Leg of stand is 0.1mm shorter than the other side

[akazzz]

This stand will hold a 180 gallon tank.

How worried do you think I should be when 1 side of the stand's legs are 0.1mm to 0.2mm shorter than the other side?

[MarkS]

I wouldn't worry at all.

[Potatohead]

Your floor isn't even close to that level. Don't sweat it.

[EDJFA]

Are talking literally .1mm? As in divide a millimeter in 10 pieces?

If that's the case, I want to know several things:

1) What do you do for a living that requires you to be so precise about your measuring
2) What are you using to measure down to .1mm
3) What kind of saw are you using that cuts accurately down to .1mm
4) How did you even notice.

But, I have a solution for you. It's a 4 step process, so take your time:

Step 1 - Fold a piece of 60 grit sandpaper exactly in half.
Step 2 - Waive folded sandpaper anywhere within an inch of the board in question.
Step 3 - Blow any residual dust from waiving of sandpaper off of board in question
Step 4 - Continue building your stand.
Step 5 - Enjoy your tank!!

[Gorgok]

Step 1 - Fold a piece of 60 grit sandpaper exactly in half.
...

I read this and was like nonono thats way too much. Copy paper is around 2-3 thou and he needs 4 thou. Even without the grit the backer on sandpaper is probably 5 thou, times 2 at a 10 thou, plus grit easily 20 thou. Way too much...

But then you said to wave it near it, not use it as a spacer...

[EDJFA]

I'm still waiting for the answers to the questions. My money is on engineer, measuring equipment that uses lasers, and high end woodworking tools.

I used a circular saw with a worn out blade, a tape measure that is sketchy at best for anything less than 1/8", and a fair amount of "eh...that looks close enough" when I built my stand and it's been OK. Fish don't mind.

[Gorgok]

My money is on engineer, measuring equipment that uses lasers, and high end woodworking tools.

Any miter/table saw can make cuts that are off by 4 thou of each other... All you need is a tiny bit of operator error and there you go. Or if using a stop getting some wood dust between it and the work. A cheap miter saw may even have that much play in the down stroke so even a well set stop misses the mark on the cut.

Stacking the legs together and evening out one end by feel will make it easy to measure the difference at the other end (and 4 thou is easy to feel, so you know you need to measure). Even simple/cheap calipers can do a depth measure to get the difference at that point, dial, vernier or digital will all go down to that resolution or better. A depth micrometer can also be used, though thats a little excessive for woodworking... As would be using a drop/test indicator and sweeping the end for the difference (again all of which will easily go down an order of magnitude in accuracy).

Laser tape measures that i googled are only good to around 1-2mm accuracy. If i worked on something that was that far off it would drive me nuts.

But then i've done lost of machining and think like one, much more so than a woodworker. Wouldn't surprise if he were a machinist as well. Though talking in metric makes me a little suspect when he still says gallons for the tank... Hmm.

I am curious about the answer as well though.

[Vinny Kreyling]

Gentlemen -- that's 1/10th of a millimeter
I would put a 500 gallon aquarium on a stand with that tolerance.

[FullBoreReefer]

Any flex in the stand will absorb that

[akazzz]

Sorry guys. Its 1mm not 0.1mm. I'm not that accurate, haha!

[MarkS]

I've made stands with twists that put each opposing corner 1/4" off the other. The tank flattened it out. I wouldn't even bat an eye at a 1 or 2 mm difference. Maybe a centimeter. *Maybe*