These will be placed between the square frames, and parallel to the 36" pieces. I will need to cut (8) 29" pieces, to add to the corners. Since I ran out of wood, I will have to continue this build in a day or two. To support the weight of a full tank, we need (8) more support beams. If you were to place a tank on this stand, as is, all the weight would be on the few screws along the perimeter. Now all we need to do is add some support beams. Use (2) screws, to drill them in place, from the outside face of the stand. This will give the stand some added rigidity. Place these on the inside, up against the 36" pieces. You should now have a basic looking stand. (2) drilled straight through the front face, and (2) from the side.įlip the stand over, and repeat this process for the other square frame. Use the Carpenters level to check for straightness as you go. Easiest to place the square frame on a flat, level table. With the aide of a clamp, screw the 36" pieces to the inside of one of the frames. Since you will be screwing pretty close together, use a small drill bit to drill pilot holes, to prevent the wood from splitting. Cutting the inside pieces to 16", plus the 3" added by the (2) 2x4's, will put me at the 19" I want. Using a hard, flat, level surface, make (2) square frames by drilling together the 16" pieces, to the inside of the 37" pieces, using (2) screws per corner. I then lightly sanded the edges clean of any burs. This will give me a 1/2" of play around the whole tank, while still allowing enough support surface. I want the stand to be 36" tall, and 37" x 19". I used a miter saw (not pictured), to cut 2x4's down to the sizes I measured out for the build. *Small piece of coarse sandpaper (not shown) Any bigger, and you'll want to either use 4x4's, or a custom steel frame. I'm building this stand for the dimensions of the 40B tank (36" x 18"), but this design will work for any tank up to about 200 gallons (provided extra support beams). If everything goes as planned, it should be here in 2 weeks. Just placed an order for a new 40 Breeder.
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