DIY aquarium stand and canopy attempt (fail)

Discussion in 'I made this!' started by Siddique, Apr 17, 2014.

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  1. Todd_Sails

    Todd_Sails Giant Squid

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    Siddique,

    Do not put your tank on that, start over, and now while it's easy.

    I agree with using 'Rocket Engineers Design'- which he mostly got elsewhere btw.

    I didn't use that 'jig' mentioned- a good idea however I"m sure.

    Here's my 180 build thread, showing building my stand, etc. I to linked and credited the post/thread where I got my basic ideas from too.

    http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/...-expansion-completed-149024.html#.U1E2NfldW0U
     
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  3. CBSurfrider

    CBSurfrider Millepora

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    I tore up TWO Dewalt cordless drills. I finally went to an electric/corded drill and it was significantly better. Also whomever mentioned going to the square head screws hit the nail on the head! I lost count on how many philips head bits that got worn out during my build. Pre-Drill and start over. You don't want to find a design/construction flaw when the tank is filling up on top of it.
     
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  4. Siddique

    Siddique Dragon Wrasse

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    Thank you for all the advice. I decided to cut off all the corners and restart this build for a smaller 55gal. Square head screws and a more appropriate sized bit for the pilot holes and the corner clamps are on my shopping list for tomorrow.
     
  5. mdbostwick

    mdbostwick Vlamingii Tang

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    I couldn't really tell from the picture but it looks like the wood you are using is pressure treated. If so, you need to make sure you have screws that will not corrode in pressure treated lumber, or you WILL have a disaster on your hands in a year or so.

    I put together a stand for my sump and i used coated nails, a nail gun will make that a lot easier. I used nails over screws because nails are far less likely to fail, so i recommend that.

    I will try to find the design i used which is strong enough to hold a tank 5x the size that is on it.
     
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  6. mdbostwick

    mdbostwick Vlamingii Tang

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  7. Todd_Sails

    Todd_Sails Giant Squid

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    I'd only like to add, that any properly built stand, puts NO pressure on any screws to actually hold the weight of the Tank/water up. It's all loaded thru the wood, not the fasteners.
     
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  9. Siddique

    Siddique Dragon Wrasse

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  10. Siddique

    Siddique Dragon Wrasse

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    I couldn't find any square headed screws at the hardware this morning. I'll try again at some other places next week.
     
  11. DustyE

    DustyE Fire Worm

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    Google dual torque screws. They use phillips and square drive and might be easier to find.
     
  12. Siddique

    Siddique Dragon Wrasse

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    Thanks, I can possibly give those a try...
    had an idea, how about i drill straight through and use hex bolts and use a nut to secure them?
    Years ago, i bout some homemade tanks and stands from a buddy and I noticed that he used nut and bolt to fasten the 2x4's together.