Rack- a How To ***Warning: Lots of Pics***

[Lisa]

We're no experts, but we decided w needed a rack. Here's our first attempt.

First we assembled the materials needed (bins, wood, heating, fasteners, flash, wiring, rheostat, thermometer, wheels and other little things I can't remember)

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/parts2.jpg

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/wood1.jpg

then we put it all together and end up with this:

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/finished1.jpg

And thats all there is to it. :D

[Lisa]

Actually there was a little more to it.

This being our first rack we didn't really know what we were getting into. We didn't know how much work it would be (oh my aching back), or how hard it would be to cut a 4'X8' 3/4" board of melemine, never mind 4 of them. Another thing we probably weren't prepared for was the price of the raw materials, they were alot more expensive then I expected. The cost of bins really surprised me, as did the heat tape. I used to think buying a custom made enclosure was expensive, now that I know how much work goes into it I think people selling custom enclosures are selling them too cheap.

***Disclaimer*** Just because we used heat tape doesn't mean you should. In Canada heat tape is not CSA approved due to the fire hazzard it can present. ***Second Disclaimer*** We will not be held responsible should you have any sort of personal, property or any other form of injury from following the steps we have laid out here. They worked for us, they may or may not work for you.

One thing we did learn is that it is well worth the cost to have the boards precut at the store, it would have cut out a day of work for us. Anyways on with the instructions.

First figure out your bin size and how many bins your rack is to hold. This will determine your rack size. You may want to think about just how big your rack needs to be, an 8'X8'X3' rack would be wonderful to fill, you would have to move it at some point, and wooden racks are not light.

We decided we wanted bins about 1'X2'X4". I searched high and low and found nothing in the way of bins in that size (there probably is some one that sells them but we didn't find any). I finaly settled on bins 1'X16"X4", a little smaller then I wanted but still big enough to do the job.

Next draw out the diagram, measurements and cut pattern before starting to build. Make your calulations 3 times and don't forget to take into account heat tape, wood and blade width. It's good to have have at least one or 2 of your bins at this point. I would recomend having enough to do a whole row, if not fill your rack entirely (this makes it easier to do a dry fit). You may also want to think about how/where you want the controls mounted. Because I wanted to be able to easily move and stack the racks I didn't want anything hanging off the side or top

Next gather your materials, and have your bins ready ahead of time, this way you can make sure your measurements are correct as you go, you wouldn't want to build your rack and find out your bins won't fit.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/parts2.jpg

Next cut your wood to the size you need.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/wood2.jpg

You may also want to route out some channels for your wiring. We routed out channels for the wires for the heat tape and the thermometer.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/routing1.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/routing2.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/routing3.jpg

We removed the casing from the sensor for compactness. We attached the thermometer wire with a glue gun.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/thermo1.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/thermo2.jpg

Now you're ready for a dry fit. This is a good time to mark out your drill holes. You can also mark out any exposed edges for flashing.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/dryfit1.jpg

After you have checked to see that things fit you are ready to attach the heat tape. We used staples but you can use other methods such as hot glue, foil tape (which will save you money in that it reflects the heat away from the wood) and duct tape. Heat tape isn't the cheapest thing, so to save money instead of running it in one continuous strip from top to bottom we ran individual strips per shelf. This makes it so that you can easily manage the shelves too (can you imagine trying to handling 8 shelves held together by 50 feet of heat tape?)

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/heattape1.jpg

Next you will want to drill your holes for your shelves. Because we are using wood we predrill to avoid cracking.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/drill1.jpg

After you're done the drilling you're ready to put on the edge flashing (to give it that finished look). The stuff we used irons on and you just file and sand the edges for smoothness.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/venier1.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/venier2.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/venier3.jpg

When you have done your edging you can start putting it together. We started with the bottom shelf and added the sides.

I forgot to take a pic at this point. but you probably have an idea...

katey recomends that you connect the heat tape as you go as it's hard to do afterwards if your shelves are close together. You can connect it via soldering, stapling and clips. There are other methods and some ways will work better for you then others. We went with soldering for the first section we built. For the second section we found a better way.

Tin the wires and heat tape or you will melt the heat tape when you solder the wire to the tape.
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/solder3.jpg
then attach the wires to the heat tape.
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/solder1.jpg
For safety put electrical tape over the heat tape.
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/solder5.jpg

The second way we discovered to attach heat tape (and much easier too) requires crimp terminals, a few screws and braided wire. We also used a soldering gun to strip the plastic from the foil strips on the heat tape. To insulate the connections we used a glue gun. Don't forget to predrill the holes for the screws.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/newsolder1.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/newsolder2.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/newsolder3.jpg

You will want to put the bins in as spacers as you add shelves, they also hold the shelves in the right spot for the drill holes you punched out earlier.

When you get to the top shelf you will want to add your rheostat (a dimmer) and thermostat control pannel. This is easier to do before the top of the unit is added. We also did the final attachment of heat tape at this point (dimmer to the heat tape)and tacked down the wire for the thermometre. If you are interested in seeing how to wire the heat tape and dimmer the method is similar to the one used for a plug in rheostat here (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8858)

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/controlpnl1.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/wiring1.jpg

After you add the top you are ready to put the back and wheels on. We recommend taking the bins out and laying the rack on it's front to do this.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/back1.jpg

Now that the unit is all together it's ready for final touches such as handles for ease of manuvering and caps for the screws. You will probably want to measure where the handles will be so that you can lift it easier.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/caps1.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/handle1.jpg

Don't forget to make ventilation holes in the bins.
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/holes1.jpg


After you've added the finishing touches you are done. Unless of course you decided you wanted a monster rack and built it in two sections like we did. We built the top section in pretty much the same way as the bottom section but used rubber feet instead of wheels.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/rack1.jpg
http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/rack3.jpg

Which when put together looks like this.

http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/finished1.jpg

Should you be interested in the cut pattern it will be posted here (http://www.klreptiles.com/rack/) at some point in the near future.

[Tim and Julie B]

Wow Bob Villa would be proud. Nice job!

[Dom]

WOW .. AMAZING JOB !!!!!!

I just got back from buckets pricing and have been planning all night my rack .. all I have to say is THANK you .. you have simplified many things for me!

It looks great!

[vanderkm]

This is just a fantastic set of directions and I am sure many people appreciate all your effort in putting together the photos - thank you so much, it looks wonderful and the directions are really great,

mary v.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Great job! I'm <b>so</b> impressed.

Let us know how it works with the opaque bins. :)

BTW: I really like your 2nd way of wiring the heat tape. Very inventive! ;)

Note to self; steal their idea....

[honduranfreekk]

WOW when can I come pick it up ;) lol very nice Lisa

[Matt_K]

great job!!! and an amazing thread!!!! IM sure it will be VERY usefull for many!!!

[boa]

very nice job want to build me one.

[sSNAKESs.com]

looking good! :D

[reptilesalonica]

Great Job!!! I am sure you made it useful for many people who think of how to build their own racks (including me :) ). Congrats again

[ranmasatome]

NICE NICE!!:)
i'm new to the rack idea but just wondering if snakes in racks get light at all??
but the rack and the work is still very nice....:)

[Lisa]

Nope no light, this is to reduce stress, this way they can't see each other. As for making racks for other people we're working on a CSA approved heat souce due to liability issues. Also with a CSA approved heat source the question of insurance covering things shouldn't be an issue.

[Mike177]

DAMN! i might have to build one of those!

[Rich]

Hello,
I was wondering where you bought your heat tape and what width you were using. I use 3 inch heat tape on my breeding rack and it was very inexpensive. It also comes with "clips" that secure the wiring to the heat tape. It is very easy to assemble (clamps attach to the wires and the heat tape, then plastic clips cover the connection completely) and only requires some electrical tape or hot glue to keep closed and secure.

[CDN-Cresties]

Awesome job, im sure that many people will use this thread as a how to. keep up the good work.

Only on sSnakeSs would someone goto all this work to show their creation. I love this place.

-Steve-

[Lisa]

Rich, we got it from beanfarm, using 4 inch. We opted not to go with the clips because we feel they're not as secure or safe, our method provides a better contact area, avoiding hot spots.

[lakeridgekennel]

great job Really Nice Work it looks perfect. what kind of reptiles are going in it.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Nope no light, this is to reduce stress, this way they can't see each other.


Am I the only one who almost fell over laughing when I read this???? Are you serious?

Great rack, but reptiles and complete darkness do NOT go hand-in-hand. You're gonna have troubles........

[crazyboy]

i noticed you only have 1 thermometer so does this mean u r only monitoring temps in 1 bin???

[Bighead]

What was the grand total of all your costs? I was also wondering what you were putting in there. Lots of potential. Thanks for your post.

[nguyen_inc]

nice rack!!haha every nice one of these days ima try to make one my self.

[daver676]

Great rack, but the no light thing is a BIG cause for concern. Without light, absolutley no day-night cycle exists. This cannot be healthy for the reptiles AT ALL.

[Soul_Reaper]

Goddamn man!!! It definately takes a lot more work than i thought...excellent job. Very insightful.

[Soul_Reaper]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Am I the only one who almost fell over laughing when I read this???? Are you serious?

Great rack, but reptiles and complete darkness do NOT go hand-in-hand. You're gonna have troubles........

Ok i missed that part and i totally agree with Jeff.

Those reptiles WILL need some light...

[Jake_the_Snake]

Hi Lisa

I can't see the pics can you maybe mail it to me vermulcj@yahoo.co.uk

Thanx

[CDN-Cresties]

This post is from 2003. I dont think she visits the site anymore either.

[camille]

yeah i got the same concerns with the light thing. ive seen more than one setup by breeders and all their bins are clear and much bigger than that too.