Removable Center Brace

[CRW Reef]

So I am in the process of building a new sump for my 75. While I am certain the new sump will fit, I'm not certain I will be able to get it in through my doors. Has anyone come up with a good way to make the front center brace of their stand removable and then fasten in it back with out sacrificing cosmetics?

I just don't want to get my old sump out, only to find out I can't get the new one in with out a back up plan. Any thoughts, ideas and or pics how it can be done would be awesome!

 

[cdrewferd]

I bet if you cut it out, then used pocket hole screws to put it back in that should work. Would need to support it while the brace is out but that shouldn't be too hard.

 

[kmellon]

I've seen them with the visual part of the brace attached to a longer piece behind it. The longer piece was long enough to touch the top and bottom (not too tightly) so that it would hold itself in place. This was not an intragal part of the support structure of the tank and was not to be load bearing. So you might want to size it after you have your tank up and running so that the weight create pressure on the backer causing it to get stuck.

 

[CRW Reef]

Both good points and thoughts. I figured I could cut current center brace out and replace with new brace pigeon screwed back in, but was cosmetically concerned with the newly created seams. Maybe I'm being to picky and looking too deep into what it might look like.

Still open to additional/further thoughts thank you guys.

 

[Craigar]

Got any pics of tge stand I'll look at it and figure something out for ya to hide seems

 

[CRW Reef]

I know, I know not the cleanest sump in the world but hoping to change that along with the new sump

 

[jahmic]

I would probably cut and support it while you get the new sump in, as others have suggested. Reattach the brace from behind, then hide the seams with trim. It looks like you already have a piece of trim along the base of the stand just below the doors. You could always get a few pieces of trim to "frame out" the doors along the top and between them to keep a clean look and hide the seam just under the edge of the trim.

Dunno if that would make the stand "too busy" for your taste though. The other option is to just use some wood filler in the seam...but then you would likely have to sand and repaint the front of the stand to get that clean look again.

 

[CRW Reef]

Hmmmm thinking I may just cut the center brace with a coping saw in order to get the smallest cuts. Then just use a latch of some sort on the top and and pigeon toe the bottom in with screws. This way the center brace would remain removable for future needs or changes.

Any thoughts good or bad?

 

[jahmic]

Yea, if you're able to get a clean cut with the coping saw you can probably get the upper end of that center brace to fit back in place without much of a seam showing at all. If you can get the blade in underneath the stand and cut from behind, you'll also reduce the risk of slipping and scoring more of the wood than necessary...might even be able to get away with not having to repaint anything.

 

[CRW Reef]

Right on Khalis great thoughts. This is the latch I'm thinking for the top. May even use 2.

 

[jahmic]

Good call on the latch so you remove it again in the future. Probably goes with out saying, but I'd cut the top of that brace first to keep things stable while you cut. If you were to cut the bottom first, you may have to deal with the center brace moving around too much and potentially splintering the wood.

 

[Rebel]

Regardless of what kind of saw you use to cut it out, you will be shortening the brace (by removing wood via the cut). A coping saw may only take out a 1/16" on top and bottom, or more if the cuts are not perfect, but that's a total 1/8" in the center, allowing for what I would consider pretty decent deflection in the center of your stand. A 75 is 4' long, correct? I guess that's not too bad, but I would still be a bit worried. And that's best case if you use a very thin (1/16") blade. anything thicker makes it that much worse. It it were me, I would make the cuts as perfectly straight as possible, then cut a new piece of wood to refit into the space tightly, and then stain it to match.

I may be a bit paranoid--but not as paranoid as the engineers that had to approve the tank at school. They used ten-inch steel I-beams for the 225, and it's only 6' long. They said it was necessary for deflection because of the weight. I don't know engineering or the proper calculations, but it looks waaaaay overbuilt to me. But by using their logic, you may rethink putting in the same brace you shorten by cuts.

JMO.

 

[CRW Reef]

Great input, thank you Rebel. I agree with changing out the center piece to be exact size vs replacing with one I cut out. I am.still thinking I will fasten in the same manner as I suggested unless someone has any other ideas.

 

[CRW Reef]

Ok haven't done this yet but what is everybody's thoughts on just removing the center brace all together and changing out the doors to cover gap?

 

[cdrewferd]

Not possible. The stand will eventually fail. That stand was designed to use that center brace, take it out and you'll lose all structural integrity. Put it back and you'll be fine.


Drew

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CRW Reef]

Hmmmmm its a custom made stand, not a store one. I have seen lots of stands with out center braces, like watercolorguy's I think doesn't have one. Could be wrong though.

Alas though I will still prob put it back out of fear lol

 

[WatercolorsGuy]

Hmmmmm its a custom made stand, not a store one. I have seen lots of stands with out center braces, like watercolorguy's I think doesn't have one. Could be wrong though.

Alas though I will still prob put it back out of fear lol

You are correct Chad. My 90gal does not have a center brace. It has two braces in the rear but none at the front. It never did have one up front...but it is hard to tell if the design of yours has the center brace for cosmetics or as an actual load bearing piece.
View attachment 8796
(Pic shortly after adding sump and before the new tank switch.)

 

[CRW Reef]

I could maybe do 1-2 2*4 on edge on top of 2*4s in each front corner. Hmmm wondering if that would work in addition to the obvious structural stand already in place

 

[WatercolorsGuy]

My stand is made of solid oak and plywood. The front of it is solid 3/4" oak with the sides and back framed out of 3/4" laminate with oak veneer...if I remember right...not home at the moment.

 

[CRW Reef]

Hmmm well that's one of my faults of being a man lol. I couldn't tell you the type of wood I could tell you mdf, ply wood, laminate and solid wood, but couldn't tell you if it was oak, pine, alder, maple or what. Might need an id on that lol.