# DIY stand Assembly- glue and screw?



## Rahms (8 Jul 2015)

As the title suggests, after some basic advice!  I've got the wood cut and it seems pretty happy:



 

So now I'm just wondering how to actually assemble this in a non-crooked way.  I haven't got clamps or straps.  I've got some wood glue and also 4mm wood screws.  Should I drill some pilots and then just glue+screw in one? Or glue and then do the screws once its all set?

pretty sure the former is the best idea but some confirmation would be nice, last woodwork I did was in year 10.  Any other tips are also welcome!

Cheers


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## Wizard (8 Jul 2015)

What type of wood is it?

I ask cause if its ply then I'd suggest drilling pilot holes b4 u glue and screw , MDF I'm not familiar with but from what I know u may need to pilot the holes then add some glue down them and let it set to hold the screw in place
Also how thick is it? How many ltr is the tank? And how are you assembling it? (As in base 4 sides then lid sits on top)

Best method without clamps (assuming the wood is cut square) is to lay a piece down and work on top of it , lay the back pannel flat then stand a side up on one end , and the base , measure twice then do pilot holes (2mm for a 4 mm screw) and dont forget counter sinks! attach those 3  (glue and screw) then once dry attach the other side and top , should keep things straight 
One last question ....are you planning to brace the inside? To provide more strength ? (Depends on type of wood and thickness and if you want a door )


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## Wizard (8 Jul 2015)

Nearly forgot , if screwing into an end,  always place the screw at least 50mm away (length of a thumb ish) from the end of the sheet ....so say I have a 50cm by 50cm by 10mm thick sheet and I'm screwing into the 10mm bit , u need to do it at least 5 cm away from the corner otherwise it will split .


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## Rahms (8 Jul 2015)

MDF! should probably have mentioned that. Basically an ADA knockoff, so 3 sides with lid on top, and brace across the 4th edge, with a door below.

essentially this:


 

its 18mm thick: if you see the tiny bit of masking tape on the closest (vertical) edge, thats a split.  Don't think I'll need an inner brace as its only an 85L tank (600x450 footprint).  I could do something like this for the front edge but I'm pretty sure the 14cm brace won't have any give in it



 


thanks for your help! guess I'll get measuring


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## Wizard (8 Jul 2015)

18mm MDF should be fine I'd still recommend some bracing of some sort , 85ltr is "roughly " 85kg (lol) plus u gotta add weight of the tank and anything you plan to put into it , so call it 100 kg its gotta hold ....I tend to lean towards the "better to over do it" side of things 

I claded my 400ltr stand in 24mm furniture grade ply (I work in a woodshop) didn't need to glue it as it had 50mm long 6mm thick screws holding it on an internal frame from the original stand


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## Rahms (9 Jul 2015)

I've got some offcuts that are the right height so I'll add a brace in if I can find an "elegant" solution

After experimenting on some other offcuts tonight, I've realised that the holes I drill are liable to being "off." Its less than 1mm but enough to notice when rubbing my finger over the edge, and I don't fancy sanding tops flat. I think I'll glue it first, and then drill and screw it once its in place. I'll try tomorrow on some more offcuts and see if I get a better result!


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## Rahms (10 Jul 2015)

incase it helps anyone else, here's what I did in the end:

each screw hole is through the face of one piece of MDF and into the edge of another.  So I pre-drilled and countersunk all the face holes and then glued wood in place, after which I drilled the full depth through the existing hole and put the screw in.

I assembled a corner first- base, back and side.  That was the only "hard" bit to align (a helper would have been handy), after that it was plain sailing. The only joint where I can feel the transition is because the back bit of wood was ~0.5mm too wide, so there's a bit of an overhang on one side.  

Very happy, cheers for your help!

Now to get some magnets for the door (and figure out how to attach them) and then, the most foreign bit, work out what the deal is with filling/priming/painting/varnishing!


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## Wizard (10 Jul 2015)

Magnets I'd use some small round ones from the bay of E , neodynim 4mm drill a hole twice as deep then super glue them in and filler over the top 

Filler , either decorators filler or wood filler 
Prime paint and varnish....depends on what "finish" your after but I'd suggest PVA glue 50/50 with water for a prime let it dry give a quick sand to key then brush on 2-3 layers, any brand of interior paint (like wall paint) natural Hessian is a nice alternative to cream or white 
As to varnish .....its mainly used to bring out the grain pattern in wood and provides a nice bit of protection .....as its MDF I'm assuming your going to just paint it?


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## Rahms (10 Jul 2015)

yeah painting.  Thought the varnish would help seal it against water spills etc, don't want the MDF soaking that up! For the colour I'm thinking dark grey similar to the other stands I've seen around these parts


cheers, time for another trip to B+Q then! LookIng like I won't be able to complete this until end of august now since I'm going away, but I'll be able to fill and seal the edges at least.


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## Wizard (10 Jul 2015)

Add PVA glue to the paint , and prime with PVA as suggested to stop the MDF sucking any moisture ....PVA is a resin in itself and once dry is water resistant


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## Wendal_spanswick (13 Jul 2015)

You shouldn't need any other bracing as the strip across the front provides all the structural integrity and stops it from collapsing. You should have a quick read of this thread 

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/diy-ada-style-aquarium-stand.31348/

I'm using info from the same thread to create a similar style stand only 120x45cm. It'll answer any question you have and also give you good tips like covering the screw heads with a certain something before filling. 

Good luck, it's looking good though.


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## Rahms (13 Jul 2015)

yeah I haven't bothered- I'm painting a spare bit I can put in if I notice any movement, but not attaching it.  I used that thread extensively, it's great.  Was a bit old and wasn't sure anyone read it anymore, but looks like it would've been a better place for my question than a new thread!

painting will be in a week when I'm next home (trying to rush it before I go away).  Its nice and solid. The bottom panel isn't flat which is annoying, but I doubt I'll have a flat floor so not too worried

cheers


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