Can this teakwood stand okay for 5ft tank?

[Star-flog]

Plan to have a 5ft tank and also a custom made teakwood as stand, the question, can this hold the weight of 5 ft tank. see picture below.

Thank you any comments.

[hwchoy]

just make sure the joints are strong enough.

[Star-flog]

just make sure the joints are strong enough.

thanks. For 5ft is quite long and no centrel support leg is okay?

[vinz]

Safer to have six legs, and a frame as a base to distribute the weight on your floor properly, especially if you live in high rise or intend to put this on an upper floor of a multi-storey house.

It should be described as 2 rectangular frames, one on top and one at the bottom with 6 legs between them. The bottom frame should rest completely on the floor.

An attempt at 3d-ascii diagram:

     +-------------+-------------+
    /|             |            /|
   / |             |           / |
  /  |             |          /  |
 /   |             |         /   |
+-------------+-------------+    |
|    +--------|----+--------|----+
|   /         |             |   /
|  /          |             |  /
| /           |             | /
|/            |             |/
+-------------+-------------+

[bclee]

Structurally it does not look strong without bracings. The joints of the legs will be need to be very strong without bracings.

With 4 legs, the force will also be concentrated on 4x4x4in area.

I think it is better get an experience carpenter to do it.

BC

[Star-flog]

Safer to have six legs, and a frame as a base to distribute the weight on your floor properly, especially if you live in high rise or intend to put this on an upper floor of a multi-storey house.

It should be described as 2 rectangular frames, one on top and one at the bottom with 6 legs between them. The bottom frame should rest completely on the floor.

An attempt at 3d-ascii diagram:

     +-------------+-------------+
    /|             |            /|
   / |             |           / |
  /  |             |          /  |
 /   |             |         /   |
+-------------+-------------+    |
|    +--------|----+--------|----+
|   /         |             |   /
|  /          |             |  /
| /           |             | /
|/            |             |/
+-------------+-------------+

Hi Vinz, thanks for the suggestion.
I prefer to make it simple yet strong. How about I added in for more legs so total will have 8 legs with 3" thickness of teakwood as supports. see photo

[Star-flog]

OR

6 x 4" Teakwood legs as supports (as photo).

Anyone?

[hwchoy]

make a frame as vinz suggest, put some doors on it and use it as a cabinet.

[d2hpeter]

make a frame as vinz suggest, put some doors on it and use it as a cabinet.

Vertical legs will only take vertical loads. Any side movement with the huge momentum of the water would collapse the table side way.
You could brace with some slender hollow steel rod at the back diagonally to take the shear load.
Better be safe, you have more than 1 ton of wt resting on top.

[hwchoy]

Vertical legs will only take vertical loads. Any side movement with the huge momentum of the water would collapse the table side way.
You could brace with some slender hollow steel rod at the back diagonally to take the shear load.
Better be safe, you have more than 1 ton of wt resting on top.

I also like that say.

[Star-flog]

Vertical legs will only take vertical loads. Any side movement with the huge momentum of the water would collapse the table side way.
You could brace with some slender hollow steel rod at the back diagonally to take the shear load.
Better be safe, you have more than 1 ton of wt resting on top.

The weight for the 5ft tank would rougly be ~ 450kg (very heavy). If I use 6 legs and each legs with 3"x3" solid teakwood. I don't see why it can't support this tank. The important thing should be level and so the weight rest to all 6 legs. If this is to compare with other commerical fish-tank cabinet of using normal wood, it should be a lot stronger. Agree? Try to raise the level of standard instead of just stick to what we can get in the market, too common.

To make a cabinet as compare to a 6 legs stand in Teakwood, will be a lot of more expensive. Furthermore, the teakwood cabinet tends to look 'heavy' and not so nice in design. I seen this kind teakwood cabinet before, too bulky.

[vinz]

I'm not an engineer, so I can't give you numbers. The designed I proposed is what HDB required for my friend's 6'x2.5'x2.5' tank. The final approved design (after ping-ponging with HDB several times) was a stainless steel frame of the similar design, but with 10 legs between the top and bottom frames.

The main concern is to spread the load out.

Have you included the glass, gravel, filter, cabinet, lights, CO2 cylinder, etc in your weight caculations?

[Simon]

think you need one more horizontal bracing or else one push can mean a new swimming pool in your house

[Star-flog]

I'm not an engineer, so I can't give you numbers. The designed I proposed is what HDB required for my friend's 6'x2.5'x2.5' tank. The final approved design (after ping-ponging with HDB several times) was a stainless steel frame of the similar design, but with 10 legs between the top and bottom frames.

The main concern is to spread the load out.

Have you included the glass, gravel, filter, cabinet, lights, CO2 cylinder, etc in your weight caculations?

Much appreicated and I really consider go for this design. As rightly pointed out, how to spread the load is a main concern here! And will confirm with the carpenter on the final design.

For this 5ft, the weight calculation is about ~ 450 Kg. I think for 6'x2.5'x2.5' (the water weight alone will be 1100kg). Double the weight of this 5ft and therefore a steel frame definitely required.

[bclee]

Vertical legs will only take vertical loads. Any side movement with the huge momentum of the water would collapse the table side way.
You could brace with some slender hollow steel rod at the back diagonally to take the shear load.
Better be safe, you have more than 1 ton of wt resting on top.

The weight for the 5ft tank would rougly be ~ 450kg (very heavy). If I use 6 legs and each legs with 3"x3" solid teakwood. I don't see why it can't support this tank. The important thing should be level and so the weight rest to all 6 legs. If this is to compare with other commerical fish-tank cabinet of using normal wood, it should be a lot stronger. Agree? Try to raise the level of standard instead of just stick to what we can get in the market, too common.

To make a cabinet as compare to a 6 legs stand in Teakwood, will be a lot of more expensive. Furthermore, the teakwood cabinet tends to look 'heavy' and not so nice in design. I seen this kind teakwood cabinet before, too bulky.

I think you do not understand the problem. The problem is not the weight per se. It is when a lateral force is applied, the joints would most likely to give way if there is no bracing.

Bracing like hpeter mentioned will prevent the buckling of the legs.

BC

[Star-flog]

I think you do not understand the problem. The problem is not the weight per se. It is when a lateral force is applied, the joints would most likely to give way if there is no bracing.

Bracing like hpeter mentioned will prevent the buckling of the legs.

BC

Yes bclee, you got the point and thanks for pointing it out. The joint is critical and therefore the design of this wood should be as photo below would certainly help to reduce the lateral force..

Much appreciated.

[Star-flog]

Additionally points (we're almost like engineer already), the shorter legs are much secure than longer legs for this wood stand, and therefore take on the weight better, agree?

Also, the long tank spread the weight much better than the talk tank! correct?

[bclee]

Errr... some of us are engineers by profession or training...

the shorter legs are much secure than longer legs for this wood stand, and therefore take on the weight better

Yes and no... yes, shorter legs will experience less moment when a lateral force is applied... no, long legs and short legs of same material will take on weight equally well.

the long tank spread the weight much better than the talk tank

No... it all depends on the design of the stand. The area in contact with the floor is what distribute the weight of the tank not the length of the tank.

BC

[Star-flog]

Errr... some of us are engineers by profession or training...

BC

Oops, sorry...please highlight whether my points make sense?

[d2hpeter]

Oops, sorry...please highlight whether my points make sense?

Glad that you finally see the light
We engineers are very KS about all this structural issue.
I mentioned a mass of 1 ton is because a slight knock or sudden leaning with the human body against a 450~500kg mass with a cg roughly 1m or slightly higher would give a force or moment equivalent to a 2g [inclusive of some safety factor] acceleration, meaning a resultant force of about a 1 ton force with a moment arm of 1m. Your leg joints will surely fail.