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[APD] Cheap nice looking stands and hoods



Stands and hoods for large tanks are not that hard to make with a drill and jig saw(20$ for cheapies).
  
  Home Depot, Lowes etc, have table upright saws and will cut the wood for you to the lengths you need. 
  
  From there, you can route, add moulding, sand edges down,  etc.
  
  I've made nice looking stands for up to 240 gal tanks this way.
  Simple MDF board, nice doors, I used construction framing ties, these  are cheap(47 cents etc for 10 hole angels, vs the cheesy L's for 1.99  each that are not as broad and stable) and a box of screws. 
  You make a simple box with an opening on the front face, add a door or  two to the front, make the door 1"longer for each side than the  opening. Make the top of the stand 2" longer and this will provide a  nice looking lip for the tank and accomodate several tank types in the  approximate size range.
   
  Make the rear flush with the back.
  The jig saw is simply to cut out the middle door opening.
  A router, sawsall, hand saw etc can be used also for that.
  
  Paint with water proof primer inside and out, then paint to suit.
  Cost about 40$ for a 100 gal stand. 10-25$ for the stand.
  Shoot with a good clear polyurethane at the end, this will make the  finish last much longer. I've made these same stand designs for 20  years now. 
   
  Hoods are even easier, if you use MH's simply go open top. 
  But a simple 5 side box and a simple lip to hold the hood on does well  or it can be made to slip over top of the outer edge with some spacer  blocks.
  
  If I want something nicer, I tend to go with a cabinet shop rather than a LFS. 
  Come to think of it, I've never brought a LFS stand ever except the  iron stands for stanking smaller tanks on.  I've built every one  of my stands or placed them on metal rack like stands. 
  
  Regards, 
  Tom Barr
  
  www.BarrReport.com
  
  


		
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