stands

How do fish tank stands hold so much weight?? All they are made of is 2 inch thick wood going around

 

First, this is in the wrong board. ASAP is meant for emergencies only.

Anyway...it's not the thickness that is so important structurally, as some materials are stronger than others. There are many ways of doing things.

If a stand is built of wood, it is best to have grain go vertically when using plywood or hardwood sheets. If using dimensional lumber, the strongest side of a board is the thickness. Basically, it is the least likely to bend. When wood grain goes horizontally, it has more room to bend. I'll add a pic to further explain in a bit.

Metal is much denser than wood. But generally the same idea applies. The atoms are in patterns. So you have to know which way is best (if that makes sense to you).

 

This drawing illustrates what happens when pressure is applied to a 2x4 (each showed from side view. Not to scale). Each is exaggerated to show how it bends. The wider the surface area of the structural element, the weaker it ultimately is. A vertical (so on end) 2x4 used as a cabinet leg, will have more strength than say, the horizontal brace, which spreads the weight around the stand. The vertical leg will actually be holding most of the weight.

 

+1. Great info.

 

Here is the stand I built for a 75g tank. It wasn't screwed together at the time, but you can see what I mean.

 

Hopefully this won't confuse you, but this shows how a member of another forum had their stand built out of aluminum (I think that's right. lol) for their 1,300 gallon reef.

 

That looks insane.

 

I wish I could find the build thread back.