Building A Table

[fishwatcher]

I've got to build a table for my 20 gal tank. I'm thinking of a 1/2" sheet of plywood doubled, with four 2' tall 2x4 legs under it, attached at an angle (as opposed to straight in line with the edges). The top will be 1" wider on both sides and 2" wider on the front and back. Do you think that would hold a 20 gal tank safely?
Also, if you have a table that's held a 20-gal for a year safely, do you think it would hold a 30-gal? (It is about 3/4" wood top with 4 2x2 legs. It's actually a table that came with 2 bar stools!)
Thanks for any help/advice you can give!

 

[fishwatcher]

Anyone have any handyman abilities?

 

[MHunt]

I've built my own fish cabinet. Used 3/4 inch MDF, Symmetrical top and bottom just larger than the base of the tank with full width back, and two braces just in from the sides, and a shelf in the middle. As my carpentry skills aren't that good, i would just keep it simple. And make sure you have braces between the legs lower down, you don't want them splaying apart with the weight over time!

 

[confusion]

I'm concerned about the "attached at an angle part". if you have the legs at an angle out, you will have a lot of stress where the legs meet the plywood and could fail. You can mitigate that by having a piece of wood that connects the front and back (or side to side, depending on how the angle works) to hold the legs together.

Thinking about it a little more, you're going to be supporting >300lbs on that piece of plywood. You should probably put a 2x4 lip around the bottom of the table to provide some rigidity.

Anyhow, that's my advice.

 

[fishwatcher]

By angle, I mean that instead of the 2x4's being flush with the edge of the top, they would be in about 2" from both sides and then turned at about a 45 degree angle from the corner... they'll still be straight vertically (up and down). I am realizing that I can't explain this right... I'm sorry. I do think I may add a lip under/around the top and braces the legs criss-cross too.

As for the bar-turned-aquarium stand, it has a 20-gal on it now (that's been there almost a year). So far there is no show of any bending, etc. The top is a good 10-12" longer and 6-8" wider than the tank that's on it now. I am wanting to use that for a 30-gal I'll be getting soon. Do you think it will be ok?
I just don't know how to tell if something will hold the weight safely, kwim?

Thanks for the help so far!!

 

[confusion]

I understand what you mean by the angle now. I missed that the plywood is 2 1/2" sheets. Most likely, that will be fine.

The 30G tank will be about 90lbs heavier than the 20G tank, so if you can lean on it pretty good, you should get a sense as to whether it'll start bending.

As to how to know if something will support a certain amount of weight, that's a lot like asking how long a string is. You can support a 55G tank with 4 1" dowel rod legs, 3/4" plywood and 12' of 2x4s if designs properly.

The one thing to watch is how you attach the legs to the plywood. If you simply nail or screw through the top of the plywood, the legs may fold, though the way you have them angled will help. I think I would cut a block of 2x4, say 3" long, lay it on it's side and butt it up to the back of the leg, then fasten that block through the plywood, and screw into it through the face of the leg. I just would hate to see that thing crash down.

 

[fishwatcher]

I saw a 20-29 gal stand at WalMart tonight for $65. It looks like a typical stand with doors on the front. Do you think these things are any good?