Wood sizes for brew stand and stairs?

[Redtab78]

So I am designing my brew stand that will (essentially) be a 2 tier style, however my HLT deck will be slightly lower that my mash tun and was running into a slight delima. I cant seem to find an answer on here that deals with my exact questions so here goes:

1) Is there a preference of wood size to use i.e. 2x4, 1x6 etc. (or is mixed better such as 1x6 for bottom base, then 2x4 for the rest)

2) is 4x4 preferred for the vertical post to support the weight?


Secondly I see a lot of "tier" stands built that would seem difficult to see into the mashtun, and for mine, the platform that my mashtun will sit on will be approximately 56" tall, add another 24" for the cooler height and I am at 80" (6'6") which is way taller than I....so since space isn't that big of an issue, I was going to build stairs and a platform on one side of it so that I can step up to see in the MLT. the entire width will only be 40" (20" for the stand and another 20 for the stairs)...

so the question here is, has anyone here built a platform/stairs to stand on for their stand, and if so, can you post a picture so I can get some creative juices flowing.


And yes, I know I can add a pump, which I may do at a later date but not now.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

I'd say google 'wooden landing' and it will get you picks of what you need. If it was me I would make a stand from 4x4 and 2x4, as the article on my main page today attests, you'd hate you have 5-15 gallons of boiling wort come crashing down!

 

[Redtab78]

Thanks. I tried to search "wood tenacity" but I'm not an engineer so truthfully I don't know what the hell I am doing lol. That's why I came here to see what the general preferences are. Typically I think 2x4 and 4x4 would be just fine, but I wasn't 100% on the strength given the overall length will be 70" sitting of 4 300lb casters I happen to have laying around, so I didn't want the middle to sag or break under the weight that could potentially be sitting on it.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

A general rule of thumb is a 2x4 can span 4', 2x6 6', 2x8 8', etc. If your span is 70 inches and you may be putting a lot of weight on it I would put in 6 legs or use 2x6 framing.

 

[matt2778]

In reality you don't need a very substantial support member to carry the load of even a 20 gallon kettle but you do need to invest in some thought into rack strength. 3/4" cdx plywood can easily carry the entire load of your system if used properly, however a poorly joined stand built of 2x8's and 4x4 can easily rack over and collapse. I support my system out of cdx built into the wall with no supports whatsoever

 

[Yesfan]

Have you looked through the wooden sculpture thread? Maybe you can find some ideas there.

(link)


I made just a simple cart that everything fits on. The mash tun sits on top and my boil kettle sits just above my fermenter since my burner is a Blichmann with the leg extensions. Because of this, the tun sits a little higher than I like, so I just use a simple step stool when doughing in. Simple and effective for my two vessel setup.

 

[Redtab78]

This is what I ended up with. Casters will be here Thursday, new Blichmann burner for the keggle will be here today. There is a fold out table on the backside, I will post more pictures when its complete.

 

[Redtab78]

Guess I should state the sizes I used since the thread title is about sizes :/

The post are 4x4, the bottom is 2x6, and the rest is 2x4s. The side platforms are 20" x 20", and the top is 20" x 30". the total cost was less than $100 (and most of that was for the carriage bolts and the stain/poly coating.

2- 4x4x10' (4 cuts at 47", 2 cuts at 9")
1- 4x4x8' (2 cuts of 22")
2- 2x6x8' (2 cuts at 70" for sides, 2 cuts at 17" for ends)
4- 2x4x8' (lots of 17" cuts for cross bracing, 3@30" for top sides, 4@ 24 1/2 for smaller stand sides)

the rest is left over 3/4" plywood from a previous project

Stain is "cabernet" color stain/poly combination

Mash paddle is homemade from 1" maple stock (about $8) from lumber yard

 

[Redlantern]

For something as small as a brew rig, 2"x4" and 3/4" plywood is more than strong enough if you assemble it well.

My rig is made from scraps of wood I had hanging around. It is strong enough for a 5 gallon batch with me on top.

 

[m1k3]

@Redtab78 - That is super nice... WAY stronger than needed but really nice!

I have a half barrel HTL (full of 15 gallons of water) and a 70qt mash tun (full with 42# of grain and 15 gallons of water) all sitting on the top tier of my brew stand with 2x4 legs.

 

[Redtab78]

Thank you! Just got my blichmann burner in, and inline water filtration system installed complete with its own water nozzle (similar to the kitchen sink spray nozzel).

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

This is what I ended up with. Casters will be here Thursday, new Blichmann burner for the keggle will be here today. There is a fold out table on the backside, I will post more pictures when its complete.

That looks awesome, well done sir.

 

[BrewingChemist]

looking forward to seeing it when its complete!

 

[Redtab78]

https://youtu.be/UNRjCxm0xsk

 

[Yesfan]

Bad ass Red tab. :rockin: Thanks for sharing! :thumbs up:


We really need a thumbs up smiley here......

 

[m1k3]

The drawer is really nice.