Finally finished my stand

[dedfish]

Here are a couple pics of the new and improved stand I made for my 40Breeder. Maximizing the useable space underneath was a top goal. Click for detail.


Front Panel On


Front Panel Off

 

[skatezen]

Nice job man!

 

[dedfish]

Grrrr...the top is not level. There is a bubble in the plywood. I think I an going to route out the top and then try and sand down the edge where it bubbles up. Any other ideas? I don't want to use a self leveling bar top poly because the tank trim would then not be hidden by the stand trim.

 

[smcnally]

How big is the bubble? I had the same issue on a stand I built once and found it easier to plane it as flat as I could get it. It went a little deep so I used a tiny shim in that spot. Looks nice BTW. I like the fully finished back. Is it going in the middle of a room?

 

[dedfish]

The back isn't fully finished. It is going up against a wall. The bubble causes the tank to be about 1/8" out of whack.

 

[NateHanson]

If it's just a void in the plywood under the bubble, maybe you could just put the tank on it and fill with water to flatten it out? Can you push the bubble down with your finger? If yes, then I don't expect it would cause stress on your filled tank.

 

[marco67]

Looks Nice,
If your using a glass tank the bubble is a non issue. A glass tank only makes contact around the edges. Also I would consider some "weep" holes to allow evaporation of any moisture that gets traped between.

 

[dedfish]

It's not a void and I can't press it down.

I am using a glass tank, but the bubble is on the edge so it causes the trim to not make even contact all arround. One corner is about an 1/8" off. When you suggest weep holes are you referring to holes in the top? If so, I am going to route out the top so that it's not solid.

 

[NateHanson]

I'd just use a plane to level that little bubble dedfish. I'm very suprised that you got a rigid bubble in plywood. What sort of plywood are you using?

 

[dedfish]

The plywood is 1/2 birch. I was talking to a coworker this mornign and he suggested it may not be the plywood at all and suggested I check out the 2x4 frame underneath. I think I am going to pull the top off and check that out first. He mentioned something about the crown of the 2x4. Make sense?

 

[NateHanson]

Yeah, I think you're coworker is probably correct. I thought you were saying that there was a small bump in the plywood, but if the "bubble" is over the whole length of the top, it's much more likely that the frame you're attaching the plywood to is warped. 2x4s really aren't all that straight or dimensionally stable. if you have a 36" straight edge you can place it on top of the plywood, across the front and back width, and diagonally corner to corner. Then I'd loosen the screws holding the plywood to the frame, shim the plywood so it will be secured flat, and then retighten the screws and check again with the straightedge. Might take a few iterations to get it right.

Nate

 

[karl wagner]

could be the floor too!!

 

[NateHanson]

Good point Karl. I'd certainly recommend leveling feet for any stand to help with that problem.

In dedfish's case, I sort of doubt the stand would deform to the floor without water weight on it. If the empty 40g tank is enough to deform your stand, I'd rethink your design.

 

[dedfish]

It's not the floor. I know my floor isn't level, but I can see the stand is out of whack with zero weight on it just by laying my 24" level across the top. And I'm not sure if I can take the top off now that I think of it because I may have nailed the trim into it.

 

[dedfish]

Yup...I can't take the top off without removing the trim and that sounds like a major PIA. I guess I am left with the sanding option.

 

[NateHanson]

Sanding is unpleasant, and you might have trouble making it flat that way, but it sounds like that's your only option. Are you using a belt sander? Be careful and go slowly. Those things have a way of getting a lot more done than you had planned.

 

[dedfish]

Yea, I'm a little scared of over doing it. I don't have a belt sander, but wish I did. I have a square palm sander but I don't think that's the right tool for the job. I may have to do it by hand *GASP*!!

 

[dedfish]

I just had a crazy idea of using a router and a short pattern bit. I could run the router on top of the trim and use is as the guide for the bit. The bit would have to me short though to allow me to set it at 1/5" deep and still use the trim as the guide. Hmmmm.....

 

[NateHanson]

Something like that would work, but only if 1) your trim is flat and in plane, and 2) your trim is at least an inch wide on top to provide a surface for the router to sit on.

A square palm sander is the least aggressive type (maybe only slightly faster than hand sanding), and It would take approximately eternity to take 1/8" off a portion of that plywood top.

What about removing the trim with the top? Sounds like a pain now, but may pale in comparison to either of the above alternatives.

Nate

 

[dedfish]

I'm changing my name to Murphy.