The stand is the easy part...

[sphelps]

Do you need doors? On my last stand I just used a removable plywood panel to cover the entire front of the stand. It attached with magnets and made maintenance easier compared to doors. It also cost less and I think it looks better as well.

[Aquattro]

Ya, I need doors. It needs to look like furniture. I used panels on my last large tank, and it was a hassle for the easy stuff, just check this, tweak that kind stuff. I built the openings large enough that I can work on the sump fairly easily, most stuff will be behind the centre duoble doors. giving me 24x26 worth of access.

[sphelps]

Fair enough

[Chin_Lee]

check craigslist for cabinet doors. many people with oak cabinets or "upgrading" to other cabinets and will often sell them for cheap.

[lastlight]

I did the same thing as Sphelps but not as nice looking. It is a door it's just not hinged. It's easier to mount, remove entirely for access and no hinges visible. You get it flush this way where I find even with the hidden hinges it sticks out a touch.

Why does it need to be hinged?

And nice work Sphelps.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Why does it need to be hinged?

The design has 4 doors, since it's a bit over 6' long. I didn't want one panel to remove, since then you have to put it down somewhere, move it here, drop it against the wall over there, etc. And if I just want to check something, it's easier to swing door open, take a look, close door. Over my different tank builds, I've had both, and prefer real doors. My current stand has nothing, and that's kinda fugly, so overall, for aesthetics and ease of access, I went with doors. Since I have the centre beams in place, there's no going back

[phi delt reefer]

Originally Posted by lastlight

I did the same thing as Sphelps but not as nice looking. It is a door it's just not hinged. It's easier to mount, remove entirely for access and no hinges visible. You get it flush this way where I find even with the hidden hinges it sticks out a touch.

Why does it need to be hinged?

And nice work Sphelps.

this happens for two reason, one hinge was not aligned or correctly installed. though the eurohinge does have a couple adjustment screws so it has some forgiveness built into it.


the other is the door isnt cut prefectly straight. I experienced both of this problems but was able to remedy them. You need to get the correct euro-hinge as well - they have 5-6 different types; overlay, half overlay, inset, etc.


use a router and straight edge and your door will be perfectly square. make sure the frame that the door closes against is prefectly flat. 2x4's and other structural lumber has subtle's bows in it so be aware of that as well.

take your time, measure 3x then cut. don't guess anywhere

dont mind the wood filler, i have a ton of sanding to do;