| Project by Sawdustmaker | posted 125 days ago | 476 views | 1 time favorited | 11 comments | ![]() |
Although this is one of my older projects, it took me a good chunk of time to produce it. After deciding to purchase a salt water tank, I started looking at tanks and stands. The tank I ended up purchasing was a 72 gallon bow front. The stand that was available with it looked to be press board and there was the whole idea of placing hundreds of pounds on top of something that did not look strong enough to hold my weight. I built (some might say overbuilt) a sub frame to carry the weight with salt treated 4×4’s for the uprights and salt treated 2×4’s for the cross members. I rabbeted the 4×4’s then bolted and glued them to the 2×4’s. The tank and the sump sit on 3/4” furniture grade oak plywood with 5 coats of spar varnish. I set the tank on a large piece of cardboard and traced out the outline of the tank. I also used the same ark to design the cross members for the doors to continue the profile of the tank. All of the individual 1×3 oak stays on the outside are screwed with stainless steel screws and glued from the rear. I added some rope molding to give it a nautical look and here it is.
-- Brian, Virginia Beach
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11 comments so far
GaryK
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8182 posts in 376 days
posted 125 days ago
That’s pretty nice. I gave up on killing fish a long time ago though.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
CharlieM1958
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3504 posts in 607 days
posted 124 days ago
Great way to hide all that equipment!
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
juniorjock
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269 posts in 154 days
posted 124 days ago
Good project Brian. I think it looks good and it was a good idea on your part to build it so strong. That’s a lot of weight for it to support. I’m kind of like GaryK, the fish stand a better chance of surviving if they stay in the lakes and rivers. Especially when I go fishing. LOL. Before my son moved out (finally), he had a medium sized salt water tank in his bedroom. I think everything in that room that was made of metal rusted. Again, good job.
-- Make things with wood.
teenagewoodworker
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1682 posts in 156 days
posted 124 days ago
great project. it was a good idea to find a place to hide all of that stuff and it looks great too. also now when you go and look at it it will give you a sense of pride because you know that you made that with your own two hands. great job!
Scott Bryan
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7762 posts in 210 days
posted 124 days ago
Brian,
This is an absolutely gorgeous piece. The bowfront design of the piece makes this one unique. I like the rope molding as it adds a nice detail to the piece. Your lightstand is very innovative. All in all this is a very nice piece. It certainly puts to shame stands that are sold commercially and I am sure that you completed it for far less than it would have cost you from a pet store. And yours is obviously a vast improvement with respect to quality.
Well done. I will have to favorite this and put one on my to do list to replace the stands that I am now using.
Thanks for the post.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
cajunpen
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5256 posts in 454 days
posted 124 days ago
That is a really nice stand. I think that you should snap a picture of it and show it to the retailer that sold you the tank – I bet you will end up getting some sales for them.
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
Karson
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11538 posts in 789 days
posted 124 days ago
Great looking tank. Luckily we only get 1 or 2 fish at a time and they die within a week. So no one wants another for a while.
Then we start all over again.
Now we just have a corn snake and a leopard gecko.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
rikkor
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6465 posts in 263 days
posted 124 days ago
That looks positively great. I have never tried, nor do I intend to try salt water. I have a 125 Gal. fresh in my living room with 4 Koi and one (big) comet, and a few plecostamus (sp?).
Bill is right.
-- Maplewood, MN
motthunter
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950 posts in 187 days
posted 124 days ago
looks good.. must be strong to hold up all of those soon to be not so alive fish… Oh I am projecting on my lack of skill in aquarium skills…
-- making sawdust....
woodup
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105 posts in 331 days
posted 124 days ago
Stunning piece! Capturing the curve with the stand to match the tank is great. The rope trim and the hardware really complete the project! I made a light hood for my 55 gallon tank. I didn’t pay attention to how corrosive the saltwater would be to the wood and it has taken it’s toll. My fish tank hobbie is on hold indefinitely. I just don’t have the time money or commitment to do it justice. Your display looks terrific!
-- Michael, Fort Worth, TX. "I wood if I could!"
PanamaJack
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4454 posts in 466 days
posted 118 days ago
What a nice piece of woodworking. Just a great job.
-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,