4ft Cabinet - A question for the structural engineers

Good day all,

I am planning a new 4ft setup and rather than cladding a metal frame in wood I am planning on building a superwood cabinet very similar to the one @shihr built for his 4ft planted setup http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?5527-122lx60bx45h
The only structural differences will be that the front will be braced with a 44x44 strip of SA pine instead of the superwood strip and the centre frame built by shihr will be replaced by a full superwood upright.

Now my question is will this stand adequatly support a standard 4ft (1220x450x450) built with braced 6mm glass (I think) as by Qualipet?
The reason I ask is that shihr's tank was built with 10mm glass.

Any input or help would be greatly appreciated.
Greg

 

Cant see a problem with your planned design at all. (although I am not a structural engineer...lol) - Most of the curve front Chinese imported tank stands have a lot less to them than what you are planning - yet they support tanks of 400l + .... To this day have not heard of one failing under the weight...

 

@GOJ - Post a sketch of your intended support frame design.

It is all about distributing the load equally over the structure, eliminating concentrated stress areas and having minimal deflection - as glass cannot withstand a lot of deflection.

 

Here's a 4ft stand I designed on sketchup. I'm pretty sure this stand is a bit overbuilt (can use thinner wood) but you can never be too safe.

 

it looks amazing...arty:

 

@Razer2007 very nice stand, I am looking more at a cabinet that will provide its own support.

@OscaCT I will draw my intended design today if I get a chance, otherwise this evening, scan tomorrow morning and post, unfortunately I am not that handy with these drawing programs.

 

@GOJ, Oh I see, but you can always clad it in panels.

 

@Razer2007 that is an awesome stand. Looks realy good

Have you worked out how much it would cost you to build a stand like that?

 

Yeah I have. The calculated price is for a slightly bigger tank. 130X60cm.

If the wood is R150 for a 3m piece, the it will be R750 for wood only. Still need you screws, brackets etc.

If you're interested in the sketchup file and spreadsheet I can email it to you.

 

@OscaCT here is what I am planning. The attached drawing is just missing the doors and top.

1. Base
2. Cabinet floor
3. Cabinet back
4. Left side
5. Centre support and cabinet divider
6. Right side
7. Front support beam

Everything bar the front support beam (7) is in 16mm superwood. The base (1) is 20mm shorter than the length and width of the cabinet, thus allowing a 6mm overlap between the left right and back panels.
The floor (2) will be attached to the base (1)
The sides, centre and back (3,4,5 and 6) attached on top of that
The support beam (7) will be 44x44mm (or thicker) meranti, inset into the middle support and attached to the inside of the left and right sides, possibly with a small block mounted directly below it on each side for a little extra support.

 

Hi Goj,

Thanks for the info.

So for it looks good.

What is the height of the unit and how do you intent to fix the panels together?

 

The finished height for the cabinet will be 610mm. Panels will be cold glued, clamped and screwed with 45mm chip screws, doors hung on anti slam concealed hinges.