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DIY Project DIY ADA 60cm Tank and Stand Project

Tom

Member
Joined
8 Sep 2007
Messages
2,631
Location
Kawanabe, Kagoshima, Japan 鹿児島県南九州市川辺町
I have decided I want a good quality 60cm tank and stand, but no way am I going to pay aquaessentials prices for them.... so.... DIY it is. I started the stand yesterday. I got a whole sheet of 12mm plywood, which was about £20. The top, bottom and both sides were routed to make lap joints so it was more stable and the pieces were glued and pinned into place.

It's quite a low stand as I want to be easily able to see it from my bed (very lazy!) Dimensions are 60cm wide x 40cm back x 70cm tall. The tank will be a 60x40x40.

The pics:

stand2.jpg


stand1.jpg


I will probably make the tank around Christmas time when I have more time to get things done.

Tom
 
When I built my sump I went straight to the glaziers (not the yank in charge of man u) and gave them the measurements and got my glass within the hour. Make sure you ask for beveled edges, I got beveled for the outside edges but said not to bother beveling the edges for the baffles (Big mistake!!) lost count how many times I badley cut myself!!!

Cheers Tim
 
I can't remember the exact amount but for the 5 pieces plus 3 baffle pieces (tank was 24x18x12) i'm sure it was only about £40ish for float glass.

If you know your sizes just give one of them a ring, they should be able to give you a quote over the phone and give you choices of glass eg; clarity etc.

Cheers Tim
 
Do you have a circular saw table for cutting the pieces?

No but I wish I did, it would be soooo much easier! :lol:

Also how do you calculate it can take the weight of the tank without sagging?

I've used 12mm plywood, but that's the thinnest I would want to go. It's very stable too with the joints. I am considering putting a verticle brace or partition inside the cabinet to help it even more though. The back piece keeps it straight and stable, along with the bar across the front. 2ft tanks aren't massively heavy so it should be fine but I'll watch it (if my desk can take one, then.. :lol: - but thats not a good rule to go on ;) )

I'm not sure where to find an actual guide for calculalting wood thickness etc for tank sizes

Tom
 
Finished sanding off today, hung the door and did the primer/undercoating layer. Off to the local DIY shop in a bit to get the top coat grey, levelling feet and a magnetic strip for the tweesers/scissors etc.

The door is slightly lower on the right hand side, but that should be easily fixable B)

More pics now then:

Resize-Wizard-3.jpg


Resize-Wizard-4.jpg


Resize-Wizard-5.jpg


Tom
 
Yep the closest I found this evening was Midnight Jewels 3 from Dulux (I think thats what it was) so I had a litre mixed up for me. I also got a magnetic door catch too but couldnt find the feet to level it off perfectly. Will paint it tomorrow if the weathers any better.

Tom
 
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