Cube tank stand help

[OzShrimp]

Does anyone know where i dan fet some good simple plans to build a cheap simple stand for my 60x60x60 cube tank by any chance?

[NoGi]

Google image search? A mix of pine for structure and MDF for looks if you are doing on a budget.

Oh and some Bunnings will cut to size for you.

[OzShrimp]

Okay I have a biiiiiiiiiiiig problem. I started making my stand after I stained all the wood this afternoon and only just noticed a big problem.

I got the tank as advertised 60x60x60 and thought geese this stand seems alot bigger so i measured the tank. Its a 40x40x40 and now i dont know how to fix the design.

@inverted any suggestions? Or someone know how i can fix this without the total amount being a loss. 

my thoughts are i could just chop 20cms off the 60cm and the 53cm pieces making them respectively 40cm and 33cm which will be fun with a hand saw lol

 

Unless i can work something else out

 

[waffle]

How far through the stand construction are you?

I don't think it should be a big problem to fix. You want it to be the same height as previously I'm guessing?

[Disciple]

I think you are right @OzShrimp If you just trim 20cm off the piece going around the sides it should be just right. Assuming the thickness of the wood is 3.5cm.

[OzShrimp]

preferably because the wood is already cut. I hav e done the top square so the 53cm and 60cm 

1 minute ago, Disciple said:

I think you are right @OzShrimp If you just trim 20cm off the piece going around the sides it should be just right. Assuming the thickness of the wood is 3.5cm.

yup wood is 3.5cm, and i already cracked 1 on the first screwing lol.

How would the integrity hold up though screwing into the same holes to hold it together? 

any ideas without trimming wood would be good to lol will save me hours of hard labour haha and a highly probably flap up

[waffle]

Hmmm I don't think a big problem to screw into the same holes, but you do lose some strength normally.

Are you putting a flat piece of mdf on the top of this stand? If that was the plan, and it were me, I'd make the 60cm stand and then put the 40cm cube on it - that way if you ever upgrade to a 60cm you can use that stand still. Depends if having a bigger stand than tank bothers you aesthetically. I kinda like the effect once you drape a cloth over it... also handy for putting tools on the spare space on top of the stand when you're doing maintenance. 

[OzShrimp]

Yeah i have 2 pieces of off cut mdf which i will screw into the top. My concerns were though the tank would only be sitting on the centre cross brace and nothing else. Except the MDF of course 

I have decided im not chopping and I am gonna keep proceeding whilst suggestions keep coming in lol. 

[waffle]

Yeah I was thinking about that and about to reply again haha. 40cm cube would weigh ~65-70 kg with water in so you don't want to distribute all the weight on just hte centre beam. It depends on the quality of the mdf. If it's thin, damaged, fragile etc then I'd be hesitant. But if it's thick and strong then it should distribute the weight through to the supports i reckon. 

Hmm trying to think how to do the cutting fine with a hand saw. Do you have a guide for the saw? And do you mind if the stand is not a perfect square?

[OzShrimp]

yeah, any thoughts on What i could do to it in terms or adding extra support to it ?

Can always buy a couple more pieces of wood. if i chop it i cant make it big again lol

[waffle]

Hmm how much mdf do you actually have? 

And how much extra wood are you able to buy length-wise?

[Foxpuppet]

just put the tank you have on the stand you have made ;)

[perplex]

@OzShrimp well that picture looks familiar :P

okok lets see how i can fix

 

first how thick is your MDF?

you said you cracked your timber, what screws you used? 8g 10g? should say on the pack, i think we decided 60mm long

 

now for the fix,

im guessing 12mm MDF, the stand i did for you is way way way over designed, and now the tank is even smalled XD

first if you dont mind having the stand bigger than the tank then what you could do is take the 53cm support from the bottom and add it to the top, so just make it 4 at the top spaced out even, or measure so the sides of the tank sit on the 2 inner supports, you then can get a new one cut for the bottom if you wish

Edited May 23, 2016 by perplex

[OzShrimp]

1 minute ago, perplex said:

@OzShrimp well that picture looks familiar :P

okok lets see how i can fix

 

first how thick is your MDF?

you said you cracked your timber, what screws you used? 8g 10g? should say on the pack, i think we decided 60mm long

 

now for the fix,

im guessing 12mm MDF, the stand i did for you is way way way over designed, and now the tank is even smalled XD

first if you dont mind having the stand bigger than the tank then what you could do is take the 53cm support from the bottom and add it to the top, so just make it 4 at the top spaced out even, you then can get a new one cut for the bottom if you wish

haha for some reason i thought you were inverted lol.

the mdf is 1.3c, thick and is 2 pieces 60x 26cm. 

screws are 10 - 8x65mm. Cracking was as a result of no pilot holes and drill settings i think cause i have had none since 

[waffle]

The experts arrive ? @perplex I'm thinking I might adapt your design for my next stand. Thanks man!

[perplex]

np

yea so 12mm thats ok, i edited my post about where to put the beams, i think make it so the tank sits on them, so if the tank is 40cm make the middle spacing from outside of timber to outiside of timber 40cm

2 minutes ago, waffle said:

The experts arrive  @perplex I'm thinking I might adapt your design for my next stand. Thanks man!

its way over kill what i did for him, guess id rather over kill it than something happen

 

but this way, down the track if he decides to cover the whole thing in MDF, it will be super easy

[OzShrimp]

3 minutes ago, perplex said:

np

yea so 12mm thats ok, i edited my post about where to put the beams, i think make it so the tank sits on them, so if the tank is 40cm make the middle spacing from outside of timber to outiside of timber 40cm

its way over kill what i did for him, guess id rather over kill it than something happen

 

but this way, down the track if he decides to cover the whole thing in MDF, it will be super easy

so put the now to be 2 cross beams across the middle with a small gap.

Am nearly finished the 2nd square frame lol my 6yr old is helping 

[perplex]

give me 10 mins

[OzShrimp]

7 minutes ago, perplex said:

give me 10 mins

lol just done the 2 square frames. Now i am not overly confident they are that straight cause i have no clamps lol but its my daughters fault :P 

[perplex]

what screws you using?

and this is to make sure its square

 

i did one of my numbers wrong, should be around 84.8 for both not 84.4

your measurements should be the same both ways, i guessed the measurments for you, but yours could be different, but they should be same from corner to corner

Edited May 23, 2016 by perplex

[OzShrimp]

no worries thank you :) they will probably be off lol 

[perplex]

i think it should be fine, since your cuts are straight, same with your MDF it should be square so just sit it on top

[OzShrimp]

yeah slowly getting there, 1 drill bit and 3 screws later to get the first leg screwed on at the bottom lol 

oh then my battery died on my drill lucky i got a spare. little one got told its time to go to bed soon and she told mum that no shes helping dad lol 

[perplex]

oh and just a tip, when installing the GRAY pieces

 

once your 2 squares are together, screw your 90cm beams in to bottom, making sure they are flush with the bottom square, then install the GRAY pieces, then install the top square last, this way and that should sit on the gray and the orange should be flush or a little under, you may have to sand the orange to sit flush, or you will find the MDF wont sit flat

 

otherwise if you secure the top and bottom squares you may find the grays wont fit in the gap or may be to loose, all depends if bunnings cut 100% exact measurement :P

Edited May 23, 2016 by perplex

[OzShrimp]

10 minutes ago, perplex said:

oh and just a tip, when installing the GRAY pieces

 

once your 2 squares are together, screw your 90cm beams in to bottom, making sure they are flush with the bottom square, then install the GRAY pieces, then install the top square last, this way and that should sit on the gray and the orange should be flush or a little under, you may have to sand the orange to sit flush, or you will find the MDF wont sit flat

Aye Aye! Up to that part now