Got Wood?

[jcook54]

Hey gang, I'm in the process of building a number of shelves/stands for the cabinet under my tank and I was wondering what is the best wood to use for this? I work at a customer mill and can get any type I need and didn't know if there was anything I should look for or any species to avoid. I've been leaning towards Cypress b/c it's durable and rot resistant. It's not going to be submerged but will most certainly get wet from time to time. Cedar would also work well but I figured the scent and oils that it can give off could potentially screw up something. So, any thoughts would be appreciated. I'd hate to have a die off in a year because I used the wrong kind of wood or something like that. Thanks!

 

[obelix]

You could probably use whatever you want, most people probably use something made from pine (plywood, 2x4, etc).. I'd probably stay away from any particle board and go for a nice grade of plywood if you need some width, otherwise use board. Probably more important than the board type is the sealer, use somekind of primer or clear sealer (oil or poly based) that will keep out any moisture that gets on the wood.. If you use cypress I don't think that wood seals very good because it is very oily...

 

[jcook54]

I work at a custom mill downtown (Randall Brothers) and we run hundreds of custom profiles a year. Each time we do we run a bit extra and save it just in case the customer ends up being a few feet short. Happens all the time. Anyways, I have my pick of 16'-32' of custom crown, panel mould, caps, beads and aprons to choose from and didn't want to make something that would potentially screw with my tank. Been thinking about a maple canopy w/ walnut crown and applied moulding which should both be safe.

By the way - if anyone is building their own stand/canopy's let me know. We got hundreds of extra pieces and they don't cost anything. Shoot, I end up using maple and oak casing for kindling because we eventually throw the waste out. I can also give out pieces of plywood that are damaged. I never have enough of anything to do an entire room but the scraps and waste are perfect for smaller items like cabinets and caonpy's.

 

[johnr2604]

I have built both of my stands out of sandply.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Ya, As long as you do not use MDF, you are fine. Oak is nice for show, pine is cheap. If you get it free, look for oak.

 

[theplatypus]

I would probably use MDO. (MDO and MDF are by no means the same material)

 

[jcook54]

I'll be staining it so MDO is out. One thing we do have a bunch of is Sapele. It's a cousin to Mahogany and most folks use it in place of mahogany because it's so much cheaper. It tends to be a bit brittle but I'm only talking about a few pieces. Anyways, Just food for thought. Seriously though, if anyone needs or wants some unique profiles in some fairly expensive species let me know. Personally I'd love to see some of the companie's "waste" get used up rather than use it as kindling. I'm not selling the stuff, it's free.

Does anyone know of a website that has canopy designs? I've seen a few but am always looking for ideas. Recently I've settled on an open top with an adjustable rack for lighiting so it can be raised or lowered depending on the fixture/type. Thanks for the replies, it's going to make a good winter project. Now if I could just get my nitrates to come down...

 

[obelix]

Here's a link to my build..

 

[theplatypus]

jcook54;227737 wrote: I'll be staining it so MDO is out. One thing we do have a bunch of is Sapele. It's a cousin to Mahogany and most folks use it in place of mahogany because it's so much cheaper. It tends to be a bit brittle but I'm only talking about a few pieces. Anyways, Just food for thought. Seriously though, if anyone needs or wants some unique profiles in some fairly expensive species let me know. Personally I'd love to see some of the companie's "waste" get used up rather than use it as kindling. I'm not selling the stuff, it's free.

Does anyone know of a website that has canopy designs? I've seen a few but am always looking for ideas. Recently I've settled on an open top with an adjustable rack for lighiting so it can be raised or lowered depending on the fixture/type. Thanks for the replies, it's going to make a good winter project. Now if I could just get my nitrates to come down...

Now you're talking my language. Screw the oaks and pines and go with the Sapele or Mahogany. Do we get our Mahogany doors from you all or Simpson? I think it's Simpson, but anyway.

 

[jcook54]

All Kenny or Neal pick up with us are the niche items. C Yellow pine V-joint, beaded ceiling or stain grade bead board that most other places get from us anyways. I may have sold a two flat panel door or two but never any mahogany units. You should come by some rainy day and I'll show you the mill and the cull pile. There's so much stuff there it's crazy. I snagged 4 sheets of 1/4" A2 maple ply because someone had stuck the stack with a forklift and damaged the edges. They were relieved from inventory and I got them for nothing because we couldn't sell them as full sheets. Instead of 4x8 sheets I got 3'11"x8' sheets for free and they came in handy when I was remodeling my kitchen. I've been looking for something similar to use for a new canopy that would accomadate halides.

 

[theplatypus]

jcook54;227865 wrote: All Kenny or Neal pick up with us are the niche items. C Yellow pine V-joint, beaded ceiling or stain grade bead board that most other places get from us anyways. I may have sold a two flat panel door or two but never any mahogany units. You should come by some rainy day and I'll show you the mill and the cull pile. There's so much stuff there it's crazy. I snagged 4 sheets of 1/4" A2 maple ply because someone had stuck the stack with a forklift and damaged the edges. They were relieved from inventory and I got them for nothing because we couldn't sell them as full sheets. Instead of 4x8 sheets I got 3'11"x8' sheets for free and they came in handy when I was remodeling my kitchen. I've been looking for something similar to use for a new canopy that would accomadate halides.

Then it comes from Simpson Mill Works. All of our exterior doors are 2 1/4 Mahogany.

 

[jcook54]

I need to tell Kenny to give us a shot at them. We've got a couple of new vendors that are quite affordable. I do love custom 2-1/4" doors! Although recently I've only sold Spanish Cedar I'm not sure how much the Mahogany would be but for Gasaway I'm sure we'd compete price wise...