Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquattro
Ya, noticed that last night, I would at least do a double top plate with some 1x4 just to tie the sides together.
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Ya, for a 200 gallon tank I wouldn't trust the plywood sheeting to hold those corners together. Personally, I would remove that single top plate, and design it differently to tie the corners together.
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FWIW to all stand builders...
In framing of houses screws aren't used for a very good reason. The shearing power of a nail is FAR greater than the shearing power of a screw. Which means a screw will break much easier than a nail. We all love screws though because they are so much easier to use. Using through bolts in some of the main structural areas of the stand is a good idea, as well as corner bracing or sheeting to prevent movement in all directions.
You see screws used much more often in things like home cabinetry where there is little force in comparison to framing, and glue is always used to increase holding power, and reduce shearing forces on the screws. However, home cabinetry is not designed to hold weight like an aquarium stand is, so using framing methods combined with cabinetry finishing is the best bet.
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Another example...as much as I like the minimal look of this stand (and the color!), it scares me as well. There should at least be some corner bracing on the back as there is little to prevent this stand from shifting side to side. A solid back sheet would fix the problem. Most of us don't want that though, so for a small stand like this even some triangular shaped pieces of 3/8"+ plywood would increase stability significantly.
