6 replies to this topic

[Joshaeus]

Hello all! I am thinking of building a small pond to keep fish outside for the warmer months and wanted input on it. The interior will be 34.5 by 16 by 16 inches. It will have 3/4 inch plywood sides, with the longer sides being 36 inches long and the shorter sides 16 inches, and the 16 inch sides will attach just inside the edge of the longer sides. These will be framed by 2 by 6's - a frame around the perimeter at the top and bottom, with a bunch of 4 inch pieces connecting the two. I was also going to attach plywood to the outside of the 2 by 6's and paint it to make the pond more attractive. I would also build a wooden frame lid with hardware cloth in the gap between the wood. Finally, I would add the pond liner. Any revisions I should make to this plan? Thanks

 

PS...here is a picture of my plans. The blue is empty space, the orange is plywood (the thin lines show the outline of the plywood behind 2 by 6's), the brown is the 2 by 6's, and the maroon is the lid. The scale is 10 pixels equals 1 inch.

 

 Diagram of water garden.png   1.34KB   0 downloads

[Matt DeLaVega]

You can use 3/4 inch plywood and skip the framing.

[Joshaeus]

Really? A 3/4 inch plywood box would be stable for several hundred pounds of water? What if I increased the length to 6 feet? And how thick should the liner be?

Edited by Joshaeus, 23 September 2018 - 06:21 AM.

[Matt DeLaVega]

You are basically making something similar to a DIY plywood aquarium. 6 feet is not a problem. I would think any standard liner would work.

[Joshaeus]

So...just screw together five pieces of plywood (four of them resting on the bottom piece), add the pond liner, and call it good?

[Matt DeLaVega]

Pretty much. I would glue it and screw it every 4-6 inches. Pre-drill the screw holes. I would caulk the seams and seal everything well. You would do well to look at a few builds online. Also get your pieces cut on a panel saw at a big box store. The cuts will be much more accurate than you could do with a circle saw.

[don212]

So...just screw together five pieces of plywood (four of them resting on the bottom piece), add the pond liner, and call it good?

use a lathe at least screwing into edge of plywood is generally not good practice.