My 50g Bow Front Stand - In Progress

d2mini

Reef enthusiast
Disclaimer: I know not what I do. Just making this up as I go along. :dunno: :D

So I got a great deal and picked up this new tank on craigslist and now I needed a stand for it. I never like the height of store-bought stands, you always seem to half to bend over to look in the tank. So I decided to make my own. Here's what I have so far except for the plywood top I added to it after these pics. If you are wondering about doors (i sure have been), I decided I'm going to NOT do bowed doors. They're going to be straight and inset a bit.
I'll post more picks as I do more. I started this project on Sept 12, but the hurricane came through houston and knocked our power out for 17 days, so i just got back into it last weekend. The good thing is I didn't have a tank and livestock to worry about. ;)
So you think it will be strong enough???

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UPDATE... made some more progress this weekend.
All the birch plywood trim is on, holes filled and sanded, door installed.
Now I just need to remove the doors and stain everything a dark expresso color. Color differences of the wood like in the doors won't matter since it will be almost black.

So far I probably have about $150 into it including a $20 drill bit i had to by to bore out the holes to mount the door hinges. I didn't expect the plywood to cost this much but I guess it's still about half the cost of a stand from the LFS. I just need to buy the stain now. Plus, I probably didn't make the most efficient use of supplies since I'm a total newb at this kind of thing and was just making stuff up as I went along.

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Thanks! :D
I just looked at one or two builds online, but it was almost impossible to find any custom bow front stands.
But I found enough to use as a loose guide.
 
Looks great! Are you gonna use some edge banding on the door edges to hide the plywood layers? I would recomend it so you can have a finished look. Its really easy also you just iron it on. Why take all the time to build it and not finish it you will enjoy it so much more. Also take the doors back off when you stain it then put them back on after. What are you gonna use for your final coat? Wipe on poly?
 
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Looks great! Are you gonna use some edge banding on the door edges to hide the plywood layers? I would recomend it so you can have a finished look. Its really easy also you just iron it on.
I thought about it but didn't know where to get it. Do i have to find a wood working store, or does home depot/lowes have this?
If not, I'm not real worried about it because no one will ever see the inside edges of the doors. I'm the only one who opens them and the stain is real dark anyway.

Also take the doors back off when you stain it then put them back on after.
Ya, i mentioned that. I wouldn't want to gunk up the hardware.

What are you gonna use for your final coat? Wipe on poly?

Dunno? Is that what I should use? A clear coat?
And do you think I should spray the stain on or wipe it on? I have a cheap Wagner sprayer that I've never used, but I've also never sprayed stain before. Any suggestions for type of stain?

Thanks! :D
 
Any local lumber yard will have the banding just make sure it already has glue on it just to make it easier. Not sure if home depot or lowes does but a lumber yard will have a match for your plywood.

For the stain i would just wipe it on. For the poly, use a satin don't use a semi gloss or gloss. These take a lot more prep work and will show every little flaw the satin is much more forgiving. I would not spray the poly with the wagner you probably wont get very good coverage. In your case I would use a Minwax wipeon poly takes more coats to be finished but you will get a nicer finish. Remember to sand in between coats when you are applying the clear. 220 grit should be fine.
 
Thanks!
Nope, not a carpenter at all. The most i ever made before was that ugly workbench in the back. And molding and stuff around the house. But nothing even remotely close to this.

There's a lot of stuff that bugs me about it but i'm just happy I was able to pull it off and it looks decent. lol
 
It really looks fantastic! Congrats!

I'll admit though, when I first looked at it, I thought, "Why the eff did he put it on wheels?!?!" Duh.
 
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