Custom Stand For 10g Tank with Sump (Pictures and Dimensions)

[Steventomas]

I've been planning on doing this build for about five months and actually just finished this stand about a week ago and wanted to share it with anyone who may want to build something similar. So here's my story.

 

This is the sheet i created to help me get everything on one piece of paper so i wouldnt be all over the place. The prices are from a local lumber yard who charges per board foot. Glue and finish was a guesstimate on how much i spent on glue and finish, both of which i already had so didn't really cost me any up front.

 

 

I used Titebond III for the entire project, because of its durability and waterproof quality. I also used linseed oil as my finish (provides a natural look)

 

My first step was to create the sides, which I did by gluing two pieces of poplar together for each side and then milling them to where i wanted:

 

 

The next step was to assemble the face frame, the stiles are the two vertical pieces, and the rails are the three horizontal pieces. I assembled the frame using a domio jointer which looks like this:

 

 

And here is the face frame while gluing:

 

 

Next step was to create the back which i made out of the 1/2" plywood, im sorry the dimensions are not on the sheet above but i believe it was 30" long and 22 3/4" wide.

 

I created a rabbet (using a table saw) on the rear edge of both sides and then glued and nailed the back piece into the rabbet, leaving the 1 1/4" space on the bottom for air. Here is an example of a rabbet

 

 

After the back was attached to the sides i then attached the face frame to the front edge of the sides by gluing and nailing. (i also added a 1/2" plywood piece to make a "shelf" in the bottom of the large cabinet area)

 

 

 

Once this was done my next step was to sand everything using 220 grit sand paper until very smooth. I then used the linseed oil finish to put finish on the entire project.

 

Next, I worked on the creating the doors. The door "top and bottom" was exactly like the stiles from the face frame (obviously the sizes were different) and the door "sides" were similar to the rails of the face frame. I created a rabbet using the table saw on the inside edge of the top and bottom piece and the sides, i the glued them together using the domino method and added a piece of 1/2" plywood in the center of each door. here is a photo of the back of a door after assembly and gluing:

 

 

and here is the front of the door:

 

 

The next step was to instal the doors into the face frame which i did using four (two per door) of these hinges:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018OKXZY/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

And here is after hanging the doors:

 

 

I also used these handles on the doors:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Liberty-3-3-4-in-Bronze-with-Copper-Highlights-Arch-Pull-143610/203011913#.UVe3OatxuLE

 

 

This is kind of where i stopped taking photos unfortunately but what i did next was create and assemble the drawers using a drawer machine to make the joints, i then put the false front on the drawer and added the knob.

 

last to be installed was the top which i routered the outside edge of the give it a profile.

 

Finally everything was sanded again with 220 grit sand paper until smooth and the finished with three coats of linsed oil finish.

 

Here is the final product, with the new tank and DIY led light installed

 

 

 

I hope that this helped someone out there, if not it was a fun project for me and works good for my tank, if you have any questions you can reply to this thread or PM and i can do my best to answer them.

[jack1978]

NICE workmanship!! Love the super clean / simple system.

[Steventomas]

NICE workmanship!! Love the super clean / simple system.

 

Thank you for the compliment! I like the clean look as well, i couldn't find a stand that i like so i just built one. Plus it matches half my other furniture being as i built most of it as well