# a question for stand builders



## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm going to be building a new stand in a few weeks and I was wondering what types of woods ( fir , spruce, or pine.) people are using to build their stands with and where are you getting it from . I'm tired of shopping at home depot or lowe's I'm not impressed with the quality of wood. It's going to be a simple stand for now and I'll add doors and other stuff in the summer when the weather warms up as I don't have and in closed garage to do painting or staining . Any suggestions would be great . thanks


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## TheBigCheese (Oct 1, 2012)

Did you try looking at Rona? Just need 2x4s and plywood really. Use Cabinet grade plywood if you want to just paint it and rough plywood if you're going to cover it in formica or something.

2x4s http://www.rona.ca/en/house-construction/framing

plywood. http://www.rona.ca/en/house-construction/plywood-and-osb


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks. But I was wondering what types of wood's .Like spruce , fir or pine.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I bought all the wood for my stand from Dicks Lumber. They had nice oak veneer plywood and the 2x4's were actually straight. Unlike the crap from Homedepot. Although if you are building a bow & arrow...........

Here's some pictures of my stand. My buddy built it for. http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/album.php?albumid=326


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

What size tank is the stand for. 2x4's are not required unless you want extra weight. 3/4" plywood glued and screwed together is all you need. This would hold hundreds of pounds per square inch.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

jbyoung00008 said:


> I bought all the wood for my stand from Dicks Lumber. They had nice oak veneer plywood and the 2x4's were actually straight. Unlike the crap from Homedepot. Although if you are building a bow & arrow...........
> 
> Here's some pictures of my stand. My buddy built it for. http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/album.php?albumid=326


Thanks . I will check it out . What type of wood did you use for the 2x4 frame?


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

I get my 2x4's and solid pine panels from Home Depot. I just cherry pick the 2x4's and grab the straightest ones I can find. They are just construction grade, not sure what type of wood. Any plywood and MDF I need I get from Windsor Plywood. They have lots of selection.


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## TheBigCheese (Oct 1, 2012)

bonsai dave said:


> Thanks. But I was wondering what types of wood's .Like spruce , fir or pine.


They're all pretty much the same, they're all softwoods. I'd just go look and see which one fits your budget. If you're going to stain it and want a nice wood grain than pick whatever looks the nicest. Higher grade of any of them has a sanded finished side and is easier to paint.

+1 


target said:


> I get my 2x4's and solid pine panels from Home Depot. I just cherry pick the 2x4's and grab the straightest ones I can find. They are just construction grade, not sure what type of wood. Any plywood and MDF I need I get from Windsor Plywood. They have lots of selection.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

bonsai dave said:


> Thanks . I will check it out . What type of wood did you use for the 2x4 frame?


We/ He used standard 2x4's. I had to buy solid oak for all the trim and around the doors. Fortunate for me my buddy is a custom door builder so I bought the solid oak from his shop. The hard part was finding veneer plywood that I could also find solid wood to match. I spoke with some guys at his work about different wood types and what would work and stain the best. Oak was easy to find so I went with that. I wish I had more pictures of the build. Best part is my buddy owed me lots of favors for fixing his cars all the time so the stand was FREE. I just had to pay for wood.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm building a stand for a 190 gallon acrylic 54" X 27"x30" .and a 170 gallon acrylic 68x24x24.



sunshine_1965 said:


> What size tank is the stand for. 2x4's are not required unless you want extra weight. 3/4" plywood glued and screwed together is all you need. This would hold hundreds of pounds per square inch.


I have done that and it's a pain in the bum. I'll check out windsor 


target said:


> I get my 2x4's and solid pine panels from Home Depot. I just cherry pick the 2x4's and grab the straightest ones I can find. They are just construction grade, not sure what type of wood. Any plywood and MDF I need I get from Windsor Plywood. They have lots of selection.


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## hondas3000 (Apr 22, 2010)

Dave, first you need to know or want your stand to look like and getting the right plywood. Either paint it or stain and how high the stand and what type of wood grain you want with plywood. In the end it's not how good the plywood but how good your skill is to make it comes out good.


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## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

There is a Winsdor in North Van there just off Main by all the railway cars. (not sure what the exact crossroad is) It's really personal preference what wood to use. Personally, I don't like the heavy grain of oak. But that's just me! (except maybe if it's quartersawn, that can be nice...)
If you're going to paint it, just go cheap. fir, pine.... 
Remember though the hardwoods will not ding up as easily.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks Dave. I want to stain it . I'm still learning when it comes to carpentry and my skill are not that great but getting better .I want to build a a 2x4 frame and then i want to skin it with a oak or maple plywood.



hondas3000 said:


> Dave, first you need to know or want your stand to look like and getting the right plywood. Either paint it or stain and how high the stand and what type of wood grain you want with plywood. In the end it's not how good the plywood but how good your skill is to make it comes out good.


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## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

oh, and I also second Dick's. Dick's and Windsor are where it's at!


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Although I spend huge amounts of $ at Dicks, I would suggest Windsor for selection and quality when it comes to the plywoods. As I mentioned in another thread the other day you can get 3/4" Grade A2 birch for I believe it was $46 a 4x8 sheet at windsor in burnaby and 3/4 g2s red oak for $54 a sheet there as well both can be stained but really all boils down to personal preference on the look which will decide what wood you go with. The benefit of going to windsor as well is they will rip it to what you want, I believe usually 2 rips for free and $2 a rip after that which can save you lots of headaches if you don't have the setup at home to do it easily yourself. Just make sure you plan the cabinet out and take a list of exactly what you need done with you. Once again, you'll spend more going with a skin of plywood and 2x4s and double the amount of work you have to do... so whats the point =)


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Set up a commercial account at those places if you want to buy there. Their list prices tend to be high as most of their customers have accounts with trade discounts.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm not sure if they have a dick's lumber in north Vancouver.


77_Bus_Girl said:


> oh, and I also second Dick's. Dick's and Windsor are where it's at!


Yes I have been to that one. I want to stain it . I don't want to spend a arm and a leg building it but I want it to look nice.



77_Bus_Girl said:


> There is a Winsdor in North Van there just off Main by all the railway cars. (not sure what the exact crossroad is) It's really personal preference what wood to use. Personally, I don't like the heavy grain of oak. But that's just me! (except maybe if it's quartersawn, that can be nice...)
> If you're going to paint it, just go cheap. fir, pine....
> Remember though the hardwoods will not ding up as easily.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks for your input . I see your point . I have never built with plywood . I have built a few stands with 2x 4 instead.



kacairns said:


> Although I spend huge amounts of $ at Dicks, I would suggest Windsor for selection and quality when it comes to the plywoods. As I mentioned in another thread the other day you can get 3/4" Grade A2 birch for I believe it was $46 a 4x8 sheet at windsor in burnaby and 3/4 g2s red oak for $54 a sheet there as well both can be stained but really all boils down to personal preference on the look which will decide what wood you go with. The benefit of going to windsor as well is they will rip it to what you want, I believe usually 2 rips for free and $2 a rip after that which can save you lots of headaches if you don't have the setup at home to do it easily yourself. Just make sure you plan the cabinet out and take a list of exactly what you need done with you. Once again, you'll spend more going with a skin of plywood and 2x4s and double the amount of work you have to do... so whats the point =)


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

bonsai dave said:


> Thanks for your input . I see your point . I have never built with plywood . I have built a few stands with 2x 4 instead.


There is a dicks lumber in North Vancouver, but I avoid it like the plague and go to Standard building supplies, its a small yard and rather busy especially if you need to take your vehicle in. You don't usually need a account, just ask for contractor pricing and they'll give you the default discount usually. Also even with my company discount at windsor plywood, there isn't much of a discount from their list price if any on most things.

If you're skinning the cabinet, you'd be covering the joints with mouldings ( say outside corners ), hide your screws under those trim pieces and as sunshine said, glue the joints then screw them, you still need to make a decent cut on the skin, why not just do it on 3/4" ply and be done with it.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

This may sound like a dumb question but how much harder is it to build a stand with plywood than 2x4 . I'm open to building it with plywood but i have never built with it before. I like standard building supplies . a good friend works there.


kacairns said:


> There is a dicks lumber in North Vancouver, but I avoid it like the plague and go to Standard building supplies, its a small yard and rather busy especially if you need to take your vehicle in. You don't usually need a account, just ask for contractor pricing and they'll give you the default discount usually. Also even with my company discount at windsor plywood, there isn't much of a discount from their list price if any on most things.
> 
> If you're skinning the cabinet, you'd be covering the joints with mouldings ( say outside corners ), hide your screws under those trim pieces and as sunshine said, glue the joints then screw them, you still need to make a decent cut on the skin, why not just do it on 3/4" ply and be done with it.


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## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

I think someone in the know needs to write a stand building sticky!!  (hint, hint!)


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

bonsai dave said:


> This may sound like a dumb question but how much harder is it to build a stand with plywood than 2x4 . I'm open to building it with plywood but i have never built with it before. I like standard building supplies . a good friend works there.


In my opinion and experience, its easier and half the work to build with plywood then with 2x2/4s and a skin. You just need to plan it out properly, which you should be doing anyways and measure twice cut once. If you're covering all the joints with trim, its even easier as you don't have to edge the plywood like I do when I built my own saving yourself time as the edge of the ply is all hidden under the trim. You build it with 2x4s, you build the box once, then you take new measurements and build it again and you still have to apply the trim to cover the joints.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Hey Dave. 

I thought you saw me cursing the 2x4 stand you had that I have to take apart and re-skin.
Plywood stands easier to build for your tank which is not too big. Ab MDF stand is even easier if you paint and seal it properly.
The only factor that comes to play is how big an open space you want under for a sump. Spanning 4 feet is nothing if you know what your are doing and plan for it. A space for a four feet sump will affect your design - although still doable with plywood. Don't forget two strips of 3/4 plywood glued together is stronger than a 2x lumber.

For affordability, effect and ease of staining, oak is pretty well it. Fir ply is fine depends on the effect you want. There is lot a whole lot of price difference between the basic stain grade plywood. $50 - $60 a sheet depend if you could get a discount. 

I will be building a plywood stand to replace the MDF stand for my 105g soon. If you want to come over to help document a DIY thread, I could explain a few key factors and tricks as well. Remember good looking stand takes a lot of time and patience. It is more a passion for another hobby than the need for an aquarium stand. If all you want is a nice looking stand or two, it is cheaper and faster to pay someone to build it considering the time and investment you have to make for tools.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

gklaw said:


> Hey Dave.
> 
> I thought you saw me cursing the 2x4 stand you had that I have to take apart and re-skin.
> Plywood stands easier to build for your tank which is not too big. Ab MDF stand is even easier if you paint and seal it properly.
> ...


Thanks for you input Gordon. I can come by and document your build for you . Just let me know when. I'm not going to cheap out and I'm not looking for it to be built quickly . I want to get it right the first time and also build some thing that will last me a long time . I also want to learn more and get a better understanding of how to build things properly. I will be using a sump on both tanks and they will be any where from 55 to 90 gallon sumps.. I will talk to you soon. Thanks Again.


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