The stand is the easy part...

[Aquattro]

Now I need doors. Anyone got any ideas on DIY doors that can be made with a hammer and a screwdriver? Other option is order doors from a cabinet company, unless I can find matching pre-made doors...

[sphelps]

Pre-made is the only option I can think of with those tools. Ikea has various sizes and colors for pretty cheap. What color do you need?

[Aquattro]

Pre-made is the only option I can think of with those tools. Ikea has various sizes and colors for pretty cheap. What color do you need?

Just a bare oak, I'll stain black myself. I hadn't thought of Ikea, I'll see if they have sizes that will work. Thx

[Aquattro]

Oh, and I do have a few more tools, mitre saw, router, and I use Rona's table saw. My router experience is limited to acrylic though, so not sure it's much use to me with wood :)

[phi delt reefer]

do you have a drill?

[sphelps]

Not sure Ikea will have bare oak, in fact not sure anywhere that sells "bare" oak, typically they are pre-finished and fairly expensive. You could probably find some oak boards and have them cut to size. Ebay may also be a good place to find something, I used a guy from ebay to make some oak boards for a project a while ago, I just gave him the sizes I needed and he jointed some panels together and cut everything to size, pretty cheap too. I can give you his email if you want, he's located in Canada so shipping is reasonable.

[Aquattro]

do you have a drill?

Oh, ya, and a drill :)

[Aquattro]

Not sure Ikea will have bare oak, in fact not sure anywhere that sells "bare" oak, typically they are pre-finished and fairly expensive. You could probably find some oak boards and have them cut to size. Ebay may also be a good place to find something, I used a guy from ebay to make some oak boards for a project a while ago, I just gave him the sizes I needed and he jointed some panels together and cut everything to size, pretty cheap too. I can give you his email if you want, he's located in Canada so shipping is reasonable.

Now that you mention it, I recall an ad on usedvictoria for a cabinet maker advertising making tank stands, I'll check with that guy!

[Bandit]

The reclaiming centers usually have a ton of cabinet doors at cheap prices. Try the Habitat for Humanity sites.

[phi delt reefer]

you can build a schweet door than.


measure panels to they cover you stand completely. go to rona, have them cut birch or oak veenered plywood about half an inch bigger than you need it all the way around. use a straight edge and your router to clean up the cut lines and cut down the panels to the correct size. Have a look at my build, it will look super modern. you can add some trim tape to the edges if you want to really clean it up - having a router will make it look super pro (you just need an iron and steady hands to apply it - comes in a roll and is stainable)

You also need to get some euro-hinges (look like kitchen cabinet hinges) and a special 35mm bit (forgot what its called, but it starts with an F i think - if you buy the hinges ask the people at rona, they will tell you).

your stand will look like an ELOS stand this way.

[Aquattro]

I made doors out of oak ply in the past, with the taped edges, but over time, I found they warped from the moisture. The larger of the sizes needs to be about 17 x 27, so I'm worried about using ply without a frame to keep it straight.

[sphelps]

you can build a schweet door than.


measure panels to they cover you stand completely. go to rona, have them cut birch or oak veenered plywood about half an inch bigger than you need it all the way around. use a straight edge and your router to clean up the cut lines and cut down the panels to the correct size. Have a look at my build, it will look super modern. you can add some trim tape to the edges if you want to really clean it up - having a router will make it look super pro (you just need an iron and steady hands to apply it - comes in a roll and is stainable)

You also need to get some euro-hinges (look like kitchen cabinet hinges) and a special 35mm bit (forgot what its called, but it starts with an F i think - if you buy the hinges ask the people at rona, they will tell you).

your stand will look like an ELOS stand this way.

^ Forstner bit

I wouldn't use plywood from HD or Rona for doors or removable panels, they are manufactured poorly and always warp. Somewhere like windsor plywood sells much better plywood that comes straight and stays straight.

[phi delt reefer]

^ Forstner bit

I wouldn't use plywood from HD or Rona for doors or removable panels, they are manufactured poorly and always warp. Somewhere like windsor plywood sells much better plywood that comes straight and stays straight.


+1 - the plywood i got had some bowing in it - get the good stuff if you can. It needs to be 5/8 to 3/4 thick to allow for the correct hole depth for the hinge.

MDF is usually pretty straight I think (someone please verify this). You can just paint that black (forgo the stain). If you get some super glossy paint and do a good job it will look like acrylic :)

[sphelps]

Yeah good quality 3/4" ply won't bow or warp over time but you'll want to stain all surfaces to be sure moisture doesn't sink in. MDF is very straight but a moo point...

[Aquattro]

Hmm, didn't know there was a difference in playwood, just thought it was all the same. I used 1/2" last time, so I guess that can warp more easily...

[Aquattro]

Yeah good quality 3/4" ply won't bow or warp over time but you'll want to stain all surfaces to be sure moisture doesn't sink in. MDF is very straight but a moo point...

Ya, MDF isn't an option, it'll need to all match.

I emailed the guy from usedvic about what he can do, but thicker plywood might work too. I suppose I could use corner moldings to give it some depth/detail instead of the veneer tape...

[sphelps]

Do you need doors? On my last stand I just used a removable plywood panel to cover the entire front of the stand. It attached with magnets and made maintenance easier compared to doors. It also cost less and I think it looks better as well.

https://www.beatfiltering.com/index.php/1010110A/a121c171d568ca68b5aae74437b34a7d0ca0c0aa98bfc1d208 4e281f9350a6cab43ce23dd7e61583504b761438127ece69b7 37ded0d6dfdcafd75485add503a07b9ac5fc84461a7032b0ce 6518913

[Aquattro]

Ya, I need doors. It needs to look like furniture. I used panels on my last large tank, and it was a hassle for the easy stuff, just check this, tweak that kind stuff. I built the openings large enough that I can work on the sump fairly easily, most stuff will be behind the centre duoble doors. giving me 24x26 worth of access.

[sphelps]

Fair enough

[Lance]

You also need to get some euro-hinges (look like kitchen cabinet hinges) and a special 35mm bit (forgot what its called, but it starts with an F i think - if you buy the hinges ask the people at rona, they will tell you).



Forstner bit

[Chin_Lee]

check craigslist for cabinet doors. many people with oak cabinets or "upgrading" to other cabinets and will often sell them for cheap.

[lastlight]

I did the same thing as Sphelps but not as nice looking. It is a door it's just not hinged. It's easier to mount, remove entirely for access and no hinges visible. You get it flush this way where I find even with the hidden hinges it sticks out a touch.

Why does it need to be hinged?

And nice work Sphelps.

[Aquattro]

Why does it need to be hinged?



The design has 4 doors, since it's a bit over 6' long. I didn't want one panel to remove, since then you have to put it down somewhere, move it here, drop it against the wall over there, etc. And if I just want to check something, it's easier to swing door open, take a look, close door. Over my different tank builds, I've had both, and prefer real doors. My current stand has nothing, and that's kinda fugly, so overall, for aesthetics and ease of access, I went with doors. Since I have the centre beams in place, there's no going back :)

[phi delt reefer]

I did the same thing as Sphelps but not as nice looking. It is a door it's just not hinged. It's easier to mount, remove entirely for access and no hinges visible. You get it flush this way where I find even with the hidden hinges it sticks out a touch.

Why does it need to be hinged?

And nice work Sphelps.

this happens for two reason, one hinge was not aligned or correctly installed. though the eurohinge does have a couple adjustment screws so it has some forgiveness built into it.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af43/vinceispatel/006.jpg

the other is the door isnt cut prefectly straight. I experienced both of this problems but was able to remedy them. You need to get the correct euro-hinge as well - they have 5-6 different types; overlay, half overlay, inset, etc.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af43/vinceispatel/004.jpg

use a router and straight edge and your door will be perfectly square. make sure the frame that the door closes against is prefectly flat. 2x4's and other structural lumber has subtle's bows in it so be aware of that as well.

take your time, measure 3x then cut. don't guess anywhere :D

dont mind the wood filler, i have a ton of sanding to do;

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af43/vinceispatel/007-1.jpg

[SmallFry]

Now I need doors. Anyone got any ideas on DIY doors that can be made with a hammer and a screwdriver? Other option is order doors from a cabinet company, unless I can find matching pre-made doors...

Dunno about a hammer and a screwdriver, but you can do something decent with that plus a tablesaw or/and a router.

Basically you use 1/4" ply for the centre panel and 3/4" solid wood usually sold as (1x whatever - 1/4" is lost in the planing process) for the edges. You use tablesaw or router to cut a 1/4" groove down the middle of one edge of all the edge pieces and then cut a 1/4" thick tenon in the ends of the top pieces which fits into the groove on the side pieces. You then cut the centre panel so it fits into the grooves. Assemble the edges around the centre panel with a few dabs of glue in the groove so the panel doesn't rattle.

It's pretty easy if you work out all your dimensions beforehand so you know what you're doing.

They end up looking something like this:
http://www.mts.net/~sempers/tankstand2.jpg

My wood and ply came from Windsor Plywood, they have ready planed wood, though I used a planer to do my own because rough wood was cheaper. If you have any questions I'll do the best I can to help...

[Skimmerking]

Ya rob has some great wood working skills I saw his stand u can put Victoria island that stand could hold the cn tower too all at the same time

[Aquattro]

They end up looking something like this:
http://www.mts.net/~sempers/tankstand2.jpg



Ya, that's kinda what I'm looking for! Not sure I can cut the corners as you did tho, wouldn't know where to start.
Did you cut the 1/4" groove down the centre of the frame?

[SmallFry]

Ya, that's kinda what I'm looking for! Not sure I can cut the corners as you did tho, wouldn't know where to start.
Did you cut the 1/4" groove down the centre of the frame?

Corners are easy because of the way it's put together - no mitres.. :biggrin: The 1/4" tenon you cut in the end of the one piece fits into the groove you've already cut in the other. I'll see if I can scan some sketches or something over the weekend and put them up..

If you're planning on using expensive hardwood, you could always do a test run on some cheap softwood to get the hang of it..

[SmallFry]

OK, sorry it took so long I couldn't scan it because I realised I don't have a scanner any more.. I ended up taking a photo of a piece of paper... :redface:

http://www.mts.net/~sempers/cupboard_doors.jpg

Hope it helps anyway..
Rob.

[Aquattro]

Rob, thanks, that does help. It would help more of someone cut that for me tho :)

[Jason McK]

Great thread. I'm looking to build a stand this week end and this has helped a lot

J