Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was planning on using melamine for the rack. I also using flexwatt heat tape for the heat source. I want put the heat tape in a groove on each self and sides so I can run the heat tape throughout the rack and only use one card to connect to the heat tape. Ok my question is for the groove since I don't have a table saw, can I router out the groove and which type of bit would I use?

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying you want the heat tape in a recessed groove on each shelf and that you want it to exit the rack (on the side) through a slot? I assume it would then re-enter the rack through a slot on the next level and lay in a recessed area?

Assuming I understand correctly, I would make the recessed area with a straight cut dado bit.

Since the recessed are would be fairly wide I'd probably set up a jig of some sort to allow you to cut back and forth without having to move an edge-guide after each pass. I have seen this done a few ways but have never set up such a jig myself.

Honestly, if it were me I'd be more inclined to add a shim of some sort to each level rather than to try to remove the material. Below is a picture of a rack I built. I had some plywood I wanted to use up but did not like the way the boxes slid on them, if I remember correctly. So I made each level 1/8" taller and simply put down strips of 1/8" hardboard that the boxes slid on. For your needs it would be slightly different but the principal would be the same. You could even use slick poster-board or whatever was thicker than the heat tape.

If you look at the one shelf made from white melamine you can see this.

The caveat to this is that you lose some space per level. I have had some racks where an additional 1/8" per level would have meant losing a level so I would not apply this method. Just something else to think about.

The slot you'd have to cut with some sort of spiral cutter. Maybe Bighurt will have a specific recommendation.

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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

Hey Chris,

Thanks for responding. No the tape would not exit the side of the rack thru the slot, there would be a groove along the sides of the rack as well, that would match up with the grooves of the shelves, so the tape would be one continous piece and I would only need to have one connection.

I wasn't sure if because the material I was using being melamine required a special bit because of the particle board and the melamine being a tougher material.

Okay, I understand now. I don't recall reading if a special bit is needed for melamine coated particle board. You are talking such a shallow area I think the resistance will be minimal and you can use whatever you have laying around.

Another way to deal with space for heat tape is to use a hanging rack, where the rim of each box runs on or in a track. There are a few advantaged to this design but it would still not deal with your need for a groove in the side of each shelf for the tape to run through. The main disadvantages are the added complexity and only being able to run one size of box per shelf. I prefer to build racks where each shelf holds one full sized box or two half sized boxes, for example.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

I have built a rack as you describe. The big advantage is that you have one continuos piece of flex watt and only one cord to attach. There are some other things to consider.

You will need a notch on the end of each shelf for the flex watt to pass between the side of the cabinet and the end of the shelf. You will want to use like a 3/4" radius rounding over bit to round the end of the shelf there so the tape does not make a sharp bend or it will crack. You are going to be winding the tape back and forth across the top shelf, down the left side then across the 2nd shelf and down the right side and so forth. I made a piece of quarter round molding to help the tape make the bend from vertical down the side to horizontal across the next shelf. This needs to be small enough that it doesn’t hit the side of the tub when it slides in. I also screwed a piece of white plastic laminate (Formica) over the tape on the side so the tub would not rub on the heat tape as it slides in and out. I routered the recess in the shelf deep enough so I could screw a piece of sheet metal over the flex watt on the shelf as well.

This is one of those ideas that sounded really good on paper but turned out to be a lot of work with questionable return. I only did it this way once.

>>Okay, I understand now. I don't recall reading if a special bit is needed for melamine coated particle board. You are talking such a shallow area I think the resistance will be minimal and you can use whatever you have laying around.
>>
>>Another way to deal with space for heat tape is to use a hanging rack, where the rim of each box runs on or in a track. There are a few advantaged to this design but it would still not deal with your need for a groove in the side of each shelf for the tape to run through. The main disadvantages are the added complexity and only being able to run one size of box per shelf. I prefer to build racks where each shelf holds one full sized box or two half sized boxes, for example.
>>-----
>>Current snakes:
>>
>>0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)
>>
>>0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)
>>
>>1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)
>>
>>2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)
>>
>>1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)
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Wade's Weptiles & Wodents

Yeah Wade,

That does sound like a lot of work. Have you been able to come with a different design? I want something that is simple and efficient so I don't have to mess it so much.

Practically every method has pros and cons. No matter which way you choose there will be drawbacks. The big question is what compromises are you willing to make.

In the wild your snakes will get some of their heat energy from the ambient air temperature and some from the radiant heat of the sun and some by conduction through the rock it is sitting on. Does the snake need all three? Probably not. Do you need to provide all three? Probably not. The snake needs some heat in order to digest. What direction is comes from isn’t going to be life or death.

Probably all big breeders with many hundreds of snakes simply heat the room. That is the easiest. That is what I do with most of my snakes. For the ones the need more heat, I add belly heat (flex watt) to those racks. When my boids are gravid, I feel belly heat is important.

The next easiest method would probably be 11” Flexwatt on the back of the rack. This will give you good heat and avoid all of the problems of having the tub rub on the heat tape. Many people use this method and have no problems with it at all.

I guess if I was going to pick one method I would choose to put 4” Flexwatt on the shelf at the rear of the rack. I would not try to wind it continuously like we discussed earlier, but would use a separate strip for each shelf. I would route it into the shelf deep enough that I could screw a piece of sheet metal over the tape. This will protect the tape and help to distribute the heat more evenly and avoid hot spots. Route a deeper spot on one end for the wire connection and the wire to sit in. Drill a hole in the back of the cage and pass all the wires out the back and connect them all together in a junction box. Then run one wire to the thermostat.

You can go to a sheet metal shop and have them cut pieces to size for you. Make them ½’ bigger all around so you can screw it down flat without hitting the tape. Don’t mess with glue. With the different expansion rates of the particleboard and the metal, combined with the heating and cooling, any glue you try will come loose.

That’s what I have learned over many years of trial and error. A dozen other people will give you a dozen other answers. Pick the one that works best for you.

Good luck.
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Wade's Weptiles & Wodents

This is what I have done allowing for one full size or two haves. Flexwatt is down the back.

thats a very pretty little rack there... are the sides melamine?

If you really want to router a groove, make sure to use a carbide bit rather than the inexpensive steel bits. Particle board tears up steel bits. Also, do not try to cut a deep groove on one pass. Better to make multiple passes. With particle board, I would do only 1/8" deep at most on one pass of the router.

Also, if you use a bit that cuts a shape like an inverted "V" sort of where the base of the groove is wider than the top, you can do a groove that holds the flexwatt in place.
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Mark

I have never kept arboreals before and I have never built a rack like this but I have an interesting idea for you.

What about putting the heat tape on the bottom of each shelf and using it more like a radiant heat panel? You could pin or staple it tightly to the bottom of each shelf so that it heats the cage below it, and each tub would slide right underneath it. This would give more heat from above which an arboreal snake will get more use out of. It will also heat the wood from the bottom to provide ambient and belly heat as well.

just a thought...

Oh and I have routered big grooves before and its a real pain, if you go that way, definitely do what chris suggested.