No, this isn’t a “Look what I made from a couple old pallets”. The last thing I made from an old pallet was firewood. That’s not what I intended to make, though. It’s just what my project ended up being. This is a project using scrap wood leftover from previous projects. Below is the finished product.
Bear with me as I attempt to explain my process. Maybe I’ll just include a bunch of pictures and draw up some cutting and building instructions?
I started with some ¾” thick oak laminated particle board. I used a circular saw to rip the sheets to the correct width. To cut a straight line I measured each end for where the cut was to be. I then added 3-3/4” to where to place my cutting guide. I just used a piece of particle board for a guide. I placed some 2x4’s under the sheets to elevate them off the floor. (don’t want the saw blade cutting into the concrete floor!)
The first pieces I cut would be the sides and shelves. They were cut 15” wide. I ended up using a chop saw to cut them to length.
Now to “frame” the front of the stand I had some ¾” oak boards ranging anywhere from 2” to 5” wide. I cut to length as required.
I began to assemble what pieces were already cut. To give some extra hold I applied some glue prior to nailing. I used a standard wood glue and 1-1/2” x 16 wire brads. 2” would have been better to use but 1-1/2” was all I had
Next I cut some boards to support the top shelf. After all, a full 20 gallon aquarium can get pretty heavy. Again, I found some scrap pieces. I have five supports, (2) at each end and (3) equally spaced.
To install the shelves I used some metal and plastic angles. This is the exact reason I’m a packrat. You never know what might come in handy. Here is a box of hardware I saved after tearing apart an old TV stand. I used some of it on this project.
To get the middle shelf put in evenly, I used a board as a measuring guide. I wasn’t too concerned about where it was placed, as long as it was somewhere close to the middle.
The top shelf was a little tricky. Only because I was going to stain it. The laminated particle board would have look great but I wasn’t sure how to finish the cut ends. So I decided to use a 1” x 10” wide pine board. I figured two pieces could butt tight to one another and look somewhat decent.
Once everything was assembled, I painted the bottom portion. I had some paint leftover from a previous project. I think the color name is Country White. And the top boards were stained. Once it dried overnight I finished assembly. With the top I also applied some wood glue prior to nailing it together.
At the last minute I decided to add a backing to prevent whatever is on the self from rolling back and falling behind. I had a piece of bead board. To get the correct size I simply butted it up against the stand and marked with a pencil where to cut. I cut using a jigsaw. I nailed it to the back using 5/8” x 18 wire nails.
Ok, there we have it. It’s far from perfect but I think it will work.
What advice to I have to share after completing this?
- Be flexible. This is not exactly built like I had planned. It’s bigger and I used different hardware. I also made the top shelf different than originally planned.
- Figure out how to fix a mistake when it’s too late to fix. I used particle board “sticks” for the top shelf supports. After they were glued and nailed, I realized they didn’t look to sturdy. I wasn’t sure how to take them out without doing some major damage so I decided to attach some pine boards next to them.
- Take your time. It’s easy to cut something the wrong size. Measure twice and check it three times! It’s also easy to build something and realize there was a better way to do it.
- Most importantly, have fun. I still get frustrated. But only because I have no idea what I’m doing. But the more I build and make mistakes, the more I know what not to do the next time. And there is something satisfying about doing a project from start to finish yourself.
I will attempt to add some plans with a material list in the next day or two.
And once I get the tank filled with water and fish I will show that, as well.
That's all for now!