Question for rack builders

[jazzgeek]

Good call on the contact paper adhesive staying warm - I hadn't thought of that - but it could be allieviated by using the "back heat" setup with the heat tape.

Sealing wouldn't be a bad idea as well, but when I considered that, I thought the "outgassing" would be worse than the contact paper.

regards,
jazz

 

[pipatic]

put on 4 coster wheels, then they move easy enough,

 

[Jay@PJCReptiles]

I'm basically thieving the plans for my next rack from Matthew's as well; however (as my sig indicates), I find the Sintra to be a little too pricey, and was thinking of going with medium density fiberboard (MDF) for the shelving; not as heavy as melamine, and not as expensive as the XPVC.

The downside, of course, is that MDF sucks up moisture, so I was thinking of covering it with "contact paper". Has anyone tried this? Would anyone think there would be a problem with doing this?

regards,
jazz

Hi Dale,
As you can see from the pictures I posted that I have a couple of racks that are made of MDF and not melamine. I have never had a problem with moisture as any water is contained inside the bins. Believe it or not there really wasn't much of a price difference between making it out of MDF or pre-cut melamine about $20.00 per rack. If you use MDF I don't think you will have to cover it with anything Dale. If water were to come in contact with it just wipe it up quickly and it won't hurt it. I think a water issue would have to be a little severe for it to be harmful to the MDF. Hope this helps.
Jay

 

[jazzgeek]

Cool, Jay - thanks for your input. I'll probably go with the MDF then, simply because of the weight.

regards,
jazz

 

[Twizzy]

Jay made a really good point with the water..Heck even melamine if it gets too wet will bubble..It is wonderful to see lots of minds working together..I have enjoyed looking at everyone pics of their racks gives you lots of ideas on ways you can improve or change what you have :crazy02:

 

[diamondlil]

I had problems because;
a. I suck at DIY and drink Southern Comfort whilst doing it
b. I used 50mm MDF which bowed in the middle of each shelf
I used the thinner MDF to reduce the weight, but ended up having to add bracing because the shelves were warping out of shape.
I need to build a bigger rack soon so I'll be using this thread to help the process

 

[jaxom1957]

b. I used 50mm MDF which bowed in the middle of each shelf.

You can fix that pretter easily. Buy some 1" x 2" stock. Cut two pieces the height of the rack. Cut 1/2" deep slots at the height of each shelf, then attach the 1x2s in the center of the rack, front and back, sliding each shelf into a slot. That will cut the width between supports on the shelves in half and should stop them from sagging.

 

[diamondlil]

Sounds good Jaxom, thanks

 

[Nabeel]

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[Blue Apple Herps]

My very first rack was MDF and, like Jay, I didn't have any moisture issues. For corns it's fine. Now if you were to house a high humidity species like BRB or something then you'd definately want to seal the MDF. Another alternative would be to use vinyl flooring mounted on the bottom of the shelf. It's pretty cheap and would hold up pretty well. Just make sure you take into account its thickness when installing the shelves.

Should've got patent rights Matthew!:grin01:

Hahaha! Maybe - but I still woulda just given it away; information should be free.

 

[dwyn127]

Here's the finished product. Instead of using the pre-cut shelves and adding a 1-by, I saw they sold 4X8 sheets for $25.00 ea. Lowe's cut the sheets 18X36 for the shelves and 18X48 for the sides. I used 90 degree brackets to mount the shelves.

I can live with the unfinished shelf edges for the amount of $$$ I saved. I'm not usually cocky or arrogant (yeah right!) but I think it turned out pretty damn good for a 1st project. Check the side to side and front to back levels.

Now accepting orders!:grin01:

 

[zwyatt]

Ha! Those level shots really crack me up.

It looks really nice. Doesn't it really feel good when you finish a project and it has actually come out functional? Just wait 'til you've filled it up with snakes and it will feel even better.

 

[captaincaveman]

I built my adult rack with 50litre really useful boxes, they are over 2ft 3" long so i used 18mm mdf, then painted, i like the really useful boxes as i dont have to be exact with the depths of shelves as they lock down tight, i heat with 11inch strips

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

Here's the finished product. Instead of using the pre-cut shelves and adding a 1-by, I saw they sold 4X8 sheets for $25.00 ea. Lowe's cut the sheets 18X36 for the shelves and 18X48 for the sides. I used 90 degree brackets to mount the shelves.

I can live with the unfinished shelf edges for the amount of $$$ I saved. I'm not usually cocky or arrogant (yeah right!) but I think it turned out pretty damn good for a 1st project. Check the side to side and front to back levels.

Now accepting orders!:grin01:

Very nice! Only Home Depot sells melamine sheets where I live, and they're $40, it's actually about the same price for me to just buy them pre-cut, and it makes it easier. But at $25 a sheet; that's a steal! Excellent job.

 

[dwyn127]

Nice job Capt!:cheers:

Thanx again Matt!

Last question, I think. I'll be using 11" flexwatt. I have another 5 shelf rack that fits 32 qt Sterilite and I use 3" flexwatt. Can I run these off the same thermostat or will the temps differ too much due to the sizes?

 

[Twizzy]

Awesome Job to you both!!

My next project is a large vivarium style unit that will hold all my breeders..We have been working on designs to hold 15-20 snakes and it will be a wall unit But it will have to wait till we have sometime to build as this one wont get done in a weekend..LOL

 

[grimm1]

I can live with the unfinished shelf edges for the amount of $$$ I saved.

you can finish the edges with melamine edge tape for a couple $$ and a steam iron(the kind you iron your clothes with), also from lowes etc...

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

Nice job Capt!:cheers:

Thanx again Matt!

Last question, I think. I'll be using 11" flexwatt. I have another 5 shelf rack that fits 32 qt Sterilite and I use 3" flexwatt. Can I run these off the same thermostat or will the temps differ too much due to the sizes?

You will need a different thermostat. The two have different wattages so will give off different amounts of heat at the same amount of power being applied. I was in the same situation as you; so I invested in a Herpstat Pro, which is one thermostat but can control 4 different heating elements.

 

[hartsock]

WOW!!!!!!! has this thread just saved my life! Well, not really my life, but a whole lot of headaches, just a couple of questions though..

1) do you run the 11" flexwatt the whole length of the shelf?
2) How do you attach the flexwatt to the shelve? is the tub sitting right on it? If so what prevents the tub from rubbing it loose over time?
3) ....(this one will sound like a stupid question) quality of living for the snake? The one thing that I have really hesitated on in the switch for the racks is will the snake be as satisfied in it as in a glass tank or as in a cage which it can see out of better? I know that sounds "sissyish" but I want the best for them and many times I catch my snakes watching me or observing things going on in the room...

I need to free up some room quickly and a rack system would be great...not afraid of trying a DIY and looking forward to it....one last question:
4) can someone give me some disadvantages/advantages over using lids or using the upper shelf as the lid for the bin?

Thanks!

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

WOW!!!!!!! has this thread just saved my life! Well, not really my life, but a whole lot of headaches, just a couple of questions though..

1) do you run the 11" flexwatt the whole length of the shelf?

No, just one piece of the 11" flexwatt on one side; so it covers about 1/3 of the bottom of the tank.

2) How do you attach the flexwatt to the shelve? is the tub sitting right on it? If so what prevents the tub from rubbing it loose over time?

I use aluminum foil tape. Works great! I also cover the entire piece of flexwatt with the foil tape so the tub rubs the tape and not the flexwatt.

3) ....(this one will sound like a stupid question) quality of living for the snake? The one thing that I have really hesitated on in the switch for the racks is will the snake be as satisfied in it as in a glass tank or as in a cage which it can see out of better? I know that sounds "sissyish" but I want the best for them and many times I catch my snakes watching me or observing things going on in the room...

I used to feel the same way. When I only had 7 or 8 snakes I swore I'd never use a rack as I thought it wasn't big enough, etc. But when I started expanding my collection having glass tanks everywhere wouldn't fly so I built a rack. I saw no ill effects and actually some of my more shy snakes seemed to be more active in the racks. I've since switched all my snakes into racks and everyone is doing great.

And it actually makes it easier on me as far as maintence. I just slide out the tub spot clean slide back in. If I need to change everything, it's easy to slide out the tub, dump out the bedding, then spray it down with chlorexidine, and then I'm done. As opposed to a viv having to scoop all the bedding out, reach in the corners, etc.

So yeah, there's a reason why soooooooo many people use racks, and with great success.

4) can someone give me some disadvantages/advantages over using lids or using the upper shelf as the lid for the bin?

Thanks!

Pro: another barrier to preventing an escape.
Con: have to take out tub entirely each time to open it as opposed to just being able to slide it out. I think that for water changes, etc it's mcuh easier just to slide it out a little bit, change water/pooper scoop, slide back in.