# DIY Plywood only aquarium stand



## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

2" for a face frame. How are you going to hide the plywood edges? You going to laminate the cabinet or stain or paint? Since it seems as though your cutting holes into a solid sheet of plywood you're going to run inset doors instead of an overlap? How did you attach the sides, bottom, back and top?


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

GraphicGr8s said:


> 2" for a face frame. How are you going to hide the plywood edges? You going to laminate the cabinet or stain or paint? Since it seems as though your cutting holes into a solid sheet of plywood you're going to run inset doors instead of an overlap? How did you attach the sides, bottom, back and top?


 
Thanks for the reply!!
Plywood edges are going to be hidden with trim. Baseboards, chair rail, etc... to trim it out. Once I have all the oak trim in place, I'll be staining it.

The doors will be made of solid oak, with solid oak rails and styles (should have elaborated that, sorry!) So they will overlap the holes I make in the stand. The bottom of the stand is glued in place, and the top of it sits on top of the sides/front/back, the weight of the tank is carried straight down into the floor.

Now for the first thing you said... "2" for a face frame" does that mean it needs to have at least 2" of material on all sides to be good and structurally sound?

Thanks!


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## cobra (Feb 4, 2005)

Have any plans drawn up that we could look at? (sketch-up, autocad)


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

I'm at work now but I have the general plans drawn up in sketch-up at home. I didn't shape the moulding cause... well I was lazy lol, but I'll take some screen shots at home and post them so you guys can see what I'm making.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

2" would be the minimum. The apron on my cabinets (library system floor to ceiling wall to wall.) is 2.75 because that's the look I was going for. 

You could have avoided the molding entirely (unless you wanted it as decoration only) by using a face frame. I wouldn't do a solid wood door. Too much movement. Rails and stiles with a plywood panel . Or rail and stile with a solid raised panel insert. The panel is fully free floating. In other words the panel gets no glue.
How are you doing the doors? Glued up oak 1x4s? (If so there are no rails and stiles. It's a solid panel)


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

GraphicGr8s said:


> 2" would be the minimum. The apron on my cabinets (library system floor to ceiling wall to wall.) is 2.75 because that's the look I was going for.
> 
> You could have avoided the molding entirely (unless you wanted it as decoration only) by using a face frame. I wouldn't do a solid wood door. Too much movement. Rails and stiles with a plywood panel . Or rail and stile with a solid raised panel insert. The panel is fully free floating. In other words the panel gets no glue.
> How are you doing the doors? Glued up oak 1x4s? (If so there are no rails and stiles. It's a solid panel)



I was planning on a raised panel door, I have the router bits for it and everything. I really like the look a lot, that's the only reason... that and this thing has to be very furniture quality... the fiance told me I could build it only if it looked like furniture, not just something to hold a fish tank. The trim work is also purely aesthetic, I like the look.

Now I'll make a new post with some screenshots of the stand drawn in sketchup. I can't change anything structurally at this point, as the stand is together.

Pics to follow.


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

LOL, if you own a router the stand is likely good to go. Can't wait to see the pics.


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

Ok here are some images from the sketchup drawing:

First pic is an exploded view, pretty self explanatory... 3/4" ply.

Second pic is the stand together without any trim on it, just to show how the joints come together.

Third pic is with the trim, to show how it hides any edges of the plywood.

For the trim, I didn't shape any of it, but it's decorative, not just flat boards.

With this design, I've tested the stand, and it's extremely strong as it is, but I just don't want to weaken it by making the holes too big in the front.

Thanks
-Scott


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

xmas_one said:


> LOL, if you own a router the stand is likely good to go. Can't wait to see the pics.


haha, well I don't personally own one, but my dad has a very nice collection of tools, router, miter saw, radial arm saw, table saw, different types of sanders, etc....


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

I'd say go ahead and get crazy with the holes as the main support comes from the ends of the tank. There is pretty much nothing going on in the middle anyways as far as support goes.


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

You know, I've always heard that the support on a standard rimmed tank is all in the corners... Does this mean you could literally take the 40b, and just hold it up by the 4 corners with no support anywhere else without breaking it? If so... then I would agree that I can just cut whatever I want from the front.

-Scott


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

scbrooks87 said:


> haha, well I don't personally own one, but my dad has a very nice collection of tools, router, miter saw, radial arm saw, table saw, different types of sanders, etc....


Your dad has the tools and he let you build a a a a plywood cube? A cube? Not a quality. please hand me down cabinet with face frames and dadoes and rabbets?

Oh the humanity of it all.


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

That's not where I'm at in finances or woodworking yet. I'm building what I can at the time being. It is oak ply, and with oak doors and oak trimwork. so once stained up, it will *appearance wise* look like a solid oak stand.

Even if I did it with all solid oak, no ply or anything, I'd trim it, but that's because I like the look, it looks too plain to me with just flat boards.

If I wanted to do everything, I'd have had to double the costs of this one just in router bits alone.

Thanks


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

scbrooks87 said:


> You know, I've always heard that the support on a standard rimmed tank is all in the corners... Does this mean you could literally take the 40b, and just hold it up by the 4 corners with no support anywhere else without breaking it? If so... then I would agree that I can just cut whatever I want from the front.
> 
> -Scott


Yeah pretty much. I wish I had a picture, but this lfs in the hood over here had their fishroom in all 60 gallon tanks four high with just a cinder block on each end between them.


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

xmas_one said:


> Yeah pretty much. I wish I had a picture, but this lfs in the hood over here had their fishroom in all 60 gallon tanks four high with just a cinder block on each end between them.


Did you just refer to long beach as... "the hood"? :icon_lol:

You gotta try coming to El Cajon some time haha.

But that's good to know then! I'm going to start cutting this weekend!


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

scbrooks87 said:


> That's not where I'm at in finances or woodworking yet. I'm building what I can at the time being. It is oak ply, and with oak doors and oak trimwork. so once stained up, it will *appearance wise* look like a solid oak stand.
> 
> Even if I did it with all solid oak, no ply or anything, I'd trim it, but that's because I like the look, it looks too plain to me with just flat boards.
> 
> ...


My whoops there. You still use plywood for the carcass. Solid wood is too unstable for a cabinet. At least the way it's milled today. You actually build it almost the same way you have. Just the face frame is solid. It hides the edges for you and the grain direction is proper. Anyway, your stand will look good from my house.3000+ miles away:icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:
BTW if your dad has the tools described you have all the tools you need. Router with a straight bit (for a flat panel with stub tenon doors) along with a cove for decoration, and a radial arm (my favorite)


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

GraphicGr8s said:


> My whoops there. You still use plywood for the carcass. Solid wood is too unstable for a cabinet. At least the way it's milled today. You actually build it almost the same way you have. Just the face frame is solid. It hides the edges for you and the grain direction is proper. Anyway, your stand will look good from my house.3000+ miles away:icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:
> BTW if your dad has the tools described you have all the tools you need. Router with a straight bit (for a flat panel with stub tenon doors) along with a cove for decoration, and a radial arm (my favorite)


 
If you have a radial arm saw, and a table saw, you can make just about anything lol. Radial arm is also my favorite as well, the only limitation is the size of the material you can cut.

-Scott


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

scbrooks87 said:


> If you have a radial arm saw, and a table saw, you can make just about anything lol. Radial arm is also my favorite as well, the only limitation is the size of the material you can cut.
> 
> -Scott


Don't care for the table saw myself. My radial arm will cut through a 4 x 4 and rip a sheet of plywood in half. Most of the time I have a 10" blade on it but I do have a 12" for it. And the woodworking show is this weekend. Soooooo what new blade or tool do I want? 

OK nothing really. I was grasping here. 

But I can't come back empty handed now could I?


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