Best wood for stand building from Home Depot/Lowes

[Galabar]

What would be the best (I'm defining as strongest) wood to get from Home Depot or Lowes for stand building.  I'm thinking about a basic 2x4 design with plywood for the top (for acrylic tank).

Looking at wood hardness, it seems that there are different types of pine, cedar, and walnut, and all the charts have them in different positions.

Would would be the hardest softwood that I can get from Home Depot/Lowes?

[nabokovfan87]

@Pepere can you help us out herre?

[lefty o]

constructed properly, plain ol' 2x4 framing lumber will support pretty much any tank.

[Galabar]

On 5/18/2023 at 9:20 PM, lefty o said:

constructed properly, plain ol' 2x4 framing lumber will support pretty much any tank.

Thanks!

We recently did a boy scout project (outdoor benches) where we used the cedar 2x4s instead of pine (for longevity).  The wood looked a little nicer.

Going further, there looked to be walnut (might be wrong about that) 2x4s (or 1x4s?) that really looked nice.  Would either the cedar or walnut be Ok instead of the standard pine?

Maybe it was 1x2 hickory?

In any event, I'd like to upgrade a bit from the standard pine, but not go too crazy. 🙂

Edited May 19, 2023 by Galabar

[Tommy Vercetti]

Poplar is inexpensive and strong. It is significantly harder than fir / pine. I would paint it because it has a weird green tone to the wood. 

If the budget allows for it, I would chose birch from home depot. It looks really nice and is cheaper than oak, walnut, maple and cherry wood.

I made this stand from birch.

Edited May 19, 2023 by Tommy Vercetti

[Galabar]

Thanks!  So, popular to go a little cheaper or birch to go a little more expensive?  I'll check those two out when I go to Home Depot.

Nice stand, by the way! 🙂

 

[Galabar]

For birch (at Home Depot, at least), it looks like it is mostly plywood.  I've mostly only built stands using "sticks" with glue and screws (like most DIY examples out there) with plywood for the top and bottom shelves (if needed). 🙂. How does one join the plywood in order to make a strong stand?

Edited May 19, 2023 by Galabar

[Tommy Vercetti]

On 5/18/2023 at 10:04 PM, Galabar said:

For birch (at Home Depot, at least), it looks like it is mostly plywood.  I've mostly only built stands using "sticks" with glue and screws (like most DIY examples out there) with plywood for the top and bottom shelves (if needed). 🙂. How does one join the plywood in order to make a strong stand?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Swaner-Hardwood-Birch-Board-Common-1-in-x-4-in-x-R-L-Actual-0-75-in-x-3-5-in-x-R-L-629383/100086024

[Galabar]

On 5/18/2023 at 10:23 PM, Tommy Vercetti said:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Swaner-Hardwood-Birch-Board-Common-1-in-x-4-in-x-R-L-Actual-0-75-in-x-3-5-in-x-R-L-629383/100086024

Ok, I'm very interested in that... 🙂

Given the current 2x4 DIY projects out there, could I use one of those boards instead of the standard pine/fir 2x4 or would I need to put 2 1x4 birch boards together?

 

[Tommy Vercetti]

I like to make the face out of boards and the rest from plywood. Just like your kitchen cabinets. 

 

To join plywood, there are many options depending on your skill level and tool collection; Dowels are strong, easy and cheap. Rabets and dados are stronger but require more time, tools and skills. My preferred method is a cleat 3/4" x 3/4" with wood glue and screws or brad nails.

Or you could go easy mode, like I did for the wife's fry tanks:

[Tommy Vercetti]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-WBSK-Workbench-and-Shelving-Hardware-Kit-WBSK/205177374

 

[Tommy Vercetti]

The easy mode stand will only take about 2 to 4 hours to build.

[Galabar]

Thanks! 🙂

 

[Andy's Fish Den]

All the stands and racks that I have built over my 30+ years of fishkeeping I have made out of standard construction grade 2x4 and 2x6 lumber from either Home Depot or Lowes. I build them using the dado method that several people have shown on YouTube such as Dan's Fish. If I have time I will paint each piece before I assemble, others I have done after its together, some have not been painted at all. One thing I do is put a layer of paint or silicone on the bottoms of the legs that will be contacting the ground, so that if I do spill water, it can't be wicked up into the wood. 

[Jackson]

On 5/19/2023 at 12:59 AM, Galabar said:

Thanks!  So, popular to go a little cheaper or birch to go a little more expensive?  I'll check those two out when I go to Home Depot.

Nice stand, by the way! 🙂

 

I doubt that you will find anything but spruce 2x stock at home depot . Poplar usually come in 1x stock . Never seen birch 2x or oak there, or any other lumber yard. You would have to special order any hardwood 2x stock . Can get it just have to pay through the nose . Fir would be your next best or next cheapest after spruce . It's a structural wood . 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Jackson

[JettsPapa]

On 5/18/2023 at 11:20 PM, lefty o said:

constructed properly, plain ol' 2x4 framing lumber will support pretty much any tank.

I agree.  If built right, which means load bearing from tank all the way to the floor, so that nails, screws, glue, or dowels are just holding the pieces together and not carrying any load, any timber 2 x 4 will be fine.  Edit:  for that matter, if your fasteners are carrying the load it really doesn't matter how strong the wood is, because the fasteners are the weak point.

I actually prefer softer woods for many things just because they're easier to work with.  Less splitting, easier to saw, often less expensive, and not as heavy are a few of the reasons.

Edited May 19, 2023 by JettsPapa

[gardenman]

For cost effectiveness, not much beats a 2X4. Plywood (real plywood, not particle board, chip board or other sheet goods) has certain advantages in terms of stability. It can be a bit harder to work with though.

[Galabar]

I was thinking that the Southern Yellow Pine boards might be the way to go: https://woodhungry.com/southern-yellow-pine-vs-douglas-fir/

I'll just be really careful to get nice looking ones... 🙂

 

I have built tank stands before without 2x4s (this one needs a bit of paint touch-up on the bottom): https://photos.app.goo.gl/1ZcvLqxmbuxC7tU87

However, I'm not sure I want to put that level of work in this time. 🙂

 

[Galabar]

If they had something closer to 12" instead of 18" deep, I might just go in this direction: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/regency-18-x-36-18-gauge-304-stainless-steel-commercial-work-table-with-galvanized-legs-and-undershelf/600T1836G.html

🙂