Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just thinking of putting the melamine sheet on top of the tub and drilling it for a snug fit. Then I thought it might be too tight and would use 1/8 " spacers. Which is the better approack? Thanks.

I'm not sure what you mean by melamine sheet. If you mean melamine coated hardboard it's just about 1/8" from my recollection.

Regardless, I prefer to use spacers cut from melamine. And I don't mean cut to 1/8". I cut them to the height of the box 1/8" or whatever gap I'm shooting for. I have a link that shows this somewhere. I'll dig it up for you tomorrow.

Randy's description of how the boxes flex, etc. is exactly what I was getting at.

Here's a rack building link. If you scroll down to steps 3 & 4 you'll see what I mean about the use of spacers.
rack building

np

That is an excellent building walk through. Thank you for taking the time to show the how too that you use.

Thanks again.Later
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

You never experience life until you have kids..then you realize what you should have done rather then what you did do

Just to avoid confusion, that site is not mine. It's just a very good site that does a good job of describing/showing the use of a melamine spacer.

I do not assemble my racks the same way. I actually install the two sides onto the top shelf and then flip the whole thing upright. So it looks like a bit 'U' when I get the first shelf installed. Then I place both spacers against the sides, place on the next shelf and screw it into place.

Remove the spacers, place them on the second shelf and start over.

that's how I was thinking of making the spacers. How muck space should I put between the helf and the container? I was thinking 1/8". If the container is 6" tall then should I make the spacers 6 1/8" tall. That really helps me out, thanks again.

1/8" is pretty good. Remember it's better to have too much rather than too little gap. Easier to fill in than to add space.

Make sure to use the actual box rather than listed measurments. I take a piece of material and keep trimming off small amounts, setting it up next to an actual box each time.

This is show pretty well in the link I provided.

Keep in mind that if you just set the board on the tub the gap you will make will be too tight (since the tub will flex and give) You will need to be careful when installing the shelf to allow for that, otherwise you will have shelfs that are too tight to easily and safely remove the tubs without spilling the water or shaking the entire rack.

Good luck.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

You never experience life until you have kids..then you realize what you should have done rather then what you did do

Good point, I'll definately provide a small gap. Thanks.