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In the last few months I have built several cages and now have some nice scraps. I was thinking of building a 33Lx18Wx15H enclosure. I am trying to make this purely from materials I already have.
I was thinking of making a frame of 1x2's, and affixing pegboard on the outside face of the frame. The inside will all be sealed with vinyl tile. I am building this cage around the 33x13 piece of plexi I already have cut and affixed to a litter dam. Together they measure 15 inches high. This cage will be light! Any thoughts or suggestions?
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0.0.1 Snow Corn
1.0 Ghosts
0.0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python

Totally agree with using scraps, however most of mine end up in a summer bon-fire.

Anyways sounds like you have a good plan. The only thing I would change or I might be confused on your use is the pegboard. It sound like you are going to use this for the outside cage walls. With an open grid of 1 by on the inside.

Pegboard not only is difficult to seal IMO but doesn't fair humidity very well. Again not sure on the cage use or you exact useage of the pegboard. If I were you I would use some sort of solid tileboard on the inside.

This would allow a cleaner interior surface, or rather an easier to clean interior surface as well as keep the light weight criteria of the cage. You can sitll use the pegboard on the outside seeing as though you have the scrap. You may even want to sandwitch some expanded Polysterene between the two for thermal as well as strucural support. Just an idea.

Again it sounds like you have a grasp on the idea. I just might not be reading your post correctly.

Good Luck
Jeremy

>>In the last few months I have built several cages and now have some nice scraps. I was thinking of building a 33Lx18Wx15H enclosure. I am trying to make this purely from materials I already have.
>> I was thinking of making a frame of 1x2's, and affixing pegboard on the outside face of the frame. The inside will all be sealed with vinyl tile. I am building this cage around the 33x13 piece of plexi I already have cut and affixed to a litter dam. Together they measure 15 inches high. This cage will be light! Any thoughts or suggestions?
>>-----
>>0.0.1 Snow Corn
>>1.0 Ghosts
>>0.0.1 Ball Python
>>0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

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From my experience people often regret trying to make a cage from a framework of 1x2's. They are just too likely to warp. So unless you have experience with this I'd maybe consider some other use.

Ripped plywood works much better.

I agree with Jeremy otherwise.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale

>>
>>Ripped plywood works much better.

I agree and wonder why I failed to mention its potential in the first place. Ripped ply framing is what I am currently using in my caging projects.

Only down side is you need a table saw to make it work. And it takes patience. Something I believe is a trade off from using pine dimensional lumber and its ability to warp, frustrating.

Another option to pine 1 by is to use Fir dimensional lumber. Often it doesn't warp or bow like pine and is relatively easy to use. It can be more expensive and sometimes hard to find.

Thanks Chris for bringing me to my senses!
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's -Coming Soon-
0.1 Albino RTB -Coming Soon-
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's -Coming Soon-
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse

I totally agree with Chris. The typical 1x2 is often not consistently straight enough to allow you to make a completely true framework. I've made a couple cages trying to utilize 1x2s and regretted each time because the end result was always a cage that was out of whack in usually more than one dimension because of almost imperceptible differences in each piece of 1x2 lumber that was cut.
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Matt Campbell

Big animals, little animals, plants - right down to the sea itself. We need them, not just for their own sake, but because all this has to be here for everybody forever. Only one thing is certain: if we are to preserve our environment and save this priceless wildlife we need much, much more knowledge.
Harry Butler from 'In the Wild With Harry Butler' 1977

And to add, despite what you think a frame will do, the pegboard sides will end up having to strengthen the frame. Pegboard isn't all that strong.

Now if your frame is strong, that is different. 1x2's ain't gonna do it.

Also, take it from my error, pine frame is baaaad. Ripped plywood rules as mentioned by the others. I learned this way late in the game.

Ripped plywood rules.
Ripped plywood rules.
Say it with me..
R i p p e d p l y w o o d r u l e s

P i n e i s b a d P i n e i s b a d H e a t w a r p s p i n e

We should form a "Don't use pine boards" club. Or, I should get a life.

Mark, Sign me up! I'm with you ply is the wave of the future.
Jeremy

My Rack, all ply construction!

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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's -Coming Soon-
0.1 Albino RTB -Coming Soon-
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's -Coming Soon-
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse

I'm starting to think that ripped ply does have a lot of potential for cage construction. You sure see a lot of it in modern furniture, that's for sure.

I have another idea for a cage. Picture the typical 4x2x2 plywood cage. But now picture it built from 6 face frames built from ripped plywood. Picture those face frames built from fancy plywood with multiple plys so you can leave the edges exposed - again like you see in modern furniture. The 4' frames will be 'H' frames, the sides will be typical square frames. Maybe even put a 1/2 radius or camfer on the exposed edges to emphasize the plys.

Each face frame will be made with pocket-hole joinery. The pocket holes will be left on the exterior and plugged with a darker species of wood, maybe something fancy like purpleheart. The face frames will also be held to each other with pocket hole joinery.

Now the inside of each cage will be skinned with 3mm Sintra. Black or tan would look cool. Plastic glass track would be the same color as the Sintra skins.

I would guess the cage would weigh about 1/3 of a regular plywood cage, maybe slightly more. Actually, it would be about the same as a boaphile, but a heck of a lot more sturdy.

It would certainly be attractive, albeit time consuming to build.

Now if I could just get my table saw assembled...
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale

Wow, Chris thats a great idea almost exactly what I had in mind for another cage. The purple heart idea is kick-ass as well. I imagine it would be pretty spendy for pocket hole plugs. I am particularly fond of walnut myself, but to each there own.

Now if only 3mm sintra was available in my area

I was going to tease you about the saw but you get the idea.
Jeremy
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's -Coming Soon-
0.1 Albino RTB -Coming Soon-
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's -Coming Soon-
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse

I also like walnut. My local HW supplier has walnut veneer plywood that looks to be pretty darn good.

The saw is killing my slowly. Drove into town to buy 4 lock washers and now find I'm also missing a bolt. That one must have rolled on the floor, though, as I had it accounted for earlier. And it only holds the tiny outfeed table so it's not the most important item - there are three others. I can always add it on later.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale