Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm planning a rack system for rosy boas. I'd like to use 1/2" melamine instead of 3/4" to save 1/3 rd fo the weight. I can see that I'll have to be more precise when I screw through the sides and into the edges of the 1/2" thick shelves, and I plan to use three screws per edge to help hold the wieght.

Is there some good reason that I should use the 3/4" and avoid using the 1/2"? I can't think of one.

Thanks

>>Is there some good reason that I should use the 3/4" and avoid using the 1/2"? I can't think of one.

The main reason is if you'll be building the rack so that the boxes can slide in width-wise. With the 23" span across the front being unsupported it can have a tendency to sag. Not ideal for a live-bearing species.

You can add a solid back to this design and that will support the back of the shelf but then you add weight back and you still have the unsupported front.

Width-wise insertion is a great design as it allows use of one full sized box or two half-sized boxes per level. Something I would think would be very useful for Rosy Boas.

Another benefit to this design is that it is lighter. Let's assume that in either case you'll be building a rack without a melamine back. For width-wise insertion you only need two 17" deep sides. For length wise insertion you will need two 23" deep sides.

Thats about a 25% weight savings alone if you go with the width-wise insertion AND you get the versatility of two box sizes.

So here's what I'd do.

Build your shelves out of 3/4" melamine.

Cut your sides from 1/2" plywood.

Build your rack without a back and go with width-wise insertion.

Tape a piece of foil-covered styrene insulation onto the back.

If you want a more secure back that tack on some thin metal or wood cleats to the back and then place the insulation over that.

Or you can use thin peg-board for the back.

These options will be lighter than any rack made completely from 1/2" melamine.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)