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Thread: Making uber THICK light-weight panels

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Mazon, Il
    Posts
    375
    John,

    I have a 29 gal tank on a mediocre, store bought stand. As I sit here looking at it, it occurs to me that it probably *would not* sag, due to the fact that the glass itself is a structural component. It occurs to me that so long as the tank is primarily supported on its ends, you in fact *might* be able to remove the center panel on your design.

    A big however, though. How you going to keep the unit from wracking without a back?

    The torsion box concept is for stiffness only.

    I'd completely rethink this whole thing, and frankly, I'd be thinking square steel tubing.

    Your design is very modern. I'd think about how to encase a steel framework with panels.

  2. #17
    The thought of steel has crossed my mind more then once.

    MOST if people get away with more water on less wood. Usually people recommend a 2x4 frame and some plywood skin.

    I think i'll just keep the design and leave the center brace in, it's gotta be much better then 4 pieces of particle board framed up under the tank.

    Right now I happen to be lucky enough to have an aerospace engineer friend that does torsion "box" calculations on airplanes. He's crunching the numbers, and making some kind of grid size formula for carrying a load.

    I'll post up what he finds here.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Mazon, Il
    Posts
    375
    >>> Right now I happen to be lucky enough to have an aerospace engineer friend that does torsion "box" calculations on airplanes. He's crunching the numbers, and making some kind of grid size formula for carrying a load.

    That's awesome. I'd love to see what you guys come up with.

  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Simmel View Post
    A big however, though. How you going to keep the unit from wracking without a back?
    I'm going to leave the center brace if for nothing other then piece of mind.

    Anyone think it'll be ample to prevent racking without a full back?
    I'm assuming wracking refers to a side to side load.

    I called my engineer friend and he said no numbers until monday, he's on vacation (in a drunken stupor) until monday.

  5. #20
    The torsion boxs will easily carry the load, but any side to side movement will collapse the stand.

    :\

    Back to the 2x4 method I guess.

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