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Plastic Cages and Heat Racks

R

rpsdesigns

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Hi.
Does anyone know how / where to buy 4ft. x 8ft. sheets of plastic for building cages and heat racks, etc... in the Southern California area?

What's the best type of plastic to use? I've heard of PVC, CDPVC, HDPE. I don't know the difference or what's safer for reptiles.

What's the best type of cutting blade to use (I need one that can be put on a regular table saw)?

I'd appreciate any and all help I can get.

Thanks
 
If you go to home depot they will have a blade for table saw that specificially says it's good for plastics. It has very fine teeth.

as for finding your supplier, go to maps.google.com and search for "Plastics" near your home city. You should be able to find some shops. If not, call up a sign shop and ask them if they can get you Sintra (PVCX) or any other types of plastic sheet.

PVCX is the lightest, but can be flimsy. For racks and smaller cages it's usually okay. Very large items should be built from PVC or HDPE but be warned, these 2 materials can weight the same or even more then the same sized enclosure built from melamine, and the cost savings (if any) wont be much when building on your own. You need to buy the plastics in bulk to be able to get pricing where it would be competative with the bigger cage manufacturers.
 
What the sheet?

Hello Cubby,

Dont go with expanded or Sintra. I believe what you want is sheets of plastic like sheets of plywood. You want solid, not foam core yes? You want sheets in 4 foot by 8 foot sizes half inch or greater thickness yes? Or how about 5 foot by 10 foot sheets. They come in several flavors and even colors. If so let me know and Ill get you more info. However I cant hear you so holler if you hear me!

[email protected]

An equal opportunity enjoyer :eatpointe
 
Modular design

If you want 4-5 foot by 8-10 sheets I think modular is best. As an example cages by design. The cages are basically panels attached to metal frames
this has the advantage of not having to worry about building cages larger than the doorway and makes moving and transporting easier. Let me know if you want me to tell you more.

[email protected]
:cool:
 
Any info you can give me would be great. I usually use melamine for my cages and heat racks for my personal stuff. I need to build more heat racks and I wanted to use something light weight. Do you know what kind of blade I need to cut it on a table saw? Can you assemble it like you would a melamine cage?
 
If you have a lowes or home depot you can buy the blade you need. It's a very fine tooth blade and it specifically says it is for plastics. I beleive it was Stanley Brand when I bought it in Home Depot. It also works great for melamine and fiberboard.

If you get thick enough plastic you can drill and assemble just as you would a wooden cage or rack. Several of the cage manufacturers use this method as opposed to a solid one piece cage.

You are mentioning light weight though. Using thick plastic sheets and assembling it as you would a wooden cage will result in a rack just as heavy if not heavier then the same dimensions built out of melamine.

If you want weight reduction, try to stay with 1/4" PVC and consider chemically welding it instead of trying to use screws.
 
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