Floydie83's 60 Gal. Custom Rimless Cube

I have to admit I'm not the guy to criticize. I was just going by looks but I believe that it can be done with ply if it is planned well. Even paper can be structurally strong if done the right way. Just testing your thought process Floyd. Carry on.

 

Thanks! Definitely! Better safe than sorry. I appreciate the concern.

 

Yes,
I worded that wrong. I'm in ME so statics and strengths of materials is as structural as we go. I meant the deflection of a solid timber vs a piece of plywood under the load of a 60 gallon glass box full of corrosive liquid in your home would be much less. Wink wink
I've also seen plywood delaminate in a damp environment, which scares me for an aquarium.

 

Whisky, definitely hear you on the delamination this is a concern. With the few coats of Killz primer water should be held out well.

Not really sure why you think this stand will be less stiff, or your concern with defections? Are you talking about vertical deflection of the stand under load or bending of the top of the tank? I disagree, deflections will not be extremely different for plywood vs lumber. You have to consider the fact stiffness is a matter of modulus and geometry.

 

Are you going to use oil base enamel for the finish?

 

Yes, I'm thinking so. I already used oil based primer. I am also thinking of some other exterior ideas.

 

I worked with kilz for years. It's good as a primer, and nothing beats oil based enamel for weathering. There may be new paint out there by now. But that should hold the ply together.

 

So I ran a little experiment today. I wanted to show that most stands that people building are way more than the capacity they need. Based on earlier discussion I conservatively assumed the weight of the tank and materials to be 650 lbs. I have a bunch of steel angle for some projects we have going on here in the lab. So I loaded the stand on up...to 1300 lbs. A factor of safety of 2 should be more than plenty. Each angle pictured weighs 25 lbs. Nothing flexed, nothing moved, nothing creaked...

There's a lot of ways to safely build a stand. This is just one. Most stands are way over designed in terms of compressive strength, and in my opinion a little scary i terms of lateral stiffness. Definitely better safe than sorry is the motto all should take.

 

I agree. I haven't really ever used oil based stuff till this project. I can feel that the finish is very hard. I know there is a reason it is still worth having to clean up with the mineral spirits!

 

Ya, it is messy. Better in the long run though.