ADA Stand + Retrofitted Light (56k)

[karatekid14]

Here is the behind the scenes stuff of my main thread. This stand is for an ADA 60-P and the light is a Nova Extreme SLR 2x24w T5HO
The dimensions of the stand is 36"*16"*22" and the light hanger is 64" from the floor.

Here is the link to my thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...974&highlight=

NOTE: I did not make the stand or light my dad did, so I don't have man hands, Thanks Dad!



















And this is the ada stand






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Now the light! I kinda forgot to take before pics, so the first pic is not my own.










I also forgot to take pics of painting and drilling the holes for hanging and the power cord. I got the hanging kit from rapid led. We also used conduit for the hanging bar.




And the price tag for everything... $75 counting the light bar, a lot cheaper that ADA's $750 price tag.

[mordalphus]

That's great looking! Very clean and modern

[Naekuh]

nice!

very very nice!

[Kazuya]

Nice job.
Your dad made the low type stand correct?

[karatekid14]

Yeah it is the low type, and my other thread is now up and running.

[karatekid14]

I finally got a more detailed description for you Kazuya.

Here is a youtube video showing how he made basically made it (not our video)
Now handing it over to my dad to explain more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xjZXQa-krY&noredirect=1

Dad; There are a lot of similarities to the cabinet in the Youtube video, but as you mentioned, a major one was that I relied on screws rather than biscuits. Since the cabinet would ultimately be covered in plastic laminate, visible screws weren’t an issue, and it just makes glue up and drying time less of a factor.

There are a few differences in design that are more aesthetic than functional, for instance, my side panels extend past the bottom and we used two doors rather than one.

I made all my cuts on a tablesaw. The sides had a dado about 2” up from the panel’s edge to accept the bottom and were rabbetted for the top. All joints were glued, and I countersunk the screws so I could fill them. I use Bondo, a trick I learned from a cabinetmaker, since it hardens quickly and doesn’t shrink. I decided to include a center partition since the filled aquarium would be pretty heavy, and it too fits into a dado. I used a leftover piece of ¼” melamine coated plywood, rabbetted into the sides, for the cabinet back.

I used one 4x8 sheet each of ¾” plywood and laminate (plus the melamine for the back) and because I planned all my cuts ahead – and didn’t make any mistakes – those were all the materials needed. I recommend water based contact cement. It works just as well and is far safer to use.

I think the only thing I would change if I made another one would be to omit the center partition. Since the cabinet is small to start with, making all the connections for the filter, CO2, etc. gets a little cramped. If you’re concerned about strength, a better alternative might be to add a 2x4 or a doubled piece of plywood, front, back and center, to add rigidity without compromising storage space.

I hope this helps a bit. Thanks for your interest and feel free to contact us if you have further questions.

[wastedtime]

Wow that is a nice looking stand, your dad has some amazing DIY skills.

[karatekid14]

Thanks, I really love the stand. He has done all the work on our house so he is pretty good at getting this stuff done and quickly too!

[demonr6]

Looks really nice!

[tizzite]

Loving the whole setup.

The tank stand is especially impressive. I like the natural wood look for the interior. Can I ask how you finished the wood?

[karatekid14]

Originally Posted by tizzite

Loving the whole setup.

The tank stand is especially impressive. I like the natural wood look for the interior. Can I ask how you finished the wood?

My dad bought the wood off of Craig's list, and we considered not laminating it, but I wanted the ADA look.

[tizzite]

The natural wood surface inside of the cabinet looks a little shiny. Did your dad use something to stain/protect it?

[karatekid14]

Originally Posted by tizzite

The natural wood surface inside of the cabinet looks a little shiny. Did your dad use something to stain/protect it?

No, the wood came already finished. It is nice because if I drip water while putting tweezers or something away I can just wipe it off and not worry about the water damaging the wood.