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Paul Baldassano

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Terence Zahner

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KathyC

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Russell Leiner

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Jason Edward

Member of the Month
LeslieS

A Simple Stand
Jonathan Hale

Building a Simple Aquarium Stand

By Jonathan Hale

When planning a new aquarium along with the aquascaping one other important idea to consider is what the outside of the tank will look like. Building your own aquarium stand is one of the most popular DIY projects reef hobbyists often tackle. Most often the project involves using dimensional lumber such as 2x4’s and 4x4’s, this will surely get the job done, but it makes the stand heavier than needed and you lose quite a bit of interior space. I prefer to use plywood, which is strong enough, and will give a much roomier stand interior. I feel comfortable using plywood for tanks up the 300-gallon range, and I will often laminate two sheets together to give added support.

The plans for the stand I made in this article would be suitable for tanks up to 120 gallons.
Instead of a bulky frame of 2x4’s we will be constructing a sleek looking box out of furniture grade birch plywood. It can be left plain for a contemporary design, or decorated with molding to your personal preference. By using high quality plywood you also have the choice of staining or painting the finished piece. The tool list to make the stand is not too complicated. When possible I have used tools in my shop that most handy people already own. The one exception is the spray finishing system I used, you can get good results with a brush, but a spray system saves time, and gives a professional finish.

The first step is to measure the tank and come up with your plans and cut sheet. I suggest making the stand 1/4” larger than the tank base itself, 3/4” if you will want to wrap wood around the bottom of the tank. The stand I’m making in these photos is for a 40-gallon breeder. The dimensions were 18 1/4" wide x 36 3/16" long x 32" high.
When making a case I start by measuring for the top and bottom. I then measure the sides, and remember to deduct for the thickness of the top and bottom from the overall height of the stand. Since I wanted the case to be 32”, deduct the 1.5” the thickness of two 3/4" plywood sheeets. Thus the sides end up being 30.5” tall. To give the case added strength I use 3/4" ply for the back, which gets inset. For the back piece remember to deduct the 1.5” from both sides.

Once you have the pieces planned out its time to cut the plywood. I use a circular saw made by Festool, it runs along a guide rail and makes slicing up plywood a quick job. The hardest part is getting the 4x8 sheet onto the worktable. Without a work table a good option is to place the plywood on the ground with a sheet of building grade ply underneath. Set the blade on the circular saw to cut just a 1/8” through the 3/4” plywood. The sacrificial sheet of wood will prevent the plywood from tearing out, and you will not have to worry about the wood falling off a table as you cut it. There are many metal guide rails you can buy. The trick to using them is to figure out the offset needed to cut the line where you want it. I like the Festool system because the saw sits on the rail and where you put the rail is where the line is cut. It makes it easy to be precise.

To make the cuts measure from the edge of the plywood sheet and make a mark at two spots on the wood. Line up the guide and when cutting let the saw do the work. Make sure to take into account the cord as you move along the wood. It’s a pain to have to stop to readjust the power cord if it happens to get caught on something midway through the cut. Also do not forget to wear a dust mask, and eye protetion, circular saws send out a large amount of dust that you don't want to breathe it in (another point for the festool which hooks to a vacuum and eliminates the dust!).

Once all the pieces of plywood are cut there is one important step to complete before we assemble the case. That is edge banding. Adding edging to the side of the plywood will give the stand a proper finished look. There are two kinds of edge banding, pressure sensitive which you peel and stick on, and heat applied, which has a thin layer of glue that melts once a hot iron is applied to it. Between the two I will always go with the pressure sensitive. It goes on fast and the glue is just as strong as the heat applied version. Once the edge is covered with the banding you have to trim the sides off, there’s a neat little tool that allows you to trim both sides at the same time. After the sides are trimmed cut the ends off using a utility knife. You can lightly score the back of the banding and snap it off at the corner.

At this point all the panels are ready for sanding, it’s easy to sand them before they get assembled so do it now. Use 220-grit paper if you will be staining the wood or 180
grit if you are painting.

Once all the parts are sanded now we can go on to assembling the case. I like to attach the sides to the bottom of the case first. You can drill from the bottom and not worry about hiding the screws. (If using pocket screws pre-drill the top holes before you assemble the case) This allows you to use a couple more screws to give a nice strong joint. Place the bottom and one side together and get ready to clamp them using a right angle guide.

At this point you will be gluing the two pieces together. You have to use enough glue to cover the joint completely without making a mess of glue squeezing out both sides. I will start by running a line of glue down the center of the board, and then use my finger to spread the glue out. If the glue is already running over the sides you have way too much on. Use a paper towel to wipe a bit off. At this point I should mention how important it is to not get glue on the wood you will be staining. The glue can prevent the stain from penetrating the wood and you will end up with a blotchy finish. Keep a container of warm water next to you as you glue up the case. As you see drips start forming use a damp, not soaking wet, piece of paper towel to remove the glue. If any drips form after you walk away from the piece it’s best to let the glue dry slightly then scrape it off before it has a chance to harden. Some light sanding should get the residue off enough to be able to stain without a problem.

With the pieces clamped together your ready to drill the screw pilot holes. I like using a drill bit with a counter sink attached to it.

This gives the screw a recess to sink into and makes for a stronger joint.

On the bottom I use four screws on each side for holding power

note this is not the place to use drywall screws, get wood screws

At this stage only screw in the top and bottom screws and do not tighten them all the way. You want to leave some wiggle room to square the top and bottom of the case, it won't happen If the screws are too tight.

I do not like to see any signs of screws on the outside, so I use a pocket hole jig. This gives you an angled hole in the inside of the case that the screws drill in from. You can fill the holes with special wood plugs that sand down to hide the screws. For my case I pre-drilled the tops of the sides with three pocket holes each.

When using pocket hole screws you need to clamp the parts together well. As the screws pull the pieces of wood together they have a tendency to shift the pieces a tiny bit. This makes for uneven and sloppy joints, and is hard to correct without drilling new holes to use.

When clamped the wood does not move and you end up with a perfect, seamless,and strong joint.

Now that the top and bottom are on it’s time to square up the case. This means the inside corners must have matching distances. Just because the sides and bottoms were put together with right angles does not mean they are all even. Trust me I learned this lesson the hard way. Having to knock apart a case after it’s been glued up is not fun. To measure the inside corners you can take two sticks that have 45 degree cuts at the ends.

Place them together from one diagonal corner to another and separate them till the ends hit the corners. While holding the sticks in this position mark the middle with a pencil. Hold the sticks in the same position and transfer them to the other corners. If the distance matches you have a square case. If they are off you will have to adjust the case till they match. Use a rubber mallet and tap one corner the appropriate way to get the same distance. Once they are the same tighten the screws and let the case dry. In a few hours you can put in the other screws and then the back of the case.

To set the back in I drill pocket holes around the perimeter on the outside of the back. With the case on it’s back I lay the back inside it then flip it up on its side. I like having the back fit just tight enough so it holds it’s position when turned over. You then merely drive in the pocket scews and you have the case complete. You can now work on the feet of the case and get the doors ready to be drilled and fitted.

I make case feet out of solid wood in two pieces with 45-degree angle joints so no seams show. I start with matching squares and using the table saw I cut them on one side at a 45-degree angle.

Then on the chop saw I cut one corner off at maybe a 30-degree angle. Once all the pieces are cut I glue and assemble them on wax paper. The wax paper prevents the wood from gluing to whatever surface you are preparing them on. They don’t need to be clamped just use enough glue and hold them together for a long enough time so they stick.

I let them dry a full day, or overnight before touching them. Once they are dry I use the sander to round over the edges and clean up the sides and corners. Then I place them in the pocket hole jog and make two holes in each top side of the leg. The two screws and a generous amount of glue will ensure the legs will never move.

While the legs are drying you can drill the doors for the European hinges. I love these hinges, you don’t see them and the good ones can be adjusted three ways for a perfect door fit. The jig for drilling the hinge can be bought for less than $100 and is well worth it if you’re going to be making furniture.

I like to off set the hinges about 3” from the top and bottom of the door. Before you drill any holes fit the doors to make sure they are sized right. Place the case on it’s back facing up and lay the doors over the front. The doors should not overlap the edges and there should be at least a 1/16’ gap between the two doors where they meet. If they need to be adjusted it’s much easier to do so now than when they have been drilled for the hardware. The worst case scenario is you will have to trim them down and reapply the edge banding. Sometimes I’ll wait to edge band the doors till this time. Probably a good idea if this is one of your first projects.

Once the doors both fit you may then clamp the jig on and drill the hinge cup holes.
I suggest practicing on some scrap wood to get the feel for it, and also to fine tune the right depth for the hinges. Once you get the hang of it you’ll want to use the hinges on everything you make.

After the feet have sit past the 24 hour mark they are ready to be screwed to the case bottom.
It’s a personal preference where to place them. I like them even with the edge, you may like them recessed a little bit. I use more glue than necessary and clean up the excess right away. I’d rather have a foot that holds, than a perfect stain job on the bottom of a case that no one will ever see.

Finishing. It’sbeyond the scope of this article to tackle all the finishing techniques and problems. I’ll go over the basics for a clean finish.

First make sure the entire piece is dusted clean. If painting it’s important to use a primer to cover bare wood. Once the primer is dry apply at least two coats of paint. Oil deck paint is probably best for an aquarium stand. It will smell and take forever to dry, but it will give a long lasting finish. If you want to go all out with the paint get some marine grade boat paint. It’s not inexpensive but it will last forever if treated well.

For staining there are a few more steps to follow. First make sure you prepare a sample board using a scrap of wood from the project. Once stain goes on it’s not coming off without a fight, so make sure it’s the color you want before committing it to your piece of furniture. I now use water borne stain exclusively. It goes on with a rag or brush, and then the excess gets quickly wiped off. Once stained the pieces get a coat ofsanding sealer. This is a clear coat that seals the stain and gives the final finish a nice smooth surface to apply to. After the sanding sealer is dry you sand it lightly with a 400-600 grit sanding paper made for buffing out a cars finish. After sanding dust the piece off again to prepare for the finish coats. I use a latex lacquer with a special catalyst that makes the finish extremely durable. I spray it on in about 6 light coats. The gloss of the finish is another personal preference, I usually go with a semi-gloss to allow the wood grain to show though the best.

The final step is attaching the hardware. The hinges all come with easy to follow instructions, which I never read. The important thing is to make sure you have the cups orientated the correct way. You want the bottom part where the screws go to be facing away from the edge, not close to it. Once I get both hinges on the door I simply hold it up against the side of the cabinet and screw the top hinge in place, then the bottom. Repeat for the other side and make the necessary adjustments so the doors close properly. The hinges are self-closing, but you might want to get some latches that lock to keep little hands or furry paws out of the sump area.

That’s the whole process. Now you have a beautiful strong stand that looks great both inside and out.

all photos in this article are copyright 2007 and property of Jonathan Hale

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