Scottb Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) OK I thought I would chime in with some info. I hope that no one takes offense, and I hope that several find this info useful. As some of you may know I do finish work and cabinets for a living. I wanted to talk about the materials that we should and probably shouldn't use to build stands and hoods, and how they should be constructed. Most of what I see for wood stands is 2x4 and plywood. Though I DO NOT recommend it I also see quite a few on here made from strand board and particle board. 2x4's are more than strong enough to support the largest tank on this site if used properly. On end one 2x can support close to 1 thousand pounds and when you add several the capable load per stud increases dramatically. Where I see failure is long spans of horizontal 2x4. I personally would have a maximum span of 24" between my studs and 16" centers would be preferable. As for your sheet goods, USE PLYWOOD! if you try to save money here you will regret it later. Particle and strand board will turn into dust if they get wet. When I say wet I mean just the humidity around the tank is enough to compromise them over time. Many of you have thousands or more invested in you tanks why would you ask for failure to save $50 on the build. When you lay out your plywood it is important to know how many ply the sheet is and what direction the grain is going. Like dimensional lumber sheet goods have strong sides and weaker sides. When plywood is made thin sheets of wood are glued together with the grain opposing each other. If the sheet you are using is 5 ply, 3 of the veneer sheets are going one direction and 2 the other. The edge that has the end cut of the three sheets will be your structural edge. I explain this because allot of the time bargain building material stores have 1/2 price plywood but if you look closely the sheets are stacked incorrectly, and you will end up with a stand that if built properly will have a horizontal grain instead of a vertical grain. If that doesn't bother you... buy it and save the money! And don't waste your money on marine grade plywood. The only difference between marine grade and exterior ply is that all of those football shaped voids have been filled on marine grade, the glue is the same. This makes the sheet have equal strength among the face of the sheet for pressure. If you don't have the equipment to fasten your furniture like a cabinet shop does use screws! The weight of your tank, rock, and water is tremendous. That kind of force will try to push the stand down, when it is against the floor it cant so it will start putting outward pressure on all of you joints. A nail has a smooth shank and screws don't. This is the same principal as tread on your tires vs. being smooth. I hope this was helpful, if you need any advice please feel free to contact me! SB Edited December 3, 2015 by Scottb 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectra Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Good post Scott! For me it is a metal frame and a wood skin I have built a few stands over the years and as for plywood I try to only use Maple or Oak ply. It does cost more but if you want a good looking stand well......My new one is 3/4 Maple ply for a skin over a metal frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT_York Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Good comments, I always use a 2x8 for the main opening header board it will support a hole large enough to fit a 75G sump, 2x6 for a 40G breeder header. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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