Labradorite Stand Build

Jeff Patzewitsch

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Long time reader, first time poster. Thought after all the good advice I read here, I'd sign up and show y'all what I've been up to.

So, here was the "stand" I've been using for the last six years. It's not an aquarium stand, just a console table. The fact that it never collapsed under the weight of my 37-gallon tank is nothing short of a miracle. Just walking past it would make waves, and god forbid if you bumped into it.
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So, with our first child on the way, my wife told me it was finally time to build something more stable, and safe to be around. As much as I'm a tech guy, sketching things out on paper always seems to work best for me. Here was our concept. Very simple, shouldn't be too hard to make a reality.
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I've done some very basic builds before, like a bookcase, an entertainment center, and such, but never a cabinet with doors. I enjoy a challenge and learning how to do things. Here's an exploded view I drew to help me figure out the internal structure and how much lumber I needed. I didn't stick to this exactly, but it was a good reference for planning the build.
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Back from Home Depot with some kiln-dried framing 2x4s, some 1/2" and 1/4" birch plywood, and various pieces of poplar.
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Internal frame built. Note: I over-engineer EVERYTHING. I'm well aware that you could probably park a truck on this thing, no less my 400-lb. aquarium. The frame is just big enough to hold my canister filter and two 5-gallon jugs. Thinking about dropping a sump/refugium in at some point, but that's a project for another day.
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Outer frame screwed on. Did I mention that I over-engineer everything?
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Thanks to some advice I found on here, I used a shower pan liner to waterproof the bottom. It's glued to a piece of 1/2" plywood I attached with a few brackets. The seams were later caulked with silicone. Attached 1/4" plywood to the sides and back.
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Started trimming with the poplar, and glued the edges of the plywood down
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Finished the poplar trim. Just a simple, boxy look, which works well in my house. Using glue and finishing nails to hold it on.
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My first ever attempt at building cabinet doors. Did the tongue and groove with my table saw. Came out okay. Think I could do better next time. These were only 1/2" thick, as I wanted the doors to sit about flush with the trim.
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Glued everything together with 1/4" plywood in the middle. I got a little too aggressive with the clamps on one, and split a board, which I slathered with glue and clamped. It turned out okay after some sanding. I didn't get them 100% square, so the next time I have all my supplies out, I might try to tweak them a little.
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I put some butcher paper over the tank, and traced the shape, then added an inch to that, then took the template to my granite place in town. My wife spotted a scrap piece of freaking labradorite in the back. Naturally, we couldn't resist, and a few days later this showed up. (It's symmetrical, the phone lens just makes it look off.)
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We both agreed it was going to kinda suck to actually cover this with the aquarium. Some day after this tank gets retired, we'll repurpose this into a nice table.
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Test-fitting the top on the stand. In retrospect, we might have opted for a bit more overhang than 1 inch on the sides, but it still looks real nice.
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Primed with an oil-based primer, and painted with an acrylic-alkyd paint from Sherwin-Williams. It mostly came out great, but the door could maybe use another sanding and recoat some day. The third piece stuck in there is a shelf that gets mounted inside at the end.
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Labradorite top attached with clear 100% silicone. It glows under my 5-gallon aquarium's light. I used white silicone to fill in every little nook and cranny on the inside.
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Labradorite knobs, because of course I did.
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Done! Door, hinges, and knobs installed. Like I said, one door didn't come out perfectly square, so don't look too close. I'll fix it some day.
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Interior view. Small shelf above for some supplies, and plenty of room in the base for whatever.
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And here's the result! We drained 15 gallons out, placed the new stand in front of the old one, and just slid it on over. 15 minutes later it was up and running again.
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Greybeard

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Very nice. And yes... you needed a new stand. That the old lamp table stood up at all is amazing.

Love the stone! I looked into having stone cut for my stand, just couldn't see that kind of money. One of the problems with larger tanks... Everything costs more.
 

mrpizzaface

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Love that all your drawings were made by hand. Great job. If you could figure out a way to get everyone you have ever met in your entire life on top of that stand, I am sure it would hold the weight.
 
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Jeff Patzewitsch

Jeff Patzewitsch

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beautiful! And I love the knobs!
Thanks! We bought the same knobs a few years ago for our kitchen, so when we found the labradorite scrap slab for this project, we knew we had to get more. They're from a place in CA called Myterra gemstone hardware. Their stuff is addictive.
It's a shame to put such a beautiful piece of granite under the tank. :(
Ugh, you aren't kidding! When I first set it down on the stand I knew it was going to suck to cover it up.
And yes... you needed a new stand. That the old lamp table stood up at all is amazing.
It's even less sturdy than it looks. Once I had the aquarium off, I turned it over, and I'm not even sure it has any support at all across the back. It's like all the weight somehow balanced on those two curved legs. It's insane we ever tried to use that in the first place.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

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  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

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