Leon71 Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Boom, you seem to know your stuff when it comes to strength of the wood. I work for a drafting company and deal with Engineers and structural steel. It is amazing at how much load something will take before it fails. If it was possible, my stand would probably hold up my truck. The trick is knowing how forces pass through materials and different configurations. If you look at almost every microwave stand, tv stand, or wall unit, the back is always covered by a sheet of hardboard. This takes the wiggle out and keeps everything square. Then the cheap particle board is always vertical. And the compression resistance of that material is incredible. But, bend it on its side and it breaks very easily. I hope this helps. Don't let it discourage you. Cover all the bases, and be safe. I've considered doing it in the past and just didn't have the time. As far as the Red Empress, I have a few. And a lot of other wonderful fish from various people on here. What a great place and a great bunch of enthiusiasts. Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boom Posted May 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Well your tank sure looks nice Leon. I don't have the formal training in engineering that some people would be concerned about. But I do have a VERY solid understanding of what makes wood strong. And argueably more importantly, wood joints. It's kinda like building a bridge, you can use the strongest steel in the world, but if it's not put together properly, it won't hold the weight. Aligning the wood and using strong joints is the real key. Vertical compression strength of wood can be very strong, but only on the vertical axis. If your vertical supports are not perfectly square to the base and top, say out by even a degree or too, you are now adding diagonal pressure on that wood, not as strong. The joints are just as important. Strong construction depends on knowing when to use pocket hole joints, mortise and tennons, tongue and groove, rabbet and dado's, biscuit joints, doweling, etc etc.... Anyway, I'll take some pics of the stand I'll be building for my buddy, and if anyone wants to use my services. I'll be here. I will charge a fair price for good quality work. I do wood working for fun. I make plenty of money at my real job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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