My attempt at a GARF stand!

[Keeper]

12 hours of hard work and way too many trips to Home Depot and this is what ya get!


I'll post more pics as I go along!!

 

[fishfreek]

Looks good so far. Definaly heavy duty built. What size tank?

 

[Keeper]

it's going to be a 90gal. definitely overkill, but i'm a worry wart

 

[Sparky]

Looks pretty damn good.

 

[sharkbait]

Looks like you're off to a great start. Is that MDF you're using? What kind of finish will you put on it? I am guessing a smooth white or black finish. Its going to look very nice, I'm sure.

 

[Keeper]

yeah...I used 3/4" MDF. Going with a black Melamine(sp?) Glad you all like it. I can't wait til it's done. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Mr Burns]

whoa 8O

you could probably hold 900 gallons on that... excellent construction.

 

[wrkalot]

Lookin' nice! Don't call me when it's time to move

 

[frsh36gal]

Lookin' nice! Don't call me when it's time to move

Wish I could say the same, I helped him with it and usually I am the first person he calls when he needs an extra pair of arms. I used to think the garf design looked a little flimsy. I will now vouch 100% for the strenght of that design. Thing weighs a ton and could probably support one.

 

[zenn]

nice stand. any pics of it finished?

 

[mp3z24]

Wish I could say the same, I helped him with it and usually I am the first person he calls when he needs an extra pair of arms. I used to think the garf design looked a little flimsy. I will now vouch 100% for the strenght of that design. Thing weighs a ton and could probably support one.

i am in agreement with the statement about the garf stands looking flimsy, but i suppose they have been tried and confirmed.

the one thing that i dont like about the garf stands is that the legs are screwed into the side of the stand top. so, you are basically relying on the shearing strength of 1/8 inches of metal to hold up your tank.

when i built mine, i built a surface to hold the tank, and put the legs on the underside of the top. so, the weight of the tank is transfered directly from the stand top, through the legs, and into the stand base.

then , again, when i see the 3/4 particle board stands at the LFS, i always think there is no way that a stand like that will ever hold up a tank. i guess it is the engineer in me that makes me over think things like this...

as for the stand at the top of the post... looks pretty hefty...

~mike

 

[bussardnr]

when i looked at the plans i thought they had 2 2x4s for every leg, one between the top/bottom and one on the sides?

 

[mp3z24]

the garf plans typically have single 2x4 legs, secured to the inside edges of the top and bottom frames.

like i said, i personally dont like the design, but it is entirely opinion. i typically overbuild things, which costs a bit more, but i have a lot more confidence in something that is overbuilt.

fyi, here is the garf page,
http://www.garf.org/tank/buildstand.asp
i put in 30" height, 48" width, and 14" depth. they listed 4 2x4x30 legs. so, no double legs.

~mike

 

[manooosie]

How hard is it to build, particularly the canopy? what was the total cost?

 

[Jaymz_Eric]

Whats a Garf stand?

 

[DeFeKt]

a stand built from plans off the www.garf.org website.
ditto with the legs comment, I built mine and rebated 2x4 legs so they are directly under the frame supporting the tank.
Glad I saw this thread will be doing exactly the same with the mdf and spraying it gloss black...cheers

Matt

 

[JProx]

defekt - i would use satin finish black paint, instead of gloss. you will have to use polyurthane to seal the mdf anyway and it probably won't 'stick' well the gloss finish and you can get polyurthane in gloss or high gloss to get the sheen you want. Mdf will stuck up paint and polyurethane like a sponge so make sure you have enough on hand before you start.

 

[DeFeKt]

thanks for that,

Matthew.