Reptile & Amphibian Forums

to build a decent cage? I have a nice electric drill and a sawzall saw, and a couple screwdrivers..Ive built one cage out of scraps and lots of trouble.. but I really need to build two or even three more for bigger reptiles so I need to have the right tools...My dh has plenty of car tools but no building tools. what do I need to get?
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I built the cage below with very few tools. Not because I didn't have other tools, but because I wanted to teach a friend how easy it was to build a cage with just very basic tools and construction techniques.

I may have used a miter saw on the trim around the face, although even that's not necessary since the trim is not necessary.

Otherwise, we used:

A cordless drill with a pre-drill/counter-sink bit and a square drive screwdriver bit. I really would not want to build a cage without these, although it could be done.

A caulk gun when I attached the glass track. But you can also buy adhesive in squeeze bottles, meaning no caulk gun needed.

Cheap foam brushes to apply the stain and polyurethane. Even these are not necessary as you can often use an old shirt to apply them. The interior epoxy was poured on and trowled around with a scrap piece of cardboard. Now that I think about it, we also used a 24" level to make sure each panel was flat and level before applying the epoxy. Again, not absolutely necessary.

I believe I also used my circular saw and an edge-guide to clean up some of the cuts I had done at Home Depot.

With hindsight, I think it's worth paying a bit more to have the cuts made at a quality cabinet shop. Not only is the plywood and melamine they carry of much higher quality, but their cuts are absolutely perfect. This makes a noticable difference when assembling the carcass.

I do find a circular saw and a 4' edge-guide are invaluable, but for just a few cages I don't believe they would pay for themselves within a few projects, especially since I would recommend an expensive circular saw blade. If you do go that route, you'd also need a tape measure and a carpenter's square.

Thanks,,I guess I was most worried about the sawzall it is hard to use and cut a straight line with..Also last time we used a grinder to cut/melt the plexiglass.It worked but the edges were rather rough, and it smelled awful while we were using it(the melted plexiglass stinks)Anyway I want my boa cage too look nice as it will probably be going in the livingroom(maybe). My dh hates working with wood and Im just not strong enough to use the sawzall without messing it up..Maybe in the end he will cut loose with some cash and just buy me a premade..
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I own a Dewalt reciprocating saw (Dewalt's version of a Sawzall) and have never used it on anything cage related, save for cutting some tree limbs for cage decoration. It's not a matter of strength, the strongest, most talented woodworker in the world could not make glue-line quality cut with a Sawzall or other reciprocating saw.

Instead of trying to build your cage with the tools you have or buying a premade, why not go inbetween and try my suggestion of having the cuts made for you at a cabinet shop? Then you only have to assemble the cage, which is the easy part.

People who use this approach tend to continue to use it. It's that good and more affordable than you'd expect.

Even Home Depot can do a good job, although the quality of their cuts is hit more miss, and never as good as a cabinet shop. Mom & Pop lumber yards also are pretty good.

Like Chris said, a circular saw with a GOOD blade, meaning one for plywood, and a nice big edge guide can get you some very decent results.

If you need a frame, a power mitre saw is invaluable.

However, I've found that a cabinet shop can make you the shell of the cage for a rather decent price (and do it perfectly). Then you need to put in the door track, doors, apply the finish, drill holes as needed, etc. They can do the whole thing if you want, but at much added cost.