it a little bit after my last set of photos, but it wasn't enough progress to post the pictures. I am in a new job making more money, so hopefully I will be able to get back to work on it soon. The only downside to the new job is I am now working 5 days a week with a round trip commute time of 3+ hours a day. By the time the weekend rolls around, I don't feel like doing a whole lot.


----------



## waterfaller1

You always make me want to break my diet..:icon_mrgr How the heck have you been, stranger?


----------



## eyebeatbadgers

I hope to see this project back on track one of these days 

Good to see you're still around


----------



## CL

Bump? :biggrin:


----------



## lauraleellbp

Hey Biscuit, you still alive or have ur arteries done all clogged??!! :fish:


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

I'm still alive. Just busy ALL of the time! I started a new job back in May and the loads of free time I had are gone now. I work 5 days a week now as opposed to 3 days, and I spend 3-4 hours a day commuting to work. I barely have enough time to keep my 29 gallon tank running. On top of that, I am on call every fourth week.

Needless to say, this project is on hold for a while. Other projects around the house have trumped the need to keep this one going.

At some point, I will probably move closer to where I work, but you know how the housing market is right now. Not going to happen any time soon. I am hoping that my wife will start working towards a nursing degree which would help take the presure off of me a bit, but I don't expect her to have one for about 3 to 4 years.

I miss being able to work on my tank as much as I used to.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Yeah, I can hear that. Don't worry, things will get better. We'll keep reminding you, and one day you'll get back to this gorgeous project of yours...


----------



## lauraleellbp

Biscuit! I SEEE you!!! :biggrin:


----------



## lnstevens

Well almost two months now and I've been reading this thread because I'm going to borrow some of your ideas. LOL Coming back?


----------



## Hoppy

Should we start a poll on whether Biscuit should quit his job until he completes this project? (Just askin)


----------



## waterfaller1

Hi Biscuit..good to know you are still kickin. Hope things get better.:icon_cool


----------



## BiscuitSlayer

LOL... you guys are too much.  I do spend quite a bit of time these days either working or commuting to work and as a result I still haven't touched this project since my last update. I am going to start it back up again soon though. Truth be told, I did buy a 90 gallon reef ready tank. Ultimately, this will be a reef tank. I have my eye on a T5 fixture that should allow me to keep clams and SPS corals. 

I know what you are thinking... TRAITOR! Yeah, I know. I bought a 12 gallon nano cube this last spring and put a false percula clown (Nemo), royal gramma (Purple Lady), randall's gobi (FanBoy), and pistol shrimp (Chumchum) in there along with several strains of zoos, star polyups, and xenia. The end result was a little tank that my wife and I couldn't keep our eyes off of. We have gotten so much enjoyment out of it that I decided to shift gears with this project and make it a 90 gallon reef tank. I am going to have to modify the base of the stand a bit to make more room for a sump tank, and cut some holes in the upper deck to allow for overflows, but other than that it should be easily adapted to what I have decided to do with it.

When I do get back on track, I will post pictures with explanations as I still think it might be useful for people designing their own stands. After talking with my LFS, I have about $1200 left to spend with regards to equipment, live rock, sand, etc., so it isn't going to happen anytime soon. That will give me time to finish up the stand.


----------



## waterfaller1

WOOT! Welcome to the salty side!:biggrin:


----------



## Hoppy

BiscuitSlayer said:


> LOL... you guys are too much.  I do spend quite a bit of time these days either working or commuting to work and as a result I still haven't touched this project since my last update. I am going to start it back up again soon though. Truth be told, I did buy a 90 gallon reef ready tank. Ultimately, this will be a reef tank. I have my eye on a T5 fixture that should allow me to keep clams and SPS corals.
> 
> I know what you are thinking... TRAITOR! Yeah, I know. I bought a 12 gallon nano cube this last spring and put a false percula clown (Nemo), royal gramma (Purple Lady), randall's gobi (FanBoy), and pistol shrimp (Chumchum) in there along with several strains of zoos, star polyups, and xenia. The end result was a little tank that my wife and I couldn't keep our eyes off of. We have gotten so much enjoyment out of it that I decided to shift gears with this project and make it a 90 gallon reef tank. I am going to have to modify the base of the stand a bit to make more room for a sump tank, and cut some holes in the upper deck to allow for overflows, but other than that it should be easily adapted to what I have decided to do with it.
> 
> When I do get back on track, I will post pictures with explanations as I still think it might be useful for people designing their own stands. After talking with my LFS, I have about $1200 left to spend with regards to equipment, live rock, sand, etc., so it isn't going to happen anytime soon. That will give me time to finish up the stand.


Sorry, I don't speak that language.:biggrin: Habla AquaticPlantish?


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## waterfaller1

That is funny Hoppy. How come hardcore planted tank enthusiasts can't at least appreciate a nice reef tank? The fish are stunning, and so are the corals and inverts.:icon_smil


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## aereolis

because we'd like to also try it, but have a fonder side for freshwater


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## VadimShevchuk

Are you gonna go with a ATI light fixture?


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## BiscuitSlayer

I am going to go with this one in the 48" version:

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...xtures-AquaticLife-AK01191-FILTFIT56U-vi.html

The cool thing is that it only has one power cord and you can set all of the timer functions on the unit itself. Dawn/full day/dusk/moonlight are all controlled on the unit itself. My plan is to mount it as high in the canopy as possible on a sliding tray where I can pull the light out and adjust the functions without having to pull the canopy off of the tank. The controls sit on the very top of the unit.


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## Blown68

This is my 1st post and I am also looking forward to seeing the finished product. I just got done reading 2 years of posts hahha. So I see this thread has died out. No activity in a year. I want to get it flowing again! Today is the day I start to copy this design wooohoooo!
It sure would be nice to see how yours (Biscuit) turned out. The one difference that I plan on doing is painting mine a solid black. Once I finish, the pics will be posted and I hope it doesn't take me 2 years


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## BiscuitSlayer

Hi Blown68! Welcome to the Planted Tank!

I have actually not finished this build. For all intents and purposes, it is sitting around collecting dust as I don't have the funds to actually get all of the equipment once the stand/canopy is finished.

I have actually started another project that I am going to post in full when it is done. it is going a post that covers everything from start to finish in one shot. I actually just came into this thread to look something up that I did because I am going to apply it to my current project.

For what it is worth, I am going to redo the front half of the canopy because I don't like it. I am going to make it one piece rather than independent sides. I have just enough left over plywood from my current project to make it happen.


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## waterfaller1

Biscuit!! Hope you are well.:icon_cool


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## waterfaller1

Blown68 said:


> This is my 1st post


Welcome to TPT!
Your user name sounds very familiar. Used to be into reef tanks?


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## Blown68

waterfaller1 said:


> Welcome to TPT!
> Your user name sounds very familiar. Used to be into reef tanks?


 
Nope! I don't think I'll ever go salty :hihi: You may have seen this name in multiple online games. The name goes along with my old 68 camaro. I always wanted to have a blown motor but $$ seem to get in the way of that haha.


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## Blown68

BiscuitSlayer said:


> Hi Blown68! Welcome to the Planted Tank!
> 
> I have actually not finished this build. For all intents and purposes, it is sitting around collecting dust as I don't have the funds to actually get all of the equipment once the stand/canopy is finished.
> 
> I have actually started another project that I am going to post in full when it is done. it is going a post that covers everything from start to finish in one shot. I actually just came into this thread to look something up that I did because I am going to apply it to my current project.
> 
> For what it is worth, I am going to redo the front half of the canopy because I don't like it. I am going to make it one piece rather than independent sides. I have just enough left over plywood from my current project to make it happen.


 
Thanks! I was curious about that canopy too. I am not quite sure how it will look with the doors and being hinged. It sure would be cool to see it on the tank. 
I was just at my brothers lastnight and he has a 140gal. I was checking his stand out and it was all in 2x4's. I couldn't believe it but I am still going with the 2x6's  So here goes nothing, start the count down in 1 hr for project kick off wooot!


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