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Geek Culture / My other aquarium stand

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Phaelax
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Location: Metropia
Posted: 25th Feb 2014 23:19
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Pick up a 75gal on craigslist, started building a stand for it this weekend.

Pics here

I used a pile of 4x4s already laying around, these should be plenty strong enough to support the half ton of weight! They had a fair bit of twist in them, which we tried to compensate for by choosing our cuts carefully. In the end, the top is fairly level (after a bit of planing). Though the sides aren't perfectly square, they're close enough. And I've built a dvd rack for the bi-folding door.

Only two things left to figure out; how to finish the exterior and how to cover the gaps left on the sides of the dvd rack. Why are their gaps? The door is 6" deep, the posts are 3.5". I had to leave a 2" gap on the right so the door had room to swing open. The gap on the left is merely to keep the appearance symmetrical. So I need some way of covering the gap, but keep it flexible so the door can swing.

http://zimnox.com
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zeroSlave
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Location: Springfield
Posted: 26th Feb 2014 04:24 Edited at: 26th Feb 2014 04:26
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Quite the carpenter! I'd be terrified to put a 1/2 ton of anything on something I built. Especially something glass filled with water and fish.

You could use wedges on either side. As long as the tips touching the frame on either side are on the same X axis of the main door pivot, the door will open fine. Or, the wedge on the left slightly behind the axis, and the wedge on the right slightly in front. But if they are exact, the door will open fine.

You can also put spacers on the tops and bottoms of each door to fill in all the gaps and make the whole shelf have an inset border.



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Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

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Phaelax
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Posted: 26th Feb 2014 06:05
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Quote: "I'd be terrified to put a 1/2 ton of anything on something I built."


With some rough calculations, the weight spread across the four vertical 4x4s should theoretically support up to 100,000 lbs. I say rough because quality of wood can change this, and plus I have no idea how to calculate the fact that there are bolts driven into the wood. Either way, I think I'll be ok Now, the floor in my house on the other hand..... That's a lot of weight in one small area.

Your method is one possible idea, but it doesn't really fill the gap so much as recess it. Maybe if a put a piece of trim over the gap, but keep it on some kind of spring-loaded hinge.

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bitJericho
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Posted: 27th Feb 2014 18:29
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You could reinforce the basement with a couple metal jacks.

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Green Gandalf
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Playing: Malevolence:Sword of Ahkranox, Skyrim, Civ6.
Posted: 6th Mar 2014 13:53 Edited at: 6th Mar 2014 13:55
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As long as your apartment isn't built over a sinkhole.

Seriously though, that looks well-constructed to me. Just don't play baseball with your Wii in the same room.



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Phaelax
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Posted: 12th Mar 2014 20:05
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Well, it's finished. (except for the inside part I forgot to paint) My craiglist tank is filled with water and holding. Took about 3-3.5 cans of spray paint. I used a type intended for appliances (metal, plastic, but not wood). I should have used a primer on the wood for a smoother finish, but it looks alright. This paint lets water bead right off.

I took the top framing off the tank and painted it as well to hide the old fashion dark walnut color.



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MrValentine
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Posted: 12th Mar 2014 21:03
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 13th Mar 2014 01:25
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Looks awesome! All it takes is one rebellious fish with a saw...

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bitJericho
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Posted: 13th Mar 2014 02:36
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Old fashioned? Haha I prefer the wood look But I might be old fashioned. You may want to reconsider where you place your powerstrips/outlets and/or replace the outlet with a GFCI outlet.

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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 13th Mar 2014 19:32
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Looks good - except I think it was made in Pisa.



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Phaelax
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Posted: 13th Mar 2014 21:29
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The powerstrip will be placed a bit more securely, but I don't think I can install a GFCI without running new wires. It's an old house and none of my outlets even have a ground wire in the wall.

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