75 gallon stand build

[markkazdad]

Subscribed. I don't consider myself very handy, but I am a visual learner, so think I can use this step-by-step guide.

For completeness, if you can edit your first post, you may want to add the level to the tools and the shims to the materials.

Did you predrill the holes for the screws?

That stand looks huge in front of the motorcycle, and don't consider the 5" and 2" pieces waste -- they're material for your picoreef stand.

 

[shovelrider]

Unfortunately, it appears that I can't edit the first post anymore. Wish I could add the level and shims!
Yes, I did predrill the holes. I think that is an important step so the wood does not split.
I agree with you about the wood waste... Should have called them left-overs because they do not go in the trash.

Also as a side note, I did not use glue on my stand because I wanted to be able to replace wood easily, if necessary.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

Do you have a link for the stand calculator?


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[shovelrider]

google DIY stand calculator by RocketEngineer. It is located in another forums DIY section.

 

[shovelrider]

A little further update...

I have cut the skin and started to test the fit. It looks good so far, nothing a little wood filler cant fix. I got doors from the Habitat Reuse Store for $6, so I don't have to build them.
The doors came with hidden hinges pre-installed too! I have some adjustments to make and then will glue and screw everything down.

This is the door I went with.

Everything will get a coat of grey Zinsser primer and then painted black.

 

[raven67]

Awesome build! I just did a similar stand for my 40g and you're is looking WAY nicer.

 

[shovelrider]

Skin is attached!
I screwed the corners on the sides because they bowed a little and used finishing nails everywhere else. I counter sunk the screws and used a punch to set the 16g nails. I filled the holes with black wood filler and used wood glue in the seams on the front panels. Currently I am sanding the wood filler and glue, trying to make the front completely seamless.

I will be looking for trim once the sanding is complete on the skin.

 

[shovelrider]

A little more progress...

Top seams filled and sanded flush.

Bottom seams filled and sanded flush.

The bottom trim is cut and I will be attaching it soon. I need to pre-drill the holes in the trim, then I can glue and nail them in place. I used casing for the bottom trim.

I forgot to add this one earlier of the cut-out measurements for the base of the stand. I used a jigsaw and sanded the edges for a tight fit.

 

[cadugauch]

congrats it looks amazing

 

[Keepnitreel]

I usually put the whole sheet of skin on the front and trace out the hole from the back then plunge cut the piece out, leaving no seams to fill.


Nice job on the the stand, its looking really good

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[NaClWater72756]

Following along as I'm soon setting up my 75 and agree... why are stands so short!?!? I am 5'9". Pre-fab stands are too short for good maintenance and esthetics.
Love the attention to detail!

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[shovelrider]

Attached the base trim. I used the same casing that my house has around the doors.

I pre-drilled the holes in the trim with a small drill bit(1/16 I think) and used 16g finish nails and glue to attach to the stand. The 16g nails fit very snugly in the pilot holes and the stand did not get pre-drilled, just the trim. Glue in each corner and around the trims edges.
I measured wrong on the first trim piece I bought so I had to get another one to finish the job. When test fitting the pieces I had a gap in the corners that I was not happy with. I think it would be hard to fill and sand the corners and it would still show the patch job when done. So I just re-cut the pieces. The casing I used was only about $4.50 for 8ft so no big deal. I am glad I learned this lesson with the cheap trim and not the crown moulding.

Note: When measuring lengths to cut trim remember to include the width of the saw blade or the 45's will not touch snugly. My second attempt ended with much better results when I cut the trim piece long and carefully trimmed off material testing the fit each time until I was satisfied. Doing it this way no measuring is needed, just place the trim up to the stand and mark where the inner 45 edge is and cut the piece a little long to allow room for trimming.

 

[mgdmirage]

Nice work so far it looks great

 

[shovelrider]

Made some more progress this weekend! I added some trim up top and along the front edges to cover the end grain.

I was originally going to use crown moulding up top but decided against it after mocking up the pieces. I like the slimmer look the casing trim provides. I returned the crown moulding and ended up using 3 types of casing for the trim on this stand.

I still need to attach a 1x3 to the top of the stand to finish it up and hide the rim of the tank. I will probably do this after the doors are attached.

I have also filled all the finish nail holes with wood filler and have sanded down smooth.

I also routed the doors so the hidden hinges sit flush to the doors. The hinge channels were not deep enough so I decided to fix them while it was easy to do.
The doors have also been sanded with 150 and then 220 to remove all the runs from a previous bad paint job. With all the work I have to put into the doors, I figure I still saved a lot of time and money going with these doors from the reuse store and recommend going this route to anyone with limited time, tools , or cash.

This week I will try to get the prime coats down and then the finish coat maybe this weekend.

 

[shovelrider]

Coat of primer is down! I went with Zinsser, it is latex. I will also use latex for the finish coat. I am not sure if latex will give me the best finish with a brush and roller. We shall see!

 

[revhtree]

Looks great! Nice job so far.

 

[shovelrider]

Sealed the inner seams with silicon...

I only took the silicon up about 5'' or so... no need to do the whole thing since the water would overflow the back side and doors before getting that high.
I already put a couple coats of black on the outside, sanding in between. I havn't decided what color the inside will be yet. Maybe a light blue or light green that almost is indistinguishable from white.

 

[shovelrider]

2 coats of black on the outside, sanding between each coat. I was carefull to run my brush in the direction of the grain so the finished product will have a wood grain look.
It is almost impossible to get a smooth coat with laytex and a brush, the next stand I build will be sprayed or stained for sure. This is alot of work!

I have been using 150 grit and up to 220 grit before each coat.

All sanding is done by hand to avoid swirl marks and deep scratches.

Hopefully the next coat of black will be my final black coat.
Then I can place the tank on the stand and fit the top trim to the stand to hide the tanks plastic rim.

 

[shovelrider]

Added the top trim last night.
Will put another coat of black tonight hopefully.

This is to cover the transition between the moulding and end grain of the plywood facing and to conceal the tank trim.
I set it back a little from the edge for looks and to get it closer to the tanks trim.

 

[shovelrider]

A little further along...

Top trim painted finally...

Interior color selected(kind of like a very light mint, almost white) and painted 2 coats.

Doors will get installed sometime this week. I have to customize the hinges to fit 1/2'' ply instead of the standard 3/4'' the hinges are made for.