Cabinet build for 150

[NateRen]

Here is a stand I just built out of only 3/4” birch ply. I’m not an expert engineer but I think it’s agreed these stands can hold up to about 240 gallons of weight. A pocket hole jig is handy for the screws, then you can put wood pegs in there to completely hide the screws. The main thing is glue… do not rely only on screws. The screws are basically just there to clamp the wood together while the glue dries. A glued joint is much stronger than a screwed only joint. This style of stand leaves a lot more space underneath and cleaner than a 2x4 stand… although it does take more time to build.

Omg that stand is so siiiick!!! Love the equipment controller pocket. And the sump section is so clean! How many gallon is the display tank

 

[NateRen]

I’ll add that whatever you do make all of the visible sides able to be opened for access underneath. Mine has a door in the front and the sides are held on with magnets.

That is gorgeous!

 

[Wolf8895]

That is gorgeous!

Thanks. Skinned it in cedar fence pickets. Cheapest wood I could find. If you look close you can see how warped they were.

 

[NateRen]

Thanks. Skinned it in cedar fence pickets. Cheapest wood I could find. If you look close you can see how warped they were.

I’m sure that can be dressed down the road

 

[n2585722]

Here is the canopy and stand that I built. The tank is an old 42 gallon OceanicI originally got in the early 80's. I learned a lot building it. I also designed it to hold a small amount of water in the bottom of the stand. There is a leak detector there that will shutoff all pumps but the in tank flow pumps. This is a recent photo. It has been up and running for about 8 years now. I have a build thread on here that you can goto by clicking my build thread contributor banner in one of my post. It is also designed to divert any small leaks back into the stand to the area that holds water. I also have ventilation built into both the stand and canopy. I have a 110 gallon tank that I hope to eventually build a stand for also. I plan on using some of the same things I did on this one. First I have to build some kitchen cabinets for my wife. The stand actually sits on the concrete slab and the carpet just goes under the edge of the tank. The carpet was old and was done with carpet squares. I was planning on eventually replacing the carpet squares, but have not fot around to it yet.

 

[Jinho]

Here is a stand I just built out of only 3/4” birch ply. I’m not an expert engineer but I think it’s agreed these stands can hold up to about 240 gallons of weight. A pocket hole jig is handy for the screws, then you can put wood pegs in there to completely hide the screws. The main thing is glue… do not rely only on screws. The screws are basically just there to clamp the wood together while the glue dries. A glued joint is much stronger than a screwed only joint. This style of stand leaves a lot more space underneath and cleaner than a 2x4 stand… although it does take more time to build.

Really nice build! Totally agree on not relying on just screws(whenever I make some sort of cabinets for my shed I'm always going glue+screws, especially if it's for heavy equipment or my hunting/shooting stuff I get from nearby gun store).

Hot dam, that's a really nice build!
Totally agree on not relying on just screws(whenever I make some sort of cabinets for my shed I'm always going glue+screws, especially if it's for heavy equipment). Did you waterproof your birch ply additionally or just went with whatever it had from the store?

 

[Salt Creep]

Hot dam, that's a really nice build!
Totally agree on not relying on just screws(whenever I make some sort of cabinets for my shed I'm always going glue+screws, especially if it's for heavy equipment). Did you waterproof your birch ply additionally or just went with whatever it had from the store?

Thank you! I painted the whole stand first with the white which is a water resistant semi gloss primer. Then painted the black over it everywhere except the sump are so I could more easily see in there and it reflects the refugium light. There is no need to water proof it in my opinion. This is basically just a cabinet that will get the occasional water splash instead of outdoor furniture that I would probably use sande instead of birch and an exterior paint/primer.

 

[Salt Creep]

Omg that stand is so siiiick!!! Love the equipment controller pocket. And the sump section is so clean! How many gallon is the display tank

Thank you! That’s what’s great about making your own stand customization. I made a false wall for the controllers that is held on by four 70 lb magnets. Strong enough to hold the equipment up but not so strong I can easily pull it away if I need to. There is about 4” between the back of where the controllers are mounted and the back of the tank where I mounted the power supplies. Can’t see that mess from the front or back. A favorite part of mine… I hate cords. The display is a 75 gallon and a 20 long sump.

 

[NateRen]

Thank you! That’s what’s great about making your own stand customization. I made a false wall for the controllers that is held on by four 70 lb magnets. Strong enough to hold the equipment up but not so strong I can easily pull it away if I need to. There is about 4” between the back of where the controllers are mounted and the back of the tank where I mounted the power supplies. Can’t see that mess from the front or back. A favorite part of mine… I hate cords. The display is a 75 gallon and a 20 long sump.

Incredible! Great idea using the magnets on the false wall. Noted

 

[NateRen]

Here is the canopy and stand that I built. The tank is an old 42 gallon OceanicI originally got in the early 80's. I learned a lot building it. I also designed it to hold a small amount of water in the bottom of the stand. There is a leak detector there that will shutoff all pumps but the in tank flow pumps. This is a recent photo. It has been up and running for about 8 years now. I have a build thread on here that you can goto by clicking my build thread contributor banner in one of my post. It is also designed to divert any small leaks back into the stand to the area that holds water. I also have ventilation built into both the stand and canopy. I have a 110 gallon tank that I hope to eventually build a stand for also. I plan on using some of the same things I did on this one. First I have to build some kitchen cabinets for my wife. The stand actually sits on the concrete slab and the carpet just goes under the edge of the tank. The carpet was old and was done with carpet squares. I was planning on eventually replacing the carpet squares, but have not fot around to it yet.

Wow you built that?! It’s flawless! I’m amazed how it came out. Making a stand that shape must have been challenging esp with matching canopy. The ventilation and leak detection system is genius. Just by looking at it you would never guess how innovative it is.

 

[n2585722]

Wow you built that?! It’s flawless! I’m amazed how it came out. Making a stand that shape must have been challenging esp with matching canopy. The ventilation and leak detection system is genius. Just by looking at it you would never guess how innovative it is.

It helps to have a router table and a table saw when doing these things. Once you set them up to do a cut you do all the cuts like that you will need. That way they all match. The actual stand is inside the side panels That screw to the corners of the stand. The canopy is similar but the frame for it is not as thick since it is not needed. Here are some photos of the inner frame of the stand. It is the actual load bearing part of the stand. There are lots of photos of the build in my build thread. I started this in 2008 but it took several years to finish. Work and heat kept getting in the way. The garage where the saws are in not heated or cooled. Most of the time it is too hot to be working out there. The area painted black is for mounting the modules of the controller. I did change controllers after about 6 years and it was a pain figuring out how to get the new one to fit. This build was very limited for space. I think on the 110 I will make sure there is a way to remove the mounting board so it can be redone if I decide to change the controllers later on.

 

[NateRen]

It helps to have a router table and a table saw when doing these things. Once you set them up to do a cut you do all the cuts like that you will need. That way they all match. The actual stand is inside the side panels That screw to the corners of the stand. The canopy is similar but the frame for it is not as thick since it is not needed. Here are some photos of the inner frame of the stand. It is the actual load bearing part of the stand. There are lots of photos of the build in my build thread. I started this in 2008 but it took several years to finish. Work and heat kept getting in the way. The garage where the saws are in not heated or cooled. Most of the time it is too hot to be working out there. The area painted black is for mounting the modules of the controller. I did change controllers after about 6 years and it was a pain figuring out how to get the new one to fit. This build was very limited for space. I think on the 110 I will make sure there is a way to remove the mounting board so it can be redone if I decide to change the controllers later on.

Absolutely incredible! Thanks for sharing