Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For those of you who have used cam style locks on your doors,how do you go about making the slots for the tab on the lock to latch into? I am looking to use this style lock for some plexiglass doors that I am making and have yet to figure out how to make the slots in my wood frame.Anyone have any suggestions,or a pic (or link to one)would be great.
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0.1.0 Burmese Python 12'- "Baby"
1.0.0 Albino Granite Burmese Python 6.5'-"Capone"
0.1.0 Albino Burmese Python 11'-"Lacy Underall"
1.0.0 Reticulated Python 8.5'-"McLovin"
1.0.0 African Rock Python 9'-"Pauly Walnuts"
1.0.0 BCI 7.5'-"Mr.Pink"
0.2.0 BCI 6'-"Scarlett O'Hara & Sloane Peterson"
1.1.0 Bearded Dragons-"Radar O'Reilly & Carol Anne"

THe ones that I used for a large 10 cage unit I built had different options for the piece of metal that goes up to lock it and one was a curved piece and that allowed me to let it lock on other side of wood and that was 3/4 inch melamine and 1/4 rock paneling it fit.
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Tom
1.2.0 Leopard Gecko (dot, spot, casper)
0.0.1 California King Snake (booboo)
0.1.0 Sulcata Tortoise (tank)
0.0.2 Russian Tortoise (tito and lulu)
0.0.2 Red Ear Sliders (bernie and ernie)
0.0.3 Painted Turtles (larry, curly and moe)
0.0.1 Western Soft shell (Squirt)
2.2.0 Bearded Dragon (marshmellow,Bubba,Sparkles,Alfredo )
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor (beef)
1.0.0 Peachfront Conure (kermit)
0.1.0 Love Bird ( KIKI )
1.1.0 Dog (layla and Rosco)
2.1.0 Crazy Cats (babe, sabastian, tinkerbell)
0.1.0 Lion Head Rabbit (daisy)
0.1.2 Ferret (jordan RIP, Cosmo and Izzy)
0.2.0 Guinea Pigs (lilly and petunia)
0.0.1 White Tree Frog (dumpy jr.)
0.0.2 Fire Belly Newts (spork and blaze)
0.0.1 Fire Belly Toad (ferdinan)
0.0.1 Red Spotted Newt ( red)
0.0.2 Bull Frogs (goliath and tubby)
0.0.1 Spectacled caiman (wilbert)
0.0.3 Green Anoles
1.0.0 Bahama Anole
0.0.1 Giant Millipede
Lots Of Fish

We order our cam locks with 1 1/2 inch shaft so it can go through the 3/4 inch door and under the 3/4 inch frame. When you lock it the tab slides behind the frame. I'll get some close up pictures tomorrow and post them.

Have you bought the locks yet? If not email me and I can give you our source. The company we use also keys all the locks the same so we only need 1 key to open any of our cages.
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Randy and Michelle
Art In Scales
(719) 439-4199
info@artinscales.com

OK I see what what you mean now,I can actually picture that in my head.The only problem I have is the frame around my openings are 2x4's (um ..cause we live in a hurricane zone? LOL)I was thinking I would have to make slots in the 2x4s but maybe I could somehow add some tabs for the locks to latch onto? Maybe you can tell from this pic what I'm working with here.

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0.1.0 Burmese Python 12'- "Baby"
1.0.0 Albino Granite Burmese Python 6.5'-"Capone"
0.1.0 Albino Burmese Python 11'-"Lacy Underall"
1.0.0 Reticulated Python 8.5'-"McLovin"
1.0.0 African Rock Python 9'-"Pauly Walnuts"
1.0.0 BCI 7.5'-"Mr.Pink"
0.2.0 BCI 6'-"Scarlett O'Hara & Sloane Peterson"
1.1.0 Bearded Dragons-"Radar O'Reilly & Carol Anne"

To cut slots for lock cams, I would use my biscuit joiner. In case you don't know what it is, cuts slots to join pieces with a standard wood "biscuit" the biscuits come in different sizes. Of course you'd have to work out just where to put the slot and how to set the fence to get it right where you want it. Also, might not work in your application since the cage is already assembled. Looks like there would be enough room for the tool but????

Just google "Biscuit joiner" and you should be able to find what I'm talking about.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I agree with Dave, a bisquit joiner would probably work. It's also called a plate joiner, it's kind of pricey for a one time use but you will use it a lot if you're building more cages. We don't use frames to build our cages, we use the plate joiner to make the slots in the material and glue it together. I use our plate joiner all the time.

Another option might be to use a router with an 1/8 inch straight bit to make a groove for the tabs to go into.
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Randy and Michelle
Art In Scales
(719) 439-4199
info@artinscales.com

i would use a Dremel to do the groove.

Pitoon

Thanx for all the ideas,I actually have a dremel and I can get a router from a buddy if I need one,so I think I will start there,and work my way up the price ladder from there if those don't work.
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0.1.0 Burmese Python 12'- "Baby"
1.0.0 Albino Granite Burmese Python 6.5'-"Capone"
0.1.0 Albino Burmese Python 11'-"Lacy Underall"
1.0.0 Reticulated Python 8.5'-"McLovin"
1.0.0 African Rock Python 9'-"Pauly Walnuts"
1.0.0 BCI 7.5'-"Mr.Pink"
0.2.0 BCI 6'-"Scarlett O'Hara & Sloane Peterson"
1.1.0 Bearded Dragons-"Radar O'Reilly & Carol Anne"