I need ideas for 40 breeder DIY stand

Anyone have any plans i can use for a DIY 40 breeder stand? I am very new to carpentry, Just woods 1 Highschool experience, And tips and tricks for it would be usefull. Also i am planning on buying a saw to do this and i saw one at manards for 40 bucks and it looked good dunno what brand it is. I believe its a miter saw. Any and all help is highly welcomed

 

I just built a stand for my 40 breeder last month. http://www.3reef.com/forums/new-hobby/what-kind-wood-stand-build-113421-6.html Look at post #57 for pics. If you know the lengths that you will need, lowes may cut the wood for you as well.

 

This is super helpfull and full of ideas! Thank you very much. I will probably end up buying the saw anyway due to wanting to do some other projects. Should i just invest in a 100 Dollar saw instead? It is on sale down from 75 bucks so idk

 

Also, What kind of wood did you use? I will probably end up painting it black anyways so as long as it is durable it doesnt matter to me

 

This is what I used: Top Choice 2 x 4 x 8 Kiln-Dried Douglas-Fir S4S Lumber. I also used decking screw and 3/4" plywood for the top of the stand for the tank to sit on. I used 1/4 oak plywood for the outside of the stand to dress it up some.

I also used Simpson Strong-Tie Rigid Tie Connector Z-MAX along with Simpson Strong-Tie GA2 3 1/4" x 1 1/4" Gusset Angle.

 

Whatever plan you decide on, make sure the cuts are square. I used lowes to cut mine and ended up having to cut them all again to make sure they were square. Square cuts will make the assembly process much easier. Also, just a quick tip, if you do a top and bottom frame with "legs" connecting them like most people do, have the legs butt up to the frames, don't screw them to the inside. By doing this, all the weight is supported by the wood, and not by the screws.

 

Rico good advice I didn't even think about that

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anyone else have tips or advise? So 2x4 would be more than enough? What if i decided to not do the center brace for the back part of the tank for easy access, Would that be a problem? I guess i could just put in my sump through the side.

 

I just put up a 30g long so you have similar dimensions to mine, yours is just a little wider. I used 2x4 for it and didn't have any center legs in mine. Your 40g will have ~100lbs more water weight than mine. If it were me, I would probably do a center brace in the front so you could still use doors and the some diagonal braces that run from the top frame to the legs. That should give you plenty of room as well as support. Here is a link to my build thread, the first post has pictures including one of just the stand frame.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/ricoops-30g-long-build-122805.html

 

Sounds good i will do that