Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have built melamine racks for shoeboxes and larger, but I'd like to build a rack of the semi-disposable Gladware containers (sandwich sized) for neonate colubrids and geckos this season. I'm figuring to make them hold 24 each in a 4 wide by 6 high configuration, then stacking 3 or 4 of them.

I don't really want to use melamine because of weight. I do have access to PVCX through a local plastics business, but I don't really know how to work with it as far as joining or even cutting. Any suggestions for an easy to work with lightweight, reasonably priced material for this application, preferably available at my local Home Depot or similar?

Cutting and machining PVCX is easy with wood working tools. Joining it is a bit more difficult in some ways, easier in others.

But for a lidless rack most PVCX is too flexible, especially in conjunction with the flexible containers you will use. Even worse, those containers vary a bit in height which makes them less than ideal for lidless rack systems.

Will you be using the lids or is this for a lidless system?

Regarding weight, I guess the question is how much are you willing to pay for it??

And don't be fooled by the supposed weight savings of PVCX. I know this may surprise you, but most plastics weigh more than plywood of the same thickness. Now some PVCX is lighter due to the foamed interior, but that does not apply to all products.

Let's just look at one brand of PVCX - Celtec in this case.

3/16" Celtec 550 weighs about 37 lbs. per sheet and costs around $80 if you're lucky.

1/2" Celtec 550 weighs about 43 lbs. per sheet and costs around $100 if you're lucky.

3/16 Celtec 700 weighs about 50 lbs. per sheet. Not sure about the cost, but it won't be much cheaper.

1/2" Celtec 700 weighs about 65 lbs. per sheet. Again, not sure about cost.

For reference, 1/2" plywood weighs about 45 to 55 lbs. per sheet, depending upon quality. Baltic birch is probably the only 1/2" plywood smooth and straight enough for a rack and it would weigh 55 lbs. in a 4x8 sheet of plywood. It usually comes in 5x5 sheets, however.

So there is one example where 1/2" plywood would weigh LESS than one type of 1/2" PVCX. 1/4" PVCX is very light but, again, too flexible for your project.

I have a 24" hollow-core door that weighs 15 lbs., or 1.125 lbs. per square foot. If HC doors came in 4'x8' sheets, for comparison, they would weigh 36 lbs. about the same as 10mm Celtec 550 - one of the lightest PVCX products on the market.

On that note, I do like HC doors for racks. Good combination of weight, strength, flatness, and cost. You need to seal them but this is not a huge issue with racks. Bigger issue with cages.

I don't know how well they would lend themselves to a rack designed for small boxes, however. Maybe if you want one or two boxes deep?
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

It's not just the weight of the melamine that I want to avoid, it's also the bulk, for lack of a better term. Each shelf would be almost as tall as the height of the boxes themselves.

I could just build more 1752 shoebox racks, but it seems like a waste of space.

My intention was a lidless design. Perhaps there is a better box of similar dimension but with more consistency than the throw-away type I originally had in mind.

Perhaps plywood would work? Although that seems potentially too rough a surface.

It's not just the weight of the melamine that I want to avoid, it's also the bulk, for lack of a better term. Each shelf would be almost as tall as the height of the boxes themselves.

Okay, that is a concern. There is 1/2" melamine. It certainly rules out HC doors, LOL.

1/2" material would save you about 1.75" per rack, or about one box. To make up the difference you could always build taller racks. Then the difference is diluted a bit.

My intention was a lidless design. Perhaps there is a better box of similar dimension but with more consistency than the throw-away type I originally had in mind.

I would consider some of the polycarbonate boxes. There are numerous choices in the size you are considering. They are very durable and completely clear. Picture something like this but with smaller boxes.

Expensive but will last a lifetime. There are countless choices when it comes to small polycarbonate boxes.

Perhaps plywood would work? Although that seems potentially too rough a surface.

Personlly, I don't think it's worth the hassle but wanted to post it for comparison. I think a lot of people are shocked to see that PVCX can weigh more than 1/2" plywood.

However, the russian birch plywood (aka baltic birch) I recently purchased is surprisingly smooth.

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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

I don't know how well they would lend themselves to a rack designed for small boxes, however. Maybe if you want one or two boxes deep?

That should read... maybe if you WENT one or two boxes DEEPER.

That way you could use something like a 20" HC door and go three boxes deep. Or you could just rip a HC door in half.

For information on building HC door racks, see RioBravoReptiles.com.

BTW, if I sounded like I was dogging on PVCX as a building material I did not mean it. In many situations it is ideal. But for hatchling racks I just don't see how the price is worth it. Maybe for a guy producing racks for sale, but not necessarily for the DIY type.

Another product to consider is 1/2" Ultra Plus. Very light, flat and cheap but I'd be concerned about using Flexwatt on it due to the polystyrene core. Joining it is a bit more difficult. You can use PVC angle to join it but then the cost savings disapears. But it is freaky light, maybe even too light. A 4x8 sheet in 1/2" only weighs 14 lbs. A rack built from that might be inclined to tip over.

Hollow shelves like on the racks from Herpcages.com is another choice, but I have not experimented with the material much less the design.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

It just dawned on me that a 24-slot out of melamine may not actually be all that heavy. I'll throw one together and see how it is.

You have to remember that with the miniscule depth that you are working with the weight shouldn't be too bad. I wouldn't build a 200 slot rack, but the way you said about doing it in 3 or 4 stacked sections sounds fine. I find that 1/2 inch melamine is tough to come by in large sheets. If you want to use it you could get precut shelving pretty cheap. You could rip a 14 inch wide shelf in half the long way and price wouldn't be too bad either. Thats nice because the front already has edge banding on it too.

Personally, If I were you, I would use 3/8 in plywood or thereabouts.

Another thought... there are several companies that make exactly what you are describing. They are pretty cheap if you don't want heat included. usually I'm a DIY kinda guy, but sometimes its just not worth the hassle.

cheers

That size box I would go with 1/4" mdf. It will be so small the material will work fine. I've used it for a couple racks for boxes that are 18x11x6 (approximate measurements, haven't measured them in a long time) and they held up till I didn't need them any longer.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
Boas make the world go round.

How do you join pieces only 1/4" thick?

Brad nails and silicone. You can also use 1x2s to run along the ends of each shelf to attach that way.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
Boas make the world go round.