Carpentry Advice

[Ram_Puppy]

Hi Guys, wanted to bounce some ideas off you...

For the tank I am working on, there is only enough room for the sump, pumps, and remora (converted to Urchin) under the stand. So to rectify this, I decided I am going to build an entertainment center, since the tank will sit right next to it, I can use some of the hidden spaces in the entertainment center for future expansion, kalk reactor, calcium reactor, bigger and better skimmer, so on... in the same vein, I was going to put a gravity fed refugium in the entertainment center as well.

I haven't got plans drawn up I can post yet, but if you will imagine, take an H and put it on it's side (A Capitol H please! :) )

now, expand all the bars both verticle and horizontal, into boxes approximately 32" from front to back, and at least 30 inches tall. The whole entertainment center will be about 110 inches long, the verticle bar of our 'on it's side' H will be a bix 40X60 (approx) box for the future addition of a HD tV.

my thought, initially, was to put the refugium in the upper left hand corner, hanging, with only support from the TV box (2x4's) and 2X4's along it's back, with a piece of 1/4 oak plywood inbetween the 2x4's and the upper level of cabinets (to hide them from the viewer) , so it would only be supported along 2 sides, like an L...

then I did the weight calculations... over 600lbs... eek... the area under the fuge is supposed to be devoid of cabinets so the tank can be viewable from 3 sides, but with that much weight, that high in the air, can I get away with such a hollow area under the fuge? (the fuge itself will be between 28 X 28 and 30 X 30 in footprint, 20" high. (I am going to have Dan Fabricate it for sure! :) )

Any thoughts? is there any way to support this configuration or should I just suck it up and throw a 2x4 in the corner that is floating free? I am pretty OK with wood working, just uncomfortable with the thought of 7 to 800 pounds of rock, gravel, water and algae hanging around like that.

[Polkster13]

Frist option, cantilievered metal frame under the wood for support and put wood trim around edge to hide the metal.

Second option, string a cable from the roof to the "free" corner of the wood and use an i-bolt to attch cable to shelf.

[blueboy]

i certainly wouldn't try and cantilever that much weight on a couple of 2x4's. even if they held the weight they would certainly flex quite a bit. but, then, i'm not sure i fully understand your illustration.

[CD]

Ram-
What exactly is your space capacity underneath your stand (especially height)? You mentioned that you are going to have Dan build your sump, correct? I don't know if you've been to his house and seen the type sump/'fuge combos he is building, but if not, you may want to pay him a visit to discuss options. We are totally jazzed about the combo he is currently building to compliment our 210G display...the sump itself is 60"L x 12"H x 17"W with the 'fuge compartment actually sitting on *top* of the sump (fuge = 24"L x 12"H x 17"W) so that the flow rate will be totally adjustable. I'm sure he could post or PM you a pic of a completed one for an example if you are interested in that possibility. Plus, it would leave you with plenty of room for the other items you mentioned in the compartment of the entertainment center you are building (kalk reactor, etc.).

Wendy

[Polkster13]

Actually, I said to use a cantilievered METAL FRAME under the wood. I would never suggest using JUST wood. That would be an accident waiting to happen.

[eric]

I'm having trouble visualizing what you're trying to describe. Sounds to me like you turned an H on it's side to an 8 on it's side. I'd take more than standard precautions building something very unique sharing space with/next to a bunch of electronics.

[Polkster13]

I believe he is also going to put a back piece in and that would give an enclosed box with 2 adjacent sides being open. The top cornet would not have any support under it from just the wood. You would need to either put something under that (like a metal frame - that extends across the entire unit) or support it from above (say with a cable). The problem with the first is that cables stretch and the cable itself would be unsightly. Therefore the only other option you really have is support from underneath.

Ram, feel free to call me and I can discuss this with you further in detail. Your employer has my cell phone number. It is listed under Rimrock Reef.

[Tim Marvin]

Let me see if I am hearing this right.......You want to put a high dollar HD TV in an enclosed cabinet surrounded by salt water and humid salty air..... I'll be over to help you drink and smoke whatever is left......LOL........Your obviously doing something......JK....LMAO.... You'd better make darn sure you have the enclosure for the TV sealed off VERY well from the rest. I would build a cabinet for the tank and a stand alone next to it for the TV.

[Ram_Puppy]

you guys ever forget you posted a question? :) lol

Ok, first, the design i have so far has the the electronics (sans TV) on the totally opposite side of the entertainment center, about 80 inches away. The sump will sit in it's own basin w/ a drain that goes to the tank 'just in case'. And, the top, the middle (where the TV is) and the bottom, would be 3 seperate pieces of furniture fitted and joined together... I am just not sure this is going to work however, I dont want to mess with getting a steel frame, and I don't want the fuge sitting right over the tv (it has to be off to one side, my idiocy will only go so far) so I think this design will have to be scrapped.

I don't want to combine the sump and fuge, it is effective, but w/ a 30" swuare base to work with, (losing a lot of that to pump size) and I believe I settled on a 35" total height (so about 33 inches inside) I just don't feel comfy with how small the fuge would be in a combined setup, plus, I plan on using the 'fuge' area of the sump as one of Richards Deep Carbon Beds. So the fuge has to be remote, and I want it large as I plan on doing something similar to the eco-system sans caulerpa.

I was attatched to the idea of a gravity fed fuge because I like the thought of Y'ing off the return pump and letting the water and it's living contents simply drip back into the tank. If I take the fuge down below, say in the bottom of the entertainment center, i would either have to put a third pump on the system or run the refugium and sump off the same return, which I don't like the idea of. (just me being anal probably.)


well, maybe a steel frame wouldn't be a big deal, I have a friend that does welding, I will give him a call. I expect the entire entertainment center will have to be made w/ a metal frame as well... oi.