I built this in 1998 and it's been going strong ever since. I made one change to the way the heat type is mounted but other than that it's kept a perfect temperature 24 hours a day and has never failed me.

Parts:

* 1 melamine cabinet from home depot. If you can cut your own wood you'll save a bunch of money.

* flex watt heat tape. I think I used about 8 feet.

* styrofoam insulation (optional)

* wooden board to wrap heat tape around

* thermostat of your choice. I used a helix dbs-1000



Wrap the heat tape or cord around the wood as shown and mount under the shelf at an angle. Cut a 2 inch gap off the back of the shelf to allow the heat to raise behind it.Insulate the inside of the box with styrofoam. plug the heat tape into the thermostat and set the temp. I tested this from 75 degrees to 100 degrees and it keeps a perfect temp every step of the way. I use the main area for my python eggs and the drawer on top stays warm enough for my colubrid eggs. You can use wire shelving if you want to add different levels. The way pictured works fine for me. Once its been on for a while the shelf doesn't heat up more that the set temp so I've never had a problem cooking eggs.

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