My 'rock' Stand

[Tanker]

For my next trick I will attempt to pull a lobster out of my nose...

Or how about I just walk you through the easiest, sturdiest, and almost the cheapest stand you'll ever hear of?

For this project you'll need a couple of things. The first and most important is a goal of what you want the stand to do... if it is just to hold a tank on top and not much else, and be cheap so the Other Half doesn't try to *insert your favorite reference to the bad things spouses can do to us here* then this is the thread for you. If you also want that stand to look okay but not amazing, then stick around. If you want that stand to look like it should be in the Smithsonian... wrong thread, Bucko.

The next thing you'll need is some tools to do the job with. For the basic stand you'll need a saw, preferably an electric miter saw. You'll also come to appreciate a drill with a proper bit for the screws you'll use (most likely a #2 Robertson for the #8 or #10 screws you'll buy). You'll also want a proper sized drill bit for predrilling some of the holes... I suggest a 3/32" bit for #8 screws. A tape measure (and not the paper ribbon one from Ikea, or your "Mom's Good Sewing Tape", either). Get a good tape measure and know how to read it... the little lines are important, too. A pencil/marker to mark your wood *insert the first of MANY 'wood' jokes to come...* will be handy *and stick in an obligatory 'handy wood' joke for good measure*.

First thing I did was design the stand... I wanted it to be rock solid and bullet proof as the cat (damn cat) really loved jumping up against the side of the 20 gallon and scaring the living hell out of anything that may have been moving in there. She would also cause us to flinch every time because the tank was on an iron stand that is a fine stand (and you'll find it for sale in the Buy and Sell!) but not ideal for cats to jump against (darnedest thing...).

I wanted the stand to be wider than the tank, ideally so I can add another stand next to it someday and bingo... bigger tank goes on TOP! My sense of proportion demanded that if it was wider, so it will be deeper, as well... and I decided on a 1.5" edge would suffice my aesthetic demands. The next step was to measure the tank, and add on the allowances for the edge. This gave me my dimensions for length and depth, and the height of the couch the tank sits next to gave me my height. Easy.

The design is simple. There are three 'parts' to it: Front; back; everything in between. the front and the back provide all the strength in the design, whereas everything else ties it together so strongly, it's never going anywhere.

The pictures are a little different than I will describe, due to illustrative limitations.

I started out with five boards, all of them hand picked 8 foot 2x4 that cost me under $10. I had them cut in half as my trunk doesn't fit an 8' board and I was too lazy to fold the seat down. Since I already knew my cut plans, I knew I was 'safe' cutting the boards at this mark.

First off, I cut the four 27.5" pieces for the front and backs, top and bottom.

Second, I cut the six 24" pieces for the legs.

Third I cut the four 9" pieces for the side of the top and bottom.

Fourth I cut the five 15" braces.

No more cutting.

Now, screw it all together.

Ok.... I'll be a little more detailed...

NOTE::: USE ONE SCREW IN EACH CONNECTION UNTIL THE ENTIRE UNIT IS ASSEMBLED.

I started with 2x27.5, 2x24" and made a box... pre-drilling the holes in the ends of the 27.5 not only stopped the wood from splitting but gave the drill a much easier time burying the screw heads (and you'll want to make sure EVERYTHING is countersunk, here). Use 2.25 - 2.5" screws for everything, you'll always be going through a 1.5" thick piece of lumber before hitting the second one, so plan accordingly.

After completing the front and back 'boxes' it's time to tie them together. Start with the back box and screw in the first brace flush to the rear of the stand. Repeat for the rest of the corner braces. You should now have four braces attached to the rear frame, and nothing to the front.

Next step is to put the 'sides' on. Attach the sides to the braces flushing them back against the rear frame.

The next step in the stand is to place the front frame onto the completed rear and side assembly and screw it on, still only using ONE screw per connection.

Once the front is secured to the assembly, add in the center legs of desired, and braces if desired.

NOW, and only now, can you go around the entire assembly and add in a second or third screw as you see fit. Make sure ALL screws are countersunk and tight.

To finish the stand, either stain for the rustic look, sheet in your favorite plywood, or feel free to do my $4 solution. Buy 2 meters of black linen from WalMart for $1.97 a meter, and use a staple gun to secure it to the stand, carefully tucking the corners in a 'just right' kind of way... now I have a simple, plain black stand that nicely matches my other stand in the room 9a factory Hagen in matte black), is COMPLETELY cat pounce proof, and will outlast anything else in this apartment, including me.

Pictures below for some pathetic illustration... I'll be building a matching stand this weekend and will get video and better pictures of the whole darn thing.

[Tanker]

Don't got one? GO GET ONE!

The stand that was replaced:

The top, looking down

The stand and how it fits together, part two

The stand and how it fits together, part three

[Tanker]

It all started with an idea...

Maybe not a very clear idea...

My 'Supervisor' for the day

Out of all the wood I bought, this was all that went to waste.

Here is most of it, cut and ready to go. All that is missing from this pile is 3 of the 27 1/2" pieces that should be on the bottom, but were already back in the trunk ready to go home.

[Tanker]

Pictures of the finished stand will go here... once it's daylight.

Note: all the above pictures (except the really badly drawn ones) were actually taken with a cell phone... ya... my phone takes better pictures than my bloody 5 megapixel camera... sick, hey?

[Vapor]

:bow: :thumbs: :bow: :thumbs:

[Mighty Prawn]

Sounds cool man, very detailed, can't wait to see the finished product.

-Hideo

[thefishdude]

Is it finished?.....

[Tanker]

The first stand is... and is so solid (and weighed down with a tank on it) that it is immovable so I cannot actually get any pictures of it. It is skirted in black linen so it looks like a matte black box holding up a fish tank.

It was SO easy to assemble and finish that I... did. Oops.

I was going to make a second one to match it (and fully photograph the missing steps), but have as of yet been unable due to time and space constraints. Now that the snow is leaving us... 'space' may again become more available...