125 stand and hood
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: DIY
Forum Description: Do it Yourself
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1275
Printed Date: July 14 2026 at 4:37pm
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Topic: 125 stand and hood
Posted By: jfinch
Subject: 125 stand and hood
Date Posted: November 15 2003 at 4:08pm
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Here's a couple pictures of the completed stand and canopy. New tile around the base of the stand: Stand and canopy: with the doors open: Sump pictures soon... ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Replies:
Posted By: Suzy
Date Posted: November 15 2003 at 5:25pm
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Cool! I'm impressed! I really like the light wood. It would highlight
some blue 'shrooms! |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: November 15 2003 at 7:23pm
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Thanks suzy. My wife isn't sure if she likes the light wood sitting next to the dark (mahogony) cabinets seen on the right side of the photos. Perhaps I'll have to make a trip to Riverton, I've heard mushrooms grow there. ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: rfoote
Date Posted: November 15 2003 at 8:46pm
| Jon - looks nice! My wife would say something about the different woods too. What to do? |
Posted By: Suzy
Date Posted: November 16 2003 at 5:11am
| Jon, you are welcome to Riverton anytime! |
Posted By: Will Spencer
Date Posted: November 16 2003 at 11:23am
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Very nice job!! Isn't it great to be able to put two hobbies together like jfinch has done. I love woodworking too. My wife would love the contrast in colors. Perfect excuse to refinish the cabinets. |
Posted By: timlaw
Date Posted: November 18 2003 at 11:27pm
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Very nice. I am looking for some plans. Any chance you would be willing to share yours? Most of the plans I have found online are over simplified. |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: November 19 2003 at 7:23am
Thanks Will and Tim. I don't really have any drawn out plans. It was biult from my head. I wanted a door opening of 36" (easy access) and a height slightly higher then normal (33 inches high inside the cabinet to fit my skimmer). And I wanted easy access through the canopy. That was my only design considerations. I wanted light colored wood, because it's easier to keep clean of salt (or rather it looks better when covered in salt creep  ). It's made of 1 1/2 inch beech posts with beech and birch panels. The hood has an open top for ventilation.------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 19 2003 at 7:39am
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Jon has a "wet thumb" when it comes to growing an aquarium. I can't wait to see it running! ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: timlaw
Date Posted: November 19 2003 at 2:11pm
| I do have quite a bit of wood working experience but I have never tried to build an aquarium cabinet before so I don't really know the best way to support and distribute the weight. I am also wondering if there is anything special I need to know about for the hood. I was planning to use 3/4 inch maple plywood for everything but the doors. |
Posted By: Will Spencer
Date Posted: November 19 2003 at 8:27pm
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Timlaw, I'm sure Jfinch would know better having done it, but as I've contemplated building a stand for my aquarium I've been looking around at prefabs at the LFS. As far as I can see if you build a cabinet out of plywood and use some good support on the cornes and across the underside of the top where the tank will sit, you'll have a stand 10 times stronger than anything you can buy. Frankly I'm suprised the stands at Petsmart and Petco could even hold my weight, much less a 50-100 gallon Tank filled with water, snad and rock. Has anybody ever experienced problems with these cheap things? Jfinch, those birch and beech panels look fantastic. I love the look of the 3 panels across the front of the hood rather than just one solid piece as most are. |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: November 19 2003 at 8:46pm
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Will's right. Take a look at most stands available at the LFS. From a cabinet standpoint, they're pretty low budget. IMO, that's why they all have center posts between the doors which make it a pain to get under the stand. If you look my stand, it has a "false" center post which opens with one of the doors and is completely out of the way. There is a solid 3 1/2" x 1 1/2" beech beam across the center of my stand. This should be plenty to support the center of the tank. I guess time will tell how it holds up. The key to a sturdy stand is to keep it from racking or twisting. That's where it'll fail, imo. Regular plywood will support the tank as long as you keep the frame rigid. As far as the hood, I just wanted a hood that would stay cool and be accessable to feed or add more inhabitants. My solution was a door that opens upwards. Tim, I'm sure you'll do fine. Will, the door panels are beech, but the panels in the hood are birch. I ran out of beech, it was late Saturday and I wanted to finish it, so I looked through my stack of wood and birch was the best match ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |