Need help for 80/20 light stand

[Abhishek]

Hi ,

Am planning to use 80/20 to build a strong enough light stand to hold 2 ATI 48 inch bulb fixtures - one 4 bulb and one 6 bulb fixture.

My plan is to simple light stands - 2 of them attached at either end of my wood stand that are 96 inches in height. At the top, attach horizontal bars to each one of them to make a right angle that extend all the way to the front of the tank which will be around 40 inches .

What parts are necessary to build such a light fixture and where can I buy them ? No idea about 80/20 and hence looking for ideas and suggestions.

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Check http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale as a source for parts.

 

[HolisticBear]

I had FramingTech do all the part planning for my 80/20 stand. Maybe you could email them what you want to do and get a quote?


Not exactly what you are doing, but might give you some ideas.

 

[Abhishek]

Check http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale as a source for parts.

Thanks ! However , think that works for people who know what they are doing . I have no clue as to what parts to even get and which ones are compatible with one other ..

I had FramingTech do all the part planning for my 80/20 stand. Maybe you could email them what you want to do and get a quote?


Not exactly what you are doing, but might give you some ideas.

Thanks man ! I did email them and saw that their website has aquarium stand quotes which is awesome. Still havent heard from them yet . I think if someone can help me with what parts I should source , I can get them and build them.

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Thanks ! However , think that works for people who know what they are doing . I have no clue as to what parts to even get and which ones are compatible with one other ..

Make a simple drawing on a piece of paper with measurements and how you want the lights oriented, take a picture of it, and post it here.

 

[DarkSky]

Thanks ! However , think that works for people who know what they are doing . I have no clue as to what parts to even get and which ones are compatible with one other ..



Thanks man ! I did email them and saw that their website has aquarium stand quotes which is awesome. Still havent heard from them yet . I think if someone can help me with what parts I should source , I can get them and build them.

Regards,
Abhishek

Hey Abhishek,

My 45g light stand is 80/20. If you need help sometime, let me know. I did a lot of research with the stuff before building mine.

 

[Caravanshaka]

Another source for parts is tnutz.com

From what I read, it looks like you want 2 hangman style hangers...an upside-down L.

For the weight of 2x ATI fixtures, I would suggest using the 15 series extrusion, and get either a gusset L bracket for each 90* angle, or better yet one of the 45* angle connectors that are made out of extrusion as well.

You will need to figure out how you plan to mount it to your stand as well.

Generic parts list:

2x extrusions to the height you want
2x extrusions to get you to the farthest forward you will mount a light, plus a few inches....this way it won’t go all the way to the front of the tank, but has a few inches room for mounting
2x angle connectors
4x mounting points to stand, 1 top and 1 bottom for each side, will need t-nuts and bolts
4x t-nuts for the ATI hanging kit to mount to, I believe 1/4” 20 will fit through their hangers as that is what I use.
May need 4x bolts to fit those hangers

This covers the basics. I can help put together a better list tomorrow if you want me to do a drawing. I drew up my 80/20 stand in sketchup before ordering, and it went together quite well.

 

[Abhishek]

Hey Abhishek,

My 45g light stand is 80/20. If you need help sometime, let me know. I did a lot of research with the stuff before building mine.

Oh I still need to check out your amazing new system. It would be of great help if I can get some guidance from you on teh 80/20.

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Abhishek]

Make a simple drawing on a piece of paper with measurements and how you want the lights oriented, take a picture of it, and post it here.

Agree and posted below. Please provide your suggestions.

Another source for parts is tnutz.com

From what I read, it looks like you want 2 hangman style hangers...an upside-down L.

For the weight of 2x ATI fixtures, I would suggest using the 15 series extrusion, and get either a gusset L bracket for each 90* angle, or better yet one of the 45* angle connectors that are made out of extrusion as well.

You will need to figure out how you plan to mount it to your stand as well.

Generic parts list:

2x extrusions to the height you want
2x extrusions to get you to the farthest forward you will mount a light, plus a few inches....this way it won’t go all the way to the front of the tank, but has a few inches room for mounting
2x angle connectors
4x mounting points to stand, 1 top and 1 bottom for each side, will need t-nuts and bolts
4x t-nuts for the ATI hanging kit to mount to, I believe 1/4” 20 will fit through their hangers as that is what I use.
May need 4x bolts to fit those hangers

This covers the basics. I can help put together a better list tomorrow if you want me to do a drawing. I drew up my 80/20 stand in sketchup before ordering, and it went together quite well.

You have given technical words to my stupid explanation. Thank you and its absolutely exactly what I was looking for .
Here is a rough sketch but hope you get the idea .

The tank is around 4 feet in length but 40 inches in depth. I want the lights to be reverse L shaped and the horizontal bar to extend upto 32 inches over the tank .

My biggest worry is with the deflection that the weights of ATI will cause. On an average I think each would weigh in the ball park of 25-30 lbs , so the light stand should support 50-60 lbs easily.

I have done it in the past with conduit tubes and if needed will go that route, but wife badly wants a 80/20 stand.

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

My suggestion (sorry I don't have time to hyperlink):

(2 pcs) 15 Series 1.5” x 1.5” Aluminum Extrusion Part #1515-BLACK x 84"
(1pc) 15 Series 1.5” x 1.5” Aluminum Extrusion Part #1515-BLACK x 64" (cut in half with chopsaw)
(2 pcs) T-Slot Aluminum 4 Hole Tall Gusseted Bracket 15 Series #4336-BLACK
(4 pks) 5/16-18 x .687" Screws w/T-Nut Combo #3355 N


Alternative to the gusset bracket would be these flat 90 degreee joiners, two on each side, secured with individual t-nuts/bolts:

5 Hole 90 Degree Angled Flat Plate 15 Series #4351-BLACK


In addition - whatever hardware you wish to attach the vertical members to your stand and whatever hardware required to suspend your lights.

 

[drtrash]

I built one very similar to your drawing, will check my parts. Depending how your stand is constructed you dont need to run top to bottom unless there is no cross brace (length wise), if you run on end of stand 15-18" is all that is needed with a upper and lower angle bracket

 

[Abhishek]

My suggestion (sorry I don't have time to hyperlink):

(2 pcs) 15 Series 1.5” x 1.5” Aluminum Extrusion Part #1515-BLACK x 84"
(1pc) 15 Series 1.5” x 1.5” Aluminum Extrusion Part #1515-BLACK x 64" (cut in half with chopsaw)
(2 pcs) T-Slot Aluminum 4 Hole Tall Gusseted Bracket 15 Series #4336-BLACK
(4 pks) 5/16-18 x .687" Screws w/T-Nut Combo #3355 N


Alternative to the gusset bracket would be these flat 90 degreee joiners, two on each side, secured with individual t-nuts/bolts:

5 Hole 90 Degree Angled Flat Plate 15 Series #4351-BLACK


In addition - whatever hardware you wish to attach the vertical members to your stand and whatever hardware required to suspend your lights.

Thank you for very detailed part list . Do you think it will be able to support 70 lbs without deflection especially when its extended to 32-34 inch on top of teh tank without horizontal support ?

I built one very similar to your drawing, will check my parts. Depending how your stand is constructed you dont need to run top to bottom unless there is no cross brace (length wise), if you run on end of stand 15-18" is all that is needed with a upper and lower angle bracket

That will be awesome. If you can show a pic of your light stand , will give me more concrete ideas. How far does your light stand extend over the tank ?

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Caravanshaka]

Agree and posted below. Please provide your suggestions.



You have given technical words to my stupid explanation. Thank you and its absolutely exactly what I was looking for .
Here is a rough sketch but hope you get the idea .

The tank is around 4 feet in length but 40 inches in depth. I want the lights to be reverse L shaped and the horizontal bar to extend upto 32 inches over the tank .

My biggest worry is with the deflection that the weights of ATI will cause. On an average I think each would weigh in the ball park of 25-30 lbs , so the light stand should support 50-60 lbs easily.

I have done it in the past with conduit tubes and if needed will go that route, but wife badly wants a 80/20 stand.

Regards,
Abhishek

This will be very helpful. Give me a few hours to get some work done, then I will draw it up in sketchup and give you a suggested parts list!

 

[OriginalUserName]

I'm going 80/20 for my peninsula. They have some great videos on their youtube channel. I'm having issues sorting out the type of miter cuts I want so I'm going to go to their local distributor and have them walk me through it.

 

[Caravanshaka]

Here is what I would do, pricing from tnutz where they advertise, but they can get the items they don't advertise as well:

• 2x 1515 ultra-light 30" extrusions - $21.40 - this is to be used as a standoff to push the bars away from the back of the tank, assuming your tank sits flush with the back of your stand. It also adds a way for you to raise your light stand if you ever need to adjust it.
• 2x 1515 regular 84" extrusions - $76.60 - these are the main uprights
• 2x 1515 regular 32" extrusions, Counterbore at "A" & "C" - $32.80 - these are the main horizontal bars, using anchors to attach to the 84" upright
• 2x 1515 45 Degree Support, 12" Long - $25ish from tnutz - these are the main supports of the 90 degree angle
• 4x AF-015 Anchor Fastener Assembly - $6.00 - anchor bolts for the counterbores in the 32" extrusion
• 4x 15 Series 6 Hole - Rectangular Flat Plate - $12ish - these are intended to attach your 84" extrusion to the 30" standoff. These allow you to raise and lower the 84" extrusion, and keeps it away from the glass if they bend at all with the weight
• 8x (COMBO-015-C) Triple T-Nut & (3)5/8″ Lg screws - $6.80 - these are the screws and nuts for the 6-hole brackets
• 4x Drop-In T-Nut w/ Spring-Ball Stainless 1/4" 20 - $4.60 - these are the nuts to hold the hanging kits for the ATI's

From here, you only need a few additional items. You need the screws and nuts to mount the 30" extrusion to your stand. These depend on the thickness of the stand where you are mounting it, and how you want to attach it. You will also need the right length 1/4"-20 screws to attach the ATI hanging mounts to the nuts above. My gut feeling is 5/8" long, but I don't have an ATI hanging kit handy to check.

 

[Abhishek]

Here is what I would do, pricing from tnutz where they advertise, but they can get the items they don't advertise as well:

• 2x 1515 ultra-light 30" extrusions - $21.40 - this is to be used as a standoff to push the bars away from the back of the tank, assuming your tank sits flush with the back of your stand. It also adds a way for you to raise your light stand if you ever need to adjust it.
• 2x 1515 regular 84" extrusions - $76.60 - these are the main uprights
• 2x 1515 regular 32" extrusions, Counterbore at "A" & "C" - $32.80 - these are the main horizontal bars, using anchors to attach to the 84" upright
• 2x 1515 45 Degree Support, 12" Long - $25ish from tnutz - these are the main supports of the 90 degree angle
• 4x AF-015 Anchor Fastener Assembly - $6.00 - anchor bolts for the counterbores in the 32" extrusion
• 4x 15 Series 6 Hole - Rectangular Flat Plate - $12ish - these are intended to attach your 84" extrusion to the 30" standoff. These allow you to raise and lower the 84" extrusion, and keeps it away from the glass if they bend at all with the weight
• 8x (COMBO-015-C) Triple T-Nut & (3)5/8″ Lg screws - $6.80 - these are the screws and nuts for the 6-hole brackets
• 4x Drop-In T-Nut w/ Spring-Ball Stainless 1/4" 20 - $4.60 - these are the nuts to hold the hanging kits for the ATI's

From here, you only need a few additional items. You need the screws and nuts to mount the 30" extrusion to your stand. These depend on the thickness of the stand where you are mounting it, and how you want to attach it. You will also need the right length 1/4"-20 screws to attach the ATI hanging mounts to the nuts above. My gut feeling is 5/8" long, but I don't have an ATI hanging kit handy to check.

Did anyone ever tell you that you are so awesome !!!!!!!!!! Don't know how can I thank you enough for you to spend all these time in explaining these things and the diagrams are so awesome .

Again thank you !!!

Silly question - Is it necessary to have the 30inch supports for the 84inch main stand ? My tank is not exactly flush against the stand but is around 1 inch away from the edges ?

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Caravanshaka]

Did anyone ever tell you that you are so awesome !!!!!!!!!! Don't know how can I thank you enough for you to spend all these time in explaining these things and the diagrams are so awesome .

Again thank you !!!

Regards,
Abhishek

No problem, Abhishek. For those couple items that Tnutz doesn't advertise on their site, just email/call them and I know they can get a hold of them. I used the same 45 degree supports in my stand and got them from tnutz. If you have any more questions, or want me to double-check an invoice to make sure you have everything feel free to post here or PM me!

~Joe

 

[Caravanshaka]

Silly question - Is it necessary to have the 30inch supports for the 84inch main stand ? My tank is not exactly flush against the stand but is around 1 inch away from the edges ?

Regards,
Abhishek

Caught you before the edit and just saw this!

Not necessary at all, if you have an inch between the back of the stand and the back of the glass, I would just mount the 84" direct to the stand! What is the back wall of your stand made out of? any 2x4 supports or 3/4" ply at least? If so, I would get 8x https://www.tnutz.com/product/cbs-015-a-2-hole-slotted-inside-corner-bracket/ and add 8x https://www.tnutz.com/product/combo-015-e-516-18-standard-t-nut-58-lg-screw/ and then some wood screws to secure those angle brackets to the back of the stand.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Here is what I would do, pricing from tnutz where they advertise, but they can get the items they don't advertise as well:

• 2x 1515 ultra-light 30" extrusions - $21.40 - this is to be used as a standoff to push the bars away from the back of the tank, assuming your tank sits flush with the back of your stand. It also adds a way for you to raise your light stand if you ever need to adjust it.
• 2x 1515 regular 84" extrusions - $76.60 - these are the main uprights
• 2x 1515 regular 32" extrusions, Counterbore at "A" & "C" - $32.80 - these are the main horizontal bars, using anchors to attach to the 84" upright
• 2x 1515 45 Degree Support, 12" Long - $25ish from tnutz - these are the main supports of the 90 degree angle
• 4x AF-015 Anchor Fastener Assembly - $6.00 - anchor bolts for the counterbores in the 32" extrusion
• 4x 15 Series 6 Hole - Rectangular Flat Plate - $12ish - these are intended to attach your 84" extrusion to the 30" standoff. These allow you to raise and lower the 84" extrusion, and keeps it away from the glass if they bend at all with the weight
• 8x (COMBO-015-C) Triple T-Nut & (3)5/8″ Lg screws - $6.80 - these are the screws and nuts for the 6-hole brackets
• 4x Drop-In T-Nut w/ Spring-Ball Stainless 1/4" 20 - $4.60 - these are the nuts to hold the hanging kits for the ATI's

From here, you only need a few additional items. You need the screws and nuts to mount the 30" extrusion to your stand. These depend on the thickness of the stand where you are mounting it, and how you want to attach it. You will also need the right length 1/4"-20 screws to attach the ATI hanging mounts to the nuts above. My gut feeling is 5/8" long, but I don't have an ATI hanging kit handy to check.

Great job - very detailed answer! I like the 45 degree full supports much better than the gussets.

 

[Caravanshaka]

Caught you before the edit and just saw this!

Not necessary at all, if you have an inch between the back of the stand and the back of the glass, I would just mount the 84" direct to the stand! What is the back wall of your stand made out of? any 2x4 supports or 3/4" ply at least? If so, I would get 8x https://www.tnutz.com/product/cbs-015-a-2-hole-slotted-inside-corner-bracket/ and add 8x https://www.tnutz.com/product/combo-015-e-516-18-standard-t-nut-58-lg-screw/ and then some wood screws to secure those angle brackets to the back of the stand.

I stalked you a little and found your post detailing your stand build. What i suggested in this post with the angle brackets and wood screws would be perfect to mount to those beefy outer legs on your stand. I also shortened the 32" extrusions to 30.5" to account for removing the 30" extrusion stand-off. Not updating the screenshot below, but updated the list and price in text. Updated list:

• 2x 1515 regular 84" extrusions - $76.60 - these are the main uprights
• 2x 1515 regular 30.5" extrusions, Counterbore at "A" & "C" - $31.00 - these are the main horizontal bars, using anchors to attach to the 84" upright
• 2x 1515 45 Degree Support, 12" Long - $25ish from tnutz - these are the main supports of the 90 degree angle
• 4x AF-015 Anchor Fastener Assembly - $6.00 - anchor bolts for the counterbores in the 32" extrusion
• 4x Drop-In T-Nut w/ Spring-Ball Stainless 1/4" 20 - $4.60 - these are the nuts to hold the hanging kits for the ATI's
• 8x CBS-015-A 2 Hole Slotted Inside Corner Bracket - $14.40 - Angle brackets to mount 84" extrusion to stand
• 8x Combo-015-E 5/16-18 Standard T-Nut & 5/8" lg screw - $4.00 - to mount the angle brackets to the 84" extrusion

From here, you only need a few additional items. You need the wood screws to mount the 84" extrusion to your stand...I would do about 1.5" screws into those big uprights on each end. You will also need the right length 1/4"-20 screws to attach the ATI hanging mounts to the nuts above. My gut feeling is 5/8" long, but I don't have an ATI hanging kit handy to check.