This project was built and designed by Caleb from YouCanMakeThisToo. It’s a creative aquarium stand that blends structural steel, plywood cabinetry, epoxy resin, and a custom LEGO scene to create something functional and visually striking.
Built to support the weight of a full aquarium while also housing hidden storage, this stand is a great example of how woodworking can be both practical and imaginative. With thoughtful design and careful execution, Caleb turns an ordinary stand into a conversation piece.
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Designing a Functional and Decorative Base
The foundation of this stand is a welded steel frame, made from angle iron. This material offers plenty of strength without adding bulk to the design, keeping the visual focus on the plywood cabinetry and LEGO details.
The frame is designed to support the aquarium’s weight evenly while staying out of the spotlight. The steel serves as the hidden backbone of the build, allowing more room for customization in the surrounding panels and surface design.
Building the Steel Frame
Construction begins with cutting and welding the angle iron into two rectangles connected by vertical uprights. Instead of using standard miter joints, Caleb uses a tab-and-flop method that simplifies alignment and improves strength.
After welding, the frame is checked for squareness, and small adjustments are made where needed. Caleb taps threaded holes into the frame, which later allows the plywood panels to be bolted directly to the steel—ensuring everything stays rock solid once assembled.
Crafting the Cabinet
Half-inch plywood forms the structure of the cabinet surrounding the frame. Each panel is cut and joined using pocket holes and screws, with careful clamping to maintain perfect right angles during the build.
As the sides and back go up, Caleb uses spacers like popsicle sticks to fine-tune the fit. This helps eliminate gaps without relying on brute force, resulting in a cleaner assembly and tighter joints.
Adding Hidden Storage
A key feature of this stand is its hidden cubby built into the lower cabinet. To make it work around the steel frame, Caleb notches plywood panels to fit snugly against the metal structure.
He uses right-angle clamps for speed and precision during this part of the build. Once the cubby is in place, the cabinet feels fully integrated—offering plenty of space for aquarium accessories or supplies without interrupting the exterior design.
Creating a LEGO Aquaman Riverbed
What sets this aquarium stand apart is its unique decorative scene, made with LEGO pieces and embedded in epoxy. The theme revolves around a LEGO Aquaman layout, carefully positioned to look like a submerged riverbed.
Caleb lays out the LEGO pieces to finalize the scene before building supports from scrap plywood to hold them in place. These supports are glued into the cabinet and form a base for the epoxy pour to come.
Pouring the Epoxy
To create the illusion of water over the LEGO scene, a pour of tinted epoxy resin is added. First, Caleb builds a dam around the pour area using scrap wood and packing tape to hold the liquid in place.
The epoxy is mixed with blue-green pigments and poured in thin layers to avoid trapping bubbles. A heat gun is used to pop any surface bubbles, and although a vacuum chamber could improve clarity, it’s not required.
This part of the build demands patience and steady hands, but it pays off with a glass-like finish that looks just like water flowing over the scene. The LEGO terrain appears fully submerged, enhancing the illusion of depth and movement.
Final Assembly
With the epoxy set, attention turns to final assembly. The front face of the cabinet is added, and everything is secured using pocket holes and screws. A hidden access panel is integrated directly into the LEGO scene, making the storage compartment nearly invisible unless you know it’s there.
Rubber feet are attached to keep the stand level and prevent floor damage. The whole unit gets a few coats of primer and paint to tie together the steel, wood, and epoxy elements into a clean, unified look.
A Stand That Blends Art and Function
This project highlights how functional woodworking can also serve as creative expression. The stand supports an aquarium, stores accessories, and doubles as a piece of art, all in one compact footprint.
Caleb’s approach shows that with a little imagination, even the most utilitarian furniture can be turned into something fun and personal. It’s an excellent weekend project for intermediate woodworkers or anyone looking to push their design boundaries.
Please support Caleb by visiting his website: https://www.ycmt2.com/.