72Bow Stand

[eric-c]

I have a 72Bow front and the stand it came with is a little small for my needs. I researched on-line DIY websites that show how to make a stand for this tank. The only thing that I could find was a beefy 2x4 frame and a piece of 3/4" plywood cut with a curved front and screwed down to the frame, and then painted black. This was not going to work for me. This is my show piece, center stage in the living room.

I have completed the build of the stand and will post pics of the build during some stages of the project. If there is anyone how would like to make one for themselves and you have questions pm me and I'll be glad to tell you what I did.

PS- If I had to do it again... I'd buy a rectangle tank instead, this was very time consuming, but worth it!

 

[eric-c]

I cut a piece of 3/4" plywood to match the curve of the tank. The 2x4s are cut to a length of 35" and are nailed to the plywood. The 2x4s for the front supports are cut at an angle of 15 degrees, though the front is curved you can cheat the lumber so it won't make a difference.



You will also need to make 4 curved pieces with the 2x4. This will give you a little meat for the 1/4" plywood that will be glued over the front of the stand.



This is what it should start to look like from the front. As you can see I also added some support to the middle of the stand. A 2x4 in the center back and a 2x2 (about) in the center front.

 

[KJB]

GREAT Start!!!! I think the doors will be the toughest part, but I am sure you'll work it out just fine. keep the pics coming, this looks really great!!

 

[eric-c]

The doors! I hate thinking about the doors. That was the most aggravating part of the project, but we're not there yet. So lets keep thinking happy thought.

 

[KJB]

I'm a carpenter by trade. In the past I have used steam or water to bend wood or plywood's to make curves. Putting them between say a pair of sawhorses, making them moist without staining the wood, then slowly adding weight over the course of a week or two. i am sure you can find detailed instructions on the web/ YouTube, maybe even RC.

Good Luck, it's going to be awesome!!!!

 

[KJB]

Oh, and of course there is the "barrel role" method. Angle cuts, biscuit's, glue, pretty easy.

 

[eric-c]

So now we add the 1/4" plywood to the frame. One thing I learned from this experience is that wood glue is much stranger then I gave it credit for. I probably went threw 50 nails to make sure that the front wouldn't come apart. However after everything is said and done, this step was not that necessary. Maybe a couple of nails here and there, but I went crazy with it. The glue is very strong and this will reduce the amount of wood fill you need at the end.

So I cut the side pieces and fitted them first. To ensure a nice clean fit, I over sized it by a little bit. When the glue dried (about 30-45 minuted later) I took a router with a flush trim bit and trimmed up the edges.

For the front, you will need a lot of clamps. I think I used 18 clamps all together just for the front.



Again take the 1/4" plywood and start on one side, over lap the edge a little and make sure you apply plenty of glue. after you glue one side work your way to the middle and then the other side. I know that sound like a no brainer, but I thought I would put that in.

Nail some of the edges, but don't go crazy, the glue will hold.

Take the router and cut the edges. The edges where the curve meets the sides will be tricky. You're going to have to hold the bit on the curved part and try to cut it straight. Then you can cut the door openings out.

 

[eric-c]

I'm a carpenter by trade. In the past I have used steam or water to bend wood or plywood's to make curves. Putting them between say a pair of sawhorses, making them moist without staining the wood, then slowly adding weight over the course of a week or two. i am sure you can find detailed instructions on the web/ YouTube, maybe even RC.

That's a good tip for someone who is going to try doing this. I have already completed the project. I"m just writing about it now.

 

[eric-c]

Let me add that when you cut the 3/4" plywood for the top and bottom of the stand, nail them together. This will ensure that you have the same shape on the top and bottom. Also something I didn't do, if you want a nice tight fit around the tank when you're finished, subtract 1/4" from the front and two sides. You will be adding 1/4" with the 1/4" plywood you glue on.

 

[KJB]

Great stuff, keep it coming!

 

[eric-c]

Here are a couple more pictures of the stand before I started installing the 1/4" plywood.

 

[Joel A]

Oh, and of course there is the "barrel role" method. Angle cuts, biscuit's, glue, pretty easy.

that's how i'd do it... a lot easier then bending the wood i would think. And if you do it right it still comes out very clean looking.

 

[eric-c]

The doors. I hated this part. It seemed no matter what I did something was going to fight me. I think this is the part that made me want a standard tank. OK, back to the build!

Now that the frame is complete, get the measurements of the door openings. You want to give yourself some extra for the curve of the door and for the smudge factory. I think I over sized it not much more than the size of the opening, you will need some space for the hing.

I made more of the curved 2x4 pieces two for the top and bottom and two for the middle. This will help keep that bow look since the wood will want to straighten out on you. I also added a strip of 3/4" plywood to both edges to keep it as straight along the edge as possible. It will also give you some meat to screw the hinges on later.

As you can see with this door I also installed an L bracket across the door. This helped get the warp out of the door, it didn't sit flat on the table. You will need to fix this because the doors will never close the right way.



Don't mind the metal strip that you see. It was a learning expirience that you may not need to learn.

 

[eric-c]

Now that everything is built fill in all the holes with wood filler. Any blemishes, this is the time to do it. After the wood filler sets, sand everything down. When you think that its nice and smooth, keep sanding! I needed to apply more wood filler to some spots, if this is the case for you, sand that spot to make it nice and smooth like a babies butt.

Then you can prime it. After the primer dries, sand it with 320 sand paper and reapply the primer. You don't need to worry about the inside where the sump goes, unless you want that to be smooth as well. I sprayed it with 3 coats of primer, sanding it down with 320 every time.

 

[eric-c]

Before I forget! You will want to fit the doors to the stand to ensure that they do work. You'll want to remove them for the paint process so don't go crazy with all the screws for the hing. I used a piano hing, you can get them at HD or Lowes.

I used a combination of sanding and a plainer to shave the door into position. Give a lot of time and care for this. If you don't get this right it will look like... well you know.

 

[eric-c]

I keep forgetting things. Before I started to prime, I installed molding to the top and bottom of the tank. I don't have pics of it, sorry. I ended up using the Azek trim board. I milled it down to 1/4" thick and routed a bullnose edge to it. The top molding went 1" above the top of the 3/4" plywood to give it a pocket to sit the tank in it.

You can use wood instead of the Azek stuff, I had it lying around and its very flexible.

 

[eric-c]

I had the luxury of using my employers facility to construct this. They had a sprayer like the ones they use in auto body shops, so the paint came out killer. Again, I applied 3 coats of semi gloss black to the stand and this time I lightly sanded each coat, except the last one, with 400 grit sand paper.

The doors! Did I mention that I hate these things? I needed to give the doors more coats of paint and more sanding to get the "glass" look I had with the stand.

Once everything was painted I applied butchers wax to the finish. You can do a clear coat, but I didn't want the ultra shine to it. The nice thing with the wax is that is gave it that protective coat in case any water hits it.





I installed a magnetic spring release to keep the door closed. This also keeps a clean look to the front since I don't need to install knobs.

 

[eric-c]

And thats it. I will probably make a canopy for it, but not right now.

 

[KJB]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!

 

[willray]

Excellent!Nice job!