# Which Wood best for DIY Stand?



## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

Ok I'm starting my DIY Stand for my 30 Gallon planted tank tommororw.
Going to Home Depot first thing in the morning.
Now I know alot of you have done one before so with that said,
which kind of wood has worked best to your advantage?

I plan on building it with a cabinet to shelf all fish liquids and nets and a couple power sockets in the back to keep cords orginized.

But with so many different varieties of wood and beating the cost I would like to hear a few advices.... and the cheapest way of going about this.


----------



## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

I use cedar wood for my stands, they look good and you can get all different styles of cedar panels.
Good luck


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

For low cost and good strength you can't beat ordinary 3/4 inch thick plywood, veneered with birch if you paint it, or oak, maple, or birch if you stain it.


----------



## mellowvision (Jun 18, 2007)

in terms of plywood, the baltic birch plywood is the strongest readily available, and is usually made with an epoxy glue, making it less likely to warp if wet. it's not birch veneered, it's thin layers of birch all the way through. really nice stable stuff. there's even a version of it called fin-form, that is used for concrete formwork some places... and it's got an epoxy finish on the surface which is waterproof. awesome stuff if you can find it. 

in terms of solid wood for stands, I would go with a straight grained, non-porous hardwood like maple, birch or cherry. cedar is probably ok too... but I think more expensive than maple.


----------



## JG06 (Nov 5, 2006)

I used oak veneer for the DIY stand I'm putting together. I'll get it sanded and stained one of these days...


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Don't sand that oak veneered plywood too vigorously! The veneer is ridiculously thin the way such plywood is made today. A power sander can cut thru the veneer very quickly. Don't ask how I know this.


----------



## taekwondodo (Dec 14, 2005)

I'm starting my 125g build - got the tank off of craigslist - wife wants something "dark" (god, I love Walunt, but dude!!! Walnut = $$$).

So, I'm most likely going 3/4" maple on the front, 3/4" maple ply on the sides... or maybe Oak (cheaper than maple, but the wife doesn't like the grain in oak).

I made my reef-tank stand out of oak/oak-ply, and it looks awesome.


----------



## lowfi (Apr 18, 2007)

ash is always a cheaper alternative to oak, looks nice and has some nice work markings and possibly a calico effect (if you are in to that). Some white oak can run $7/bf depending on thickness and cut, but ash is very similar at ~$2/bf!


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Birch can be dyed a very dark color if you want dark wood. Dye, as opposed to stain, actually colors the wood fibers, so it can be as dark as you want, all the way to jet black. http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=760&productid=123822


----------



## HTN86 (Nov 2, 2007)

I think the cost and availability of the wood depends on where you live. In the northeast, where I live, the cheapest wood is pine because it's plentiful around here. All my diy stand are made out of pine and they look awesome


----------



## taekwondodo (Dec 14, 2005)

lowfi said:


> ash is always a cheaper alternative to oak, looks nice and has some nice work markings and possibly a calico effect (if you are in to that). Some white oak can run $7/bf depending on thickness and cut, but ash is very similar at ~$2/bf!


Doh - went to Southern Lumber in SJ, and the Ash was more than the Oak.

They had Birch however (it was very nice and dirt cheap), and I picked that up...


----------



## ringram (Jan 10, 2005)

That powder dye that Hoppy suggested sounds like a good idea. I've never heard of such a thing, but that's not saying much really.
The stand on my 90g was just a generic 48"x18" pine stand from a LFs, but I sanded it a little and then applied a dark (mohagany) stain...it was actually one of those paint on stain/finish in one. I had to do a couple coats, but it looks great now IMO.


----------



## taekwondodo (Dec 14, 2005)

here is the stand I built - I still need to add doors:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ions/44875-woot-woot-new-125g-soil-light.html

and then add a hood.

But I went with Birch and am very pleased...


----------



## anthonysquire (Mar 15, 2006)

I've made several stands from MDF.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

anthonysquire said:


> I've made several stands from MDF.


MDF gets the bad rap from being assumed to just be particle board, which it isn't. MDF is a very good choice as long as you never put any of it in a bending stress condition. That isn't hard to do, since the panels are vertical and the load is vertical. I once left some scrap MDF out in the rain all winter, and they were not affected. Another time I used cutoff pieces for tomato vine stakes and they didn't even swell after a summer in the damp ground. Eventually, I'm sure MDF would be damaged badly by constant water exposure, but it would take considerable time.


----------



## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

MDF does get a bad rap. As long as you seal the wood properly with a primer/paint or stain/lacquer/poly combo (yes you can stain MDF) it will do fine. I've built several workbenches for my shop and a couple of canopies out of MDF and all are holding up just fine. The price for MDF is right too at just about $20 for a 4'x8' sheet.


----------



## Matsu49 (Jan 1, 2008)

Hrm... still debating on MDF or Plywood. I wonder if my local stores carry the higher grade plywood. I've only seen the regular ones.


----------



## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Matsu49 said:


> Hrm... still debating on MDF or Plywood. I wonder if my local stores carry the higher grade plywood. I've only seen the regular ones.


None of the home improvement stores around Dayton stock "cabinet grade" plywood even though some of it is labeled as such. You can probably expect to pay $60-$80 or more for a sheet of cabinet grade oak plywood depending on your location while MDF is typically $20 per sheet.

That being said, the ply home stores do carry is more than sufficient strength wise as is the MDF. I just don't like the appearance of their Oak. Maple or Birch isn't too bad but I would only use that if I intended to paint the stand or canopy. Unfortunately, home stores leave a lot to be desired when it comes to nice plywood.

You may want to check out a couple local cabinet shops. Most are willing to sell a sheet or two or plywood to someone off the street and they may even cut it for you for a small fee. A cabinet shop will do a much better job cutting the ply than Lowe's or Home Depot can even think about doing ;-)


----------



## dansbdk (Mar 16, 2008)

As far as cost goes, I used plain old 2X4's to build a stand for my 55 gallon. I lighty shaved all sides to make them less rounded, and then sanded. They took stain beautifully, and look great! & It's solid as a rock! Mine only cost $18.00 to build. 
***I highly recommend using waterproof carpenters glue between all joints before screwing it together!***


----------



## TWood (Dec 9, 2004)

There is also a strain of MDF that is moisture-resistant MDF (MR-MDF). It is much darker in color than the regular MDF. The enclosure for this tank is made from MR-MDF:










The tank enclosure is painted MR-MDF, the equipment box to one side is regular unfinished MDF. The drawer cabinet that the tank is on is a piece of furniture I made some time ago and is made of solid white oak.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

There is even a medical grade MDF, which doesn't contain formaldehyde. It is used primarily for hospital and medical office furniture. I used it for some cabinets once, and hated the stuff.


----------

