Glen. Are your bigger ones for the hole size or for the pipe size?
You can buy a larger 3 piece set of taps at the DIY heaven harbor freight but they are pricey or just buy they size you need. Let me know what you find price wise locally, the best i could find was 3/8" $8 1/2" $16 3/4" $20 1" $32 online. Just keep in mind that they typically dont sell them based on the size of the pipe and it can be a little confusing to know which one you need so be sure to ask someone if your not sure.[/quote]
shawn i have a good set. these are not cheap throw aways. they cost me the following.
1/2 = $21
3/4 = $30
1 = $63
1 1/4 = $66
1 1/2 = $ 86
i can get 1/8 up to 2 or 3 inch these will last you 20 years. i have had a few of these for over 15 years
lol yes they are pricey but tools that are worthlless are a waste of money. and they are sold by a standard =NIPS >national iron pipe size thread. i can lend mine out but only for a day at a time due to i never know when i need them. i also have dies from 3/8 to i think three inch.
and they are sold by a standard =NIPS >national iron pipe size
really? i only saw one place that listed them by standard pipe size instead of using the BPS or whatever it is. first, the size you buy is not for the size pipe your working with but the actual size of the tap. if you working with 1/2" pvc and you want to tap a hole for a 1/2" threaded male adapter…guess what? a 1/2" tap doesnt work for you because a male threaded pvc fitting is much larger than a 1/2" Then, if you figure out what size tap will actually work you need to know how many threads per inch the connector your working with had because guess what? for example, there is a 1/2-13 and a 1/2-20 and guess which one will work for 1/2 PVC pipe? neither ;D It gets better, because there is also metric tap sizes and different ID and OD associated with the different pipes we work with like Sch 40, Sch 80, and CPVC!!! Oh, and dont forget, you need to figure out the PRECISE size bit you need to drill the hole because if its too small it wont work, if its too big it might leak. Dont get me wrong, most of this info can be found online but it can be confusing for us non plumbers! The moral of my little story? Ask Glen for help before buying any taps/dies >LOL<
Ok well heres mine and think it’s what Shawns explaining, mine is overkill at least for my 180 but it will support the 500 when ever I can get it. Mine is made out of pressure treated just because it is in my basement and it does get damp in the room. There are no center verticle support beams just a center brace and support. The verticles are sndwiched between the 2x8 cross supports and a 3/4 inch piece of treated plywood is on top for support. The stand will hold up against alot of weight. Please excuse the loose wires I have the old ballast box still there and have not disassembled it yet.
March - Do you see how Bill’s supports are UNDER the top frame? Thats what i meant by having load bearing vertical support. ALL of the weight of the tank will be distrubuted through these supports. If the top of the support was cut flush with the frame and you fastend them to the frame like in your CAD drawing it would be a catrosphe waiting to happen. Because the weight of the tank is distrubuted along the perimeter through the frame, the weight could slowly stress your fastners and allow your frame to “sink” causing your vertical supports to apply pressure to the base of your tank.
Pressure treated wood isnt recommended for any indoor construction including basements. Some people will act as if its the end of the world for this reason or that and tell you that your stand will collapse if you use treated lumber. Im not sure, i would just suggest you stick with kiln dried 2X4’s. The better grade isnt much more and will make it a LOT easier to build than standard grade. FYI, your looking at about .20 -.25 cents/linear foot for the higher grade 2X4.
I never thought about just taking pics ;D Guess im just lazy!!
ya, the frame dosent do much but keep it all togther as my tank is going to be much smaller than the frame with 1 foot all around… basically i feel all the support is with the …nvm heres a pic:
see…
if i am still wrong ill just need foryou guys to explain in person at the meeting so i can write it down
when talking taps for bolts there are different thread counts, pitchs and you also have metric. but for pipe threads you have a standard iron pipe thread. it works for pvc, iron, black iron, cpvc, quest, pex, copper,abs…ect ect ect.and as shawn and ellen says if you have a plumbing question ask me…lol
when talking taps for bolts there are different thread counts, pitchs and you also have metric. but for pipe threads you have a standard iron pipe thread. it works for pvc, iron, black iron, cpvc, quest, pex, copper,abs......ect ect ect
ah! Did not know that. That makes a LOT of sense! Thanks!
I have one stand i made, light weight. 18 x 48 x 33 high. a simple 2x4 box frame screwed together for the top and bottom frame. then hold them together with 8 1x4s screwed and bolted to the outside of the 4 corners. 2 boards per corner, overlapped to make the right angle. and only one cross beam 2x4 in the middle of the top frame. then put a 3/4 slab of ply or melamine on the top. if you have a reef ready that needs plumbing through the bottom rear corner, you can make the stand an inch longer in each direction and have room for the plumbing to clear the frame. more than strong enough.
Yeah, thats something like mine. i make the top and bottom 2x4 frame boxes like those but with one center cross member for the 4 foot stand. But i screw and bolt the 1x4s on the outside to form the corner angled legs . leaves more room inside for the sump tank. for lighter tanks could probably use 1x3s like for that 40 breeder. mine doesnt even wobble if i push it. lots of opposing forces holding it rigid.
When I built my stand I did alot of reading online,especially on RC. There is plenty of info out there for the taking by people who know what they are doing. It is all at your finger tips. Here is what I did with the information.
Yes, thank you both for your pics! That is the ideal way to construct a stand and how i constructed all of mine.
March - if you look at Nemmy’s pics you can clearly see how to construct the stand. Is second pic would be similar to your design without all the supports. But is the last pic that is crucial. The vertical studs that are sandwiched between the two frames support the load. Its also a good idea to stagger them which can be seen clearly in John’s first pic. Do you see how the attachment point in the frame aligns to the middle of the vertical support instead of having the ends flush? It should also be clear why you dont need 4X4s if you look at the way the corners are constructed.
so i can see in nemmys build, its hard to see really in hounds as it is small… but if i were to build the same stand as nemmy with my dimensions will i need braces withing the sides…
WAIT i get it, epiphany time… ahhh so i see…
you have the basic frame lik i had but then you add a board betweent he upper border and lower border and on the outiside of the support holding the borders togther… i think i get it…
and people think my posts are hard to follow >LOCO<
nemmy’s pics are almost a how-to-guide. build your top and bottom frames first, like his first pic. Attach them together just the way the are on the second pic. The only thing i do differently is use 8 supports instead of 4. One attached in each inside corner just like his first 4 to form an L shape. I then use 8 supports on the outside just like his pic, two for each corner, and stagger them so they dont line up with the inside supports. You dont need anything more than that for a 4’ tank. For a 6’ i would add one middle vertical support on each side, and for an 8’ two middle supports on each side. You can put one or two cross supports in the middle, i do, but they arent necessary.
Two pieces of advice. 1)use 2.5" decking screws, not nails. 2)if you decide to put a piece of plywood on the top do not attach it to the frame. let it “float” or put a couple of dabs of wood glue to hold it.
