Building an Aquarium Cabinet
I had two different ideas, one a box frame stand made from 2x2 wood, and one a cabinet made from chipboard. Both designs are shown here. In the end, I combined the two designs - a frame for strength, boxed in with chipboard to brace the structure and to turn it into a cabinet. I added some old brackets and a board offcut inside for a shelf, and to my surprise I had a strong cabinet which looks acceptable and is holding the tank well!
Here is a guide to how it was made, in photos. The cost was £19 for the pine 2x2, £16 for the chipboard, and £15 for paint, hinges, magnetic catches and doorhandles.
I needed the following equipment, most of which I already had: wood glue, electric drill/screwdriver, chisel, mallet, g-cramps, wood saw, junior hacksaw, sander, various drill bits including countersink bit and various screws. Other jobs were made easier by using a tenon/box saw (for very precise cuts) and circular saw (quicker!) but these were not essential. I also took care to use eye protection and dust mask where necessary.
It took me ten days to build, working for a few hours a day. I also managed to do most of it sitting down, which was important as I have mobility problems and can't stand for too long.
 First you need to throw the cat out of the room! |
 I tried sawing my 2x2 with a tenon boxed saw, which gave very precise cuts, but a circular saw was quicker. |
 Here are all the pieces of wood cut to shape, and checked for length against the tank they will be holding. |
 A lap joint was cut into each end, chiselled to the exact size, and sanded smooth. |
 The frame is laid out ready for gluing. |
 Here are two ends ready to be glued, with the glue applied liberally. As my wood did not line up perfectly, I ended up having to glue both sides, but only one is recommended. The joint was held with a G-cramp for the first few hours while drying. |
 The completed frames for the top and bottom of the structure. Cat has snuck back in to inspect handiwork. |
 Having made the frames, I drilled and screwed the legs on using long decking screws. |
 The legs were a little wobbly until joined at both top and bottom! |
 Finally the structure is complete. It was fairly solid too, until I tested it by lying on it. After that it had a strange wobble. |
 Outside, painting the frame and the top, side and door boards so they are waterproof. |
 The top and bottom are laid in place - the bottom is actually inside the cabinet to make a floor for my equipment. When fitting the top, ensure it is flat all over with a spirit level. |
 Screws to attach the boards are countersunk, so a hole like this is made with a countersink drill bit... |
 ...and then the screws fit flush with the wood, important when there will be a glass structure on top of it. |
 The back board needs large notches cut on both sides using wood saw and chisel. |
 One notch is for the filter pipes, the other for the electric cables. |
 The cabinet now has top, bottom and back attached. I used an offcut to make a shelf. The structure was now rock solid, to my relief! |
 Looking inside the cabinet now the sides are on. You can see the brackets for the shelf. |
 The completed cabinet now with doors fitted with hinges, magnetic catches and seahorse shaped handles. A proud moment! |
 Inside you can see plenty of room for the necessary equipment, food and so on. |
 The finished cabinet, with the tank set up. Looks fabulous, and does the job! | |
- Pilot holes drilled too big so bracket screws were held in place by wood glue
- Pilot holes drilled too small so drill bit broke off in cabinet
- Screws for hinges too long for door - had to hacksaw the ends off, file and paint over them
- Screws for magnetic catch too long for door - instead I used superglue
- Paint ran out part way through only to find it is discontinued and I had to mix and match with something else
- Back was put on upside down so the notches are lower than planned
- Shelf was kept on cupboard floor below brackets while I worked on other bits. Once the sides were on, it was too tight to slide the shelf back into place and the sides had to come off again!
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This page last updated: 01 September 2022
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