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My DIY 41qt tub rack and two unit display viv

blueapplepaste

blueapplepaste

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I just found this sub-forum here and thought I'd share two of my DIY. Hope you enjoy. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

2 unit display viv. I designed this to be made by people who had no building experience and/or no tools. All you need is a drill and tape measurer. Also only costs ~$100 not including heat.
Instructions
P1010046.jpg


7 slot 41 qt tub rack. I made it with XPVC (brand name Sintra), but to save money, you could just use 3/8" plywood.
Instructions.
P1010028-2.jpg
 
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I got it from a local plastics distributor - to make two racks like this and one that holds 32qt tubs cost ~$200 for all the pieces already cut down. Way more expensive than using plywood, but it's lighter, and is plastic, so you don't have to worry about moisture issues like you could with wood.

I also shopped around on prices a bit; I just got out the phone book and started calling asking for quotes.
 
Nice! I like the design of the racks. I need to build some more before my holdbacks get too much bigger. How thick is the XPVC - 3/8"?
 
Oops, just reread the post and found the instructions link:eek: . Good instructions, I think even I could build it. I think I'll start calling around to find some pvc.

Thanks,
Shelly
 
It's actually 10mm (they only have it in metric sizes), which is a hair bigger than 3/8", but it's only 0.02" bigger, so doesn't really have an impact. Oh, and the brand I used is called "Sintra", for when you call plastics companies. Good luck!
 
I like the rack. Looks simple, yet effective. What did you use for heat?

Last time i built a cage using peg board for a back wall, I had a pretty difficult time with keeping the humidity up. It does a more than adequate job at ventilating. LOL I have since gone with solid walls, and leaving an 1/8 gap around the doors when I build one, and it seems to be doing a great job so far.


Here's the homemade models I built...


DSC_3773.jpg

DSC_3771.jpg



May have to build my own rack too. I've seen some that came out pretty nice.


Thanks for sharing
Rick
 
crotalusadamanteus said:
I like the rack. Looks simple, yet effective. What did you use for heat?

Last time i built a cage using peg board for a back wall, I had a pretty difficult time with keeping the humidity up. It does a more than adequate job at ventilating. LOL I have since gone with solid walls, and leaving an 1/8 gap around the doors when I build one, and it seems to be doing a great job so far.
Click to expand...

I just used 11" flexwatt. Get a nice good gradient from front to back. And for higher humidity species I definitely recommend just using hardboard and drilling holes as needed (or using the pegboard and covering the outside holes with tape or something to seal them off). I originally build it for corn snakes, which do just fine at a "normal" humidity, so it hasn't been an issue for me.

And those are some wicked nice cages, very nice job!
 
blueapplepaste said:
Way more expensive than using plywood, but it's lighter...
Click to expand...

Good job on the cages and racks and two big thumbs up for the online tutorials. I do want to bring up an important point about expanded PVC (XPVC or PVCX) and weight.

Basically I want to warn people that there are PVCX products out there that are actually as heavy or even heavier than plywood of the same thickness. This is more common at 10mm and greater thickness'. I know I was quite surprised the first time I stumbled across a PVCX product that was heavier at 1/2" (12mm) than 1/2 plywood.

To be completely fair, most PVCX products do come in lighter than plywood. And the Sintra product that is most commonly distributed is lighter than plywood, although Sintra used to make a high density PVCX that was heavier, but it was not an easy to find item. However, I have heard of people going down to their local sign shop to buy "Sintra" to build a cage and have ended up with a fairly heavy final product. Plastics will still have other advantages compared to wood but if weight is an important consideration, please do your research beforehand.

Lastly, the lightest PVCX product I have found that I have actually been able to get my hands on is Celtec 550.
 
Okay, found some of my old information...

1/2" PVCX can vary from 43 to 70 pounds per sheet, or 1.33 to 2.19 pounds per square foot. This information is a few years old so I can't say for sure how accurate it is today. I'm guessing it is pretty close. And yes, this data only included expanded PVC products, it did not include solid PVC sheet, which is even heavier.

The only plywood I have decent weight specifications on is baltic birch, and that weighs 1.72 pounds per square foot at the 1/2" thickness. While there are heavier plywoods, baltic birch does tend to be on the heavy end of the spectrum. And there are even heavier PVCX products than that.

Comparing apples to apples, I think it's easy to see how one could order 1/2" "Sintra" and end up with a product that weighs 70 pounds per sheet, which would be heavier than just about any 1/2" plywood one could find locally.

One problem here is that Sintra has become such a common brand name it is now generically used to describe a whole list of related products. Sort of like ordering Plexiglas and getting any old acrylic. Or saying you want a jacuzzi when you really want to shop for a hot tub. There is no guarantee that when you buy 1/2" Sintra you really are getting that exact product. Unless you ask specifically.
 
Thanks for the compliments and you also made some great points Chris.

These racks were replacing melamine racks for me, so whether it was Sintra or plywood, it was going to be lighter! And these final racks are definately not "light", but I wouldn't call them necessarily heavy. But one of the advantages for me is not having to worry about sealing the wood or anything; especially if I'm increasing humidity around shed time. But plywood is also cheaper, so that is also something to think about as well...
 
If one were to use plywood with this instead of Sintra, would you need to seal the plywood, and if so what would work best.
Thanks alot for sharing your plans. It's great stuff.

Otter
 
Otter said:
If one were to use plywood with this instead of Sintra, would you need to seal the plywood, and if so what would work best?
Click to expand...

Completely depends on...

1) Cage or rack.

2) Species the cage or rack is for.

3) Budget.

4) Desired look (clear, solid color, etc.)

5) To what degree one wants a lifetime finish vs. something that may need re-sealing every few years or possible even thrown away after three years.

Fill in 1-5 above and BlueApplePaste, myself and others can help.
 
Right now I'm just doing general research. If I build a rack like the one in the instructions it would be for young Hog's island boas and maybe later for adult rosies. I've built melamine racks before, but later got out of the herp hobby and finally realized we can't stay away.
Anyway lets assume the following:
1. Rack
2. Hog's Island Boas
3. Medium Budget $200 max, otherwise I'd just buy pre-built
4. Look's not too important
5. non-disposable, will reseal if necessary, but lifetime sounds good too...

When we built before we wired the flexwatt to run down the back, but I'm wanting to do belly heat this time. My husband's worried the tubs will rub against the flexwatt causing it to wear or get mis-placed. What's the preferred method of fastening it down and keeping it protected?
Thanks for the help guys.

Otter
 
Oops, didn't realize I was logged in under my hubby's username...
anyway that was my reply...

Otter
 
Manach said:
I've built melamine racks before...

Anyway lets assume the following:

1. Rack
2. Hog's Island Boas
3. Medium Budget $200 max, otherwise I'd just buy pre-built
4. Look's not too important
5. non-disposable, will reseal if necessary, but lifetime sounds good too...

My husband's worried the tubs will rub against the flexwatt causing it to wear or get mis-placed. What's the preferred method of fastening it down and keeping it protected?
Click to expand...

I would vote for melamine then. If weight is a concern then I also like to use hollow core doors. Only the hollow core doors would need to be sealed and on a rack what you use is not really important. Contact paper, vinyl film, acrylic paint, waterborne polyurethane... there are a lot of choices, none especially better than the other, at least in racks.

Regarding the flexwatt, I try to stay out of issues regarding heating. But you can always create a recessed area for the tape with a router or by having strips of thin material that raise the box slightly.
 
I agree that melamine is good; especially if weight isn't an issue. I've never used hollow core doors, though I've seen some racks with them that look pretty nice.

If you want something that will last, then I think you could use plywood, but I would get nice high quality plywood (I've had great results with birch plywood) and to take your time finishing it so that you have a nice silky smooth seal. Stay away from that $10/sheet stuff that's junk. With a high quality wood and seal, should last a long long time. Good luck!
 
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