DIY 3 tier fish rack.. dont do it.

Hi there

Here's how not to build a fish rack, but it's how i did it
and the principle is good if not the execution
Thanks to derek for all his advice and for fran for the muscle
and for those of you still reading up to this point.

THE END RESULT



Step one:
Get the wood.

As this was designed to hold 3 four foot tanks
i needed to get lenghts of 4x2 timber.
For 3 foots they say 3x2 will suffice
For 5 footers.. yeah you do the math!

So i need 4 vertical beams, the corners
6 horizontal beams, the shelves
6 small beams to hold the front to the back!
took a while to work out how many lenghts of 8 foot timber to get
(but took a short time to forget!.. sorry)



(note, if you get wood, dont leave it resting like this for a long time
as it tends to warp and bow..



Step 2
Design

The design of this sort of stand is widely used and nothing new to the
trade, it uses the best properties of wood and each piece of wood is resting
on another piece of wood so all the weight is pushed down to the floor.

Step 3
Measure and cut..!

We cut small slivers using a circular saw into the uprights at corresponding intervals
as this is where the horizontal shelves will be inset into


These were then cut out using a chisel and mallet




Step 4
The horizontal pieces (four foot, plus the extra 2 inches (insets))
were then glued and screwed



So then your left with either the front or the back of the stand.


I still need to trim the top off this but the stand ends at the top shelf,
yes there fran..


Note, when measuring stick to one unit, inches or centimeters
i figured that one foot is 30 cm so 4 foot should be 120cm.. but its not
its 121.. so im out by this much



Step 5
Putting it all together.. this was an absolute nightmare.
So much so i took no pictures, we coulndt figure it out for the life of us
but we stood the two pieces (front and back)
together, cut out 6 pieces of 12 inch (grrr... theres those inches again!)
wood out and screwed them in under the horizontal shelf to the
upright.

Step 6
Lash a load on it and see if it falls over.


Phew.. it's still standing

It was about this time i realised that i would never ever (ever) do this again!
It cost over 130 euro for the wood to be delivered.. the screws, the wood glue,
i still had to put 3 coats of yacht varnish on it, about 30 euro, lots of sticky brushes, a headach from the fumes, then the cost of getting somw waterproof plywood for the shelves
(not necessary but a luxury!.. )

but unless you're pretty handy,
have access to cheap wood, or are mates with a carpenter it
really isnt worth the hassle.


IMhumbled O

Not a bad job but this is why i replaced my old tank rather than build a stand

LB

good post mick and well illustrated.
i think the reason u struggled with the stand was your choice of helper/labourer, he did'nt look as if was keen to work
and probably drank numerous cups of tea.
seriously though as u know all my stands are made to this pattern and they work v. well.
although i have a background in metalwork/welding i prefer wood for fish house use, (water, elec., conductors etc.)
also the wood is warmer and ideal for hiding and fixing lights and sockets etc.
i don't remember the cost but it did'nt seem too expensive and bernard (carpenter) helped me.
i'll try to post a pic. later.

Fair play for doing this tread so well Mick.
You see what happens when you hire cheap labour. I bet he insisted on been the one in the picture. Glory hunter:laugh:
I think you were slightly ripped off with the price of the wood and screws. But the design is a good one.