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if i made a plywood enclouser with just the front open how would i put sliding doors into it

>>if i made a plywood enclouser with just the front open how would i put sliding doors into it

You can buy trck for the glass. Or cut groove into a 2 by four. Make the top grooves a little over twice as deep. That way you can push up on the glass and remove it, if need be.
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Thomas Jones
aligatorhunter@earthlink.net

While you are thinking about robbing the bank, the person beside you is thinking about how to collect the reward!!

When you are making a sliding front for a cage, there are several important things to keep in mind. These are my preferences, not the only way by any means.

First I like to put a facia along the bottom edge of the cage. If it is a six foot cage and two feet tall, I would use a piece of wood approx 4" tall along the bottom edge. This provides a border to contain your substrate, keeps your substrate out of the track the glass slides on and provides a small amount of privacy for the animal to get away from being viewed if it happens to be a touch nervous. Not to say this is the best in terms of a hide area, but it helps.

Second, I like to use the same type facia at the top of the cage. It provides an area to conceal any well placed and SAFE lighting or heating without it being an eyesore. Both the top and bottom facia are also important to add structure to the front of the cage. If you have a six foot long cage, it may want to sag in the middle of the top or the bottom and that makes whatever sliding doors you use potentially hard to use, especially if you want to stack multiple cages. The best way to support the span is by using a pices of angle iron. Approximately 3"x3". You screw the steel to the back of the upper facia and also to the inside top of the cage. After that, you can dance on it, with friends.

Third, I like to use an anodized aluminium track for bypassing glass doors used by cabinetmakers and glaziers. A company that sells to the public is called CRL or C.R.Lawrance. I'm sure they have a place online to check out. If not, go to a cabinet shop and ask them to order it for you. If you have the parts specified, you should be able to find a cabinetmaker who won't charge you too much if any.

I would suggest using a track that has a "lip" at the bottom so the glass can't be pushed out from the inside if you are keeping a large reptile. Although taking the glass out from the front is absolutely critical to clean well. I like to use 1/4" tempered glass with a flat polish on the vertical sides of the glass. You can buy a set up with relatively quiet nylon rollers so the glass slides very easily.

The track that attaches to the bottom of the glass itself has enough space to intstall either a keyed lock or just a double action push button type lock. Keyed is always the best route to go. Whether its to keep your kids out, satisfy animal control, or you Mom, (The ultimate animal control) or stop your best herp friend from nabbin your favorite animal, it's a good way to go.

Those are my suggestions, but I haven't put too much thought into it.

Good Luck.