Aquarium stand frame

C

chrisT

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[I thought I would share some photos of the stand I am building for My new 140 gal. This is just the main structure of the stand, I will soon skin it with 3/4 in maple plywood and some decorative trim. I built this stand so I could avoid a center brace on the front opening of the stand, One less thing to get in the way. I will still place a center brace to supprt the single horizontal 2x6, I did not double stack the rear 2x6 so I could have clearance for the plumbing. I will post some more pics as I make progress. :p



stand pictures]
 
[LOL I bet it could, but I figured the full tank was going to be close to a ton, yeah a little overkill. :wwww:]
 
[Hi
Very nice fitting, but you could have skipped the center 2x's unless you have a acrylic tank, glass tanks don't touch in the center. But I over enginer stuff like that too.
Joe]
 
[That looks really nice. What color are you going to stain it?]
 
[Nice job, Chris!! That turned out real well. Like Rick queried, if you hadn't planned on it, you might consider putting a few coats of poly on the inside as well. Having the outside coated, and the inside not, can lead to uneven mositure absorption on a board, which can lead to warping. Sealing both sides kinda keeps moisture release and absorption to relatively equal levels. Again, nice job!]
 
[This weekend I routed some trim to line the topedge of the stand, I am planing on staining and sealing the inside also, but probably will be alot less particular about how it turns out. I plan on stainig with a light wall nut then use a darker galse to give the inner panel a shadowed effect, It will bring out the trimmed peices alot better. Right now its hard to even see the trim some times. Later on this week I will start on the doors, need some more router bits, I got a new beismyer router table and I had to play with it. :wwww:



All trimmed out]
 
[That's pretty cool, Chris. Looks GREAT!!

Woodworking has developed into my latest passion over the last couple of years. I've used the Van Dyke's Brown glaze with some success, but be careful with it, it can make a mess in a hurry. If you aren't spraying the poly, it can be difficult to keep the glaze from dorking up the finish, if brushing or wiping, when you do the top coat.

Recently I used brown Antiquwax, thinned with mineral spirits, wiped all over the project. When wiping/buffing off, I left the brown wax in various corners and crevices, creating an instant patina and antique look. This was obviously applied after the topcoating was done, and was very simple to control. Just an idea.

Have you heard of or tried the Transtint/Transfast dyes? (www.homesteadfinishing.com) They give much better coloration than pigment stains, such as Minwax, which tend to muddy the grain, imo. As a top coat, poly blends offer decent protection, but marine spar varnish is just about bulletproof in this application.

When I made my DIY stand, I didn't even stain the inside at all. Just sprayed it with Minwax Marine Spar Varnish, thinned of course.

What kind of router are you using in that table? I didn't know Biesemeyer made a router table, is it just a tablesaw extention table?

Again, nice job! Can't wait to see it finished.]
 
[I have a porter cable router, and yes it is a table saw extension, it is brace by aluminum on all four side so it does not sag and does not require legs. I just started wood working and I am still a novice, but I really enjoy it. When it comes to finishes this will be my first attempt at glazing or like you said any kind of patina. I think I might try the antiquewax being that I am pretty new at this. After thinning are you using an hvlp gun to apply the varnish? I have recently come across mohawk finishes and they are supposed to really good also, minwax olympia dont hold a candle.


By the way know of any good literature on finishing techniques?

Thanks for the advice]
 
[Chris,

Which PC router did you get? Those raised panel bits are large, and while I use my 2.25hp Bosch, I have to really dial down the speed, and take several passes. The rail and stile bits(get a matched pair) are ok, but the raised panel bits are about 3.5 inches in diameter, and are pretty scarey to use for the first time.

I built a router cabinet and table, but have been thinking about adding router table extension to my saw also. I've got a Delta 36-444 and Incra TS/LS fence, that I love!

I've heard of Mohawk, but haven't used it. Never heard anything bad about it though. I have a 2 stage HVLP rig that I use when spraying, but tbh, I don't spray very often. Not having a proper spray booth, I'm a bit concerned about the explosive potential when spraying.

My favorite finishes lately have included using Watco Danish Oil, Shellac(that I mix myself from flakes), and Waterlox. When I'm going after a color, I use the Transtint/Transfast dyes. I wouldn't touch a can of minwax stain now, unless I was using it to match another piece that used it.

One of the best books I have is "Great Wood Finishes" by Jeff Jewitt. He has the website www.homesteadfinishing.com. There is a great finishing forum there, and Jeff frequently fields questions there himself.

There's another book by Flexner I have, "Understanding Wood Finishes"(I think that's the name), and it is also excellent.

Here's a link to some pics of my latest project.

http://www.woodworkersweb.com/modules....&page=2]
 
[I'm very impressed Duane, that looks well built and beautifully varnished. Do you still have a reef tank? :laugh long:]
 
[I really run my router slow and make several passes also, otherwise I get some chip out and burning. The router is a 1.75 hp pc. What kind of wood did you use for your raised panels? They look GREAT!!! actually the whole peice looks great. The problem I run into now is that milling stock down is difficult with no planer or jointer, I may rough cut strips down and edge glue them then try hand planning it, or use some decrotive glass for my panels , I havent made up my mind yet.

By the way where do you get your wood from?

Thanks for all your advice, I am going to wait until I have read through jeff's book before I stain this stand, in the mean time I am going to start on the canopy.

Thanks Again

Chris]
 
[I'm guessing you have the PC 690 then? The raised panels might be a bit difficult on that router, but you can do it. I'd plan on taking several, as in 5 or 6 passes, to make the raised panels if you are using a horizontal bit. That's what I had to do with mine. Another option is to use a vertical panel raising bit. It does really well with lower powered routers.

I used curly cherry for the crib frame, and premium curly cherry for the panels. I buy most of my wood from www.curlywoods.com. They are located in McKinney just up the road from me. The owner, Mike Mastin, is a great guy.

I sometimes purchase wood from Hardwood Lumber Company in Dallas. They are pretty nice over there as well.

Either of those places will joint and plane your wood for you, for a milling fee. Often that's pretty negotiable. I often ask Mike at Curly woods to plane my lumber, as his planer uses a helical cutter head as opposed to knives mine uses, and that's somewhat more suitable to the highly figured lumber, ime. That said, mine does fine on normal stock.

I purchased a jointer and a planer about a year ago, and have been very happy with having them. They really open up your possibilities. If you've just got a few boards, you're welcome to come over and we can run them through my planer, and put a good edge on them.

The cool thing about Jeff's book, is that in the back he has several recipes based on skill/experience level. I've used many of the methods, and have been real pleased with the results.

Good luck!

Duane]
 
[Hey everybody I just wanted to update this and show everyone the stained product, not finished but getting closer. I still need one more coat of poly and to add the antique glaze then seal it again. The inside has been sprayed with spar poly to give the bare wood some protection against the saltcreep. I still need to make the doors, off to curlywoods in Mckinney this saturday to pick up some quartersawn red oak for the raised panels. Just wanted to share and Thanks to Duane for pointing me to some invaluable information. :beerchug:



Stained Stand!]
 
[Chris,

That is coming along great!! When you get to Curly Woods, ask for Mike, and please tell him I said hello. He's the owner, but quickly becomes as much a friend as a store owner. He doesn't often work there during the week, but his staff are all very helpful and knowledgeable. I can't remember all their names, but anyone of them could help you if you need any. Frank in particular is excellent.

Also...if you are gonna spring for the quartersawn(excellent choice for panels, btw, much more stable) look at their curly quartersawn. It'll knock your socks off. I almost can't purchase nonfigured lumber anymore. :)

Can't wait to see what you come up with from there! I can just wander around in there for hours sometimes! :cool grin:]
 
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