Building a new rack.... any ideas?

[Linds]

OK...building a new rack, but there is no way I'm doing the melamine thing. Learned my lesson the hard way. I've decided my best bet is too use plywoood and seal it very well, since I need something *strong*. I would've preferred to use a solid wood but it would bow under the design for sure. Now the thing I haven't figured out is how I am going to heat this beast...lol :rolleyes: I cannot heat the whole back since that wouldn't create much of a gradient, so I figured maybe I could put one strip of 11" heat tape on left side, and another on the back (left side) and maybe make a "hot corner"??? If anyone else has any other heating ideas, or also how I could improve the appearance of this rack it would be greatly appreciated (plywood - especially exterior grade crap- isn't exactly for showpieces ;)). TY!

[sSNAKESs.com]

since that design looks to be for holding large boids, ply wood will sag in the middle making the drawers impossible to open.. if you areent going to use melamine then your other option would be solid hard wood such as oak, and for a rack that big your looking at spending well over 500$ for the wood alone. pine would probably work if you sealed it REALLY good.. or you could go with the stuff like melamine but instead of the plastic stuff it has a real wood veneer.

[Linds]

Pine was my first thought but after some research I learned that plywood is much stronger. I really cannot go with melamine. The weight is unbelieveable, and I cannot breathe around the stuff at all...... it does have a backing which should give a little more added support which will help............

[Big Mike]

If it's going to be 25" deep you could put a strip of heat tape along each shelf from front to back. You would have to wire up a piece for every shelf but it should give enough heat while giving a good gradient.

To make it look OK you could paint the unit to match what ever decor you are puting it in. You could even paint a picture on it so the plywood suface is less noticable.

As far as strength...I'd have to think about it.........Maybe a rigid frame out of 2x4's or even 2x2's and then some type of thin board for the surface of the shelves....maybe???

[sSNAKESs.com]

just plywood shelves will sag unless you double them up... escpecially with a 10 - 20 pound snake on it plus a water dish, plus humidity on it from the rubbermaid below it... if you use plywood linds think of a way to make each shelf 2 layers of wood instead of one.

[Linds]

Hmmmm... what if I made frame from plywood or pine, and removable 1/2" melamine shelves???

Also, I would like to ad that I am aiming to have only one or two plugs, that's alot of shelves to heat individually and I'm terrible at wiring.......

[Quervo]

Hey Linds .. here's a thought on the looks and strength issues.

Doubling up the ply isn't a bad idea, but you can use a thicker ply for the strength and a thinner ply of better looking wood on top, say birch or oak. I would leave room between the shelves to allow room for a strip of hardwood (oak would be best) to go across the front of the ply. This would hide the plywood edge and add a lot to the strength of the shelf. It's hard to describe what I mean clearly .. I'll do up a quick animation and post it a bit later. :)

[Quervo]

Like I said .. quick and dirty.
The top shelf shows the two layers of plywood and the front (and rear) supports in exploded view. The bottom shelf shows everything together. You should be able to make the support from two pieces of stock size oak so there won't be any fancy cutting involved.
Hope at least some of that made sense.

[Linds]

Ooo ooo ooo! Hip sent me to this page, I think it looks pretty good! What does everyone else think?

http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/boa_racks.htm

[sSNAKESs.com]

yup that would work :P

[Quervo]

I stumbled across that site once. I thought it was a great idea. Same theory as my animation, but much easier to do.
Hollow core doors are structurally very strong .. I think you have a plan Linds. :D

[Linds]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Now I just have to figure the heating situation out... think my idea would suffice?

[Syst3m]

Thats a great idea for a rack system. I think I need to goto the hardware store and price some stuff out.

As far as heating goes if you insulate the backside of the heat tape you can not only increase the heat output but the efficiency of the stuff too. I use some insulation I found at home depot that is basically just bubblewrap coated in aluminum foil. It is conductive but if you wire your stuff right its not a problem.

I know you don't like wiring but I think you would probably be better off just putting a one foot section in each shelf probably work bettter.

[Nikki Gervais]

I think the hollow core doors are a great idea! The racks I am building are meant to hold colubrids and hatchlings/neaonates so I was not worried about the strength of the shelves too much. I then realised I have a heavy burm to deal with and that either I am going to have to put her on the bottom shelf or build a rack specifically to hold her and future 'biggies'. So I have a few questions...

What materials do those hollow core doors contain? Anything toxic to my critters?

And could they be sealed up properly for humidity and in case of external parasites?

I need to build a rack system specifically for quarantining (sp?) the new comers, before I didn't need to, just set up a tank in another room cuz it was only 1 at a time, but when ya get 8 at a time, ya kinda need to do things a lil different. :p :rolleyes:

[Cornelsworld]

How about using your idea, but structurally reinforcing them with more wood. For ever shelf that has to support the weight of a snake and a tub above, double up on the wood and add vertical support in between and a facer board on the front to hide the dead space. This dead space could also be used to put your heat tape under the cages while allowing air flow over the heat tape so that it doesn't overheat. Here is your pic modified. I haven't figures out how to do 3d work like quervos illustration, but hopefully you get the idea.

Greg

If the picture didn't attach find it at

http://www.cornelsworld.com/rackplans.jpg

[Big Mike]

Here is a quick model I made up to illustrate a stick frame with thin pieces for the shelves. The top & sides are 1/2" wood (oak or pine etc.) the interior frame would be 2x2's and the shelves would be whatever. It's similar to the other good ideas. It may need something on the bottom of the shelves to keep the critters from crawling out of the tub on to the shelf but that could be thin material also.

[Cornelsworld]

Man I have to figure out how to use 3d I should have asked you how to use it when you came to my table on Sunday. Nice to meet you Mike.

Greg

[Big Mike]

Ya, nice to meet you too. I really liked the beardie enclosure you had there.

Sorry, I didn't have much time to talk 3D. By the end of the day I had driven about 900km. I had hoped to have some time to chat with you and show you some stuff but it didn't happen.

Are you going to be at the Edmonton Show this weekend?

[Cornelsworld]

No unfortunately my parents are coming down this weekend. I would love to make it up to the Edmonton show to see what its like, but have never had the chance. I would love to show at it too, but my products are a pain to haul all that way and then haul back home at the end of the day. Have fun. My work will reimburse me for taking the 3d course, but I have to pay for it and pass it first, so until I can afford to pay for it up front I will have to wait. Talk to you later.

Greg

[Lisa]

You might consider using partical board, it's denser and stronger the plywood. also you want to watch what you seal with, many stains and deck sealers can be toxic to the snake. You might want to consider boat paint as it's both waterproof and will provide a nice finish.

[Linds]

Greg, Mike, and Quervo...that was some great input! Thank you for taking the time to make some diagrams for me :) I am not 100% sure on my plan. I like the idea of using the hollow doors, but I have to look into the cost of it. I am considering combining all of your ideas and going from there.

Lisa,
Particle is just melamine sans coating - too heavy and since it isn't sealed it will make me even more ill than melamine does :( I like the idea of the marine enamel, however I've heard it is quite costly???

[Cornelsworld]

Marine Enamel is not too expensive. I think it is under $30.00 / gallon.

Greg