Cage building question

[reptile boi]

Hey,
I was wondering, what size (thickness) of wood do you gise use, how do u assemble the top peice, and do you use any kind of special holders (i forgot what those metal thingys are called, but you use them to hold a peice of wood on top) in other words, how do you make a 5' x 3' x 2' enclosure stackable without the middle top part kinda curve/cave/collapse (whatever you wanna call it) downwards because at school the book shelves tend to do that and looks ugly and it looks like it might break anyday! And what do you gise use to add more strength to the enclosure?



Thanks,
Ben

[Piers]

brackets are what the metal things are called. I don't use them but you can. If you make the cage 4 by 2 by 2 this is a better use of wood. ply wood comes in 4 by 8 sheets. If you don't want saging use 1/2 or 5/8 inch, you can even go 1inch but it starts to get expencive and heavey.
I nail the first two corners and then screw them in and keep doing this untill its done.It's a lot easer with help and power tools.
you can get the lumber yard to do most of the cuts (about a buck a cut) well worth it.
I hope this helps, get fir good one side or better.
Piers

[Linds]

I just finished building 6 enclosures which will all be stacked on eachother. I put a support in the middle to prevent bowing. Whatever thickness you use, its important that ther is some sort of support or brace because with length, over time it will have a tendancy to bow. The best way to attach wood is with carpenters glue and screws. Glue is much stronger than any screws are when woodworking. You can't beat a good glued joint. the screws more or less act as a clamp. I used 7/16" thick OSB for my enclosures. I wouldn't recommend going over 5/8". Click <a href="http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17787">here</a> for the thread on them.

<img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/504/22paintedcages1.jpg">

[crazyboy]

linds how are you going to attach the glass

[Linds]

I'm using plexi glass and attaching them with hinges :)

[crazyboy]

ok thanks

[fanmaninacan]

Hey!

Just make a strong frame with pine(seal It)....
...The thicker the frame the stronger it is..

T.P

[reptile boi]

Hey linds,
How do you attach hinges to plexi or any kind of glass? Wouldnt it crack? And, how big are the peices of wood you use to add support in the middle of your cages? Also, why not just use silicone instead of glue?
Sorry bout all the questions, but im new to cage building.


Thanks,
Ben

[Darlene]

A little help : Plexi won't crack so hinges can be screwed in. It looks like 2x4 in the middle for support (?Linds?). Lastly silicone is more of a sealant not an adhesive.

[Linds]

As Darlene mentioned, plexi can be drilled and attached with no problems, you can't do this however with regular glass, and silicone isn't really a strong adhesive. As I mentioned, a good carpenters clue is stronger than screws or nails. If you silicone things, they can be easily removed, whereas with the glue, the wood itself would break before the glued joint would. The middle peices are 3x1 for all but the 3' cage which is 2x1.

[reptile boi]

Hey,
What specific brand/name of carpenters glue do you use, and how much did it cost you? Also, do you put your 3x1 in the front middle, or in the middle of the back as well? What size would you suggest using for a 5x3x2 enclosure? Also, where is a good place to get plexi from, and how much does it usually run for? And, do you put glur under a joint,attach it, then add screws, or do you screw a joint first then add glue last?




Thanks,
Ben

[Bryce Masuk]

If your buying glass they will drill it for you if you ask but to mount hinges you will need a nut and bolt
If you use plexi frame it with wood a snake can easily push and flex the plexi enough to escape unless its 1/2 inch or so but 3/16ths and 1/4 will work with a wood frame mounted to the plexi

[Snakey Acres]

Plexi sucks, it scratches with cleaning no matter how carefull you are glass in a wood frame is way better.you can get glass at a used building materials place cheap and if you don't want to try cutting it just design your cage around the glass size.

[Lisa]

you can get a special bit for drilling holes in glass, it's kind of like a grinding bit and it requires patience.

As for wood, we use 3/4" melamine. works well for us.

[reptile boi]

heh, so much for thinking bout using plexi, what kind of glass do you gise use and what size/thickness would you recommend using for a 5-5.5' female colombian boa? And do the places where you get the glass from also cut it for you if you ask for it?




Thanks,
Ben

[Linds]

Originally posted by Bryce Masuk
If you use plexi frame it with wood a snake can easily push and flex the plexi enough to escape unless its 1/2 inch or so but 3/16ths and 1/4 will work with a wood frame mounted to the plexi

Jeff Ronne uses the 1/4" plexi (without framing) in his boaphile cages and it has never presented any problems...

[Invictus]

For glass thickness, don't go any less than 1/4". The thicker the better in that case though. Boas can break glass with very little effort.

[reptile boi]

Hey,
I was also wondering, how come plexi glass scratches more easily than normal glass? I have never had any experience with this, but just read quite a bit of posts bout it. Any ideas anyone?

[Linds]

Plexiglass is plastic, which is why it fogs and scratches as easily as it does.

[reptile boi]

Are "kritter keepers" made from the same plastic as plexi?



Thanks,
Ben