Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i think i'm going to build my rack with doors but i want to leave the doors long and use 4 sterilite 1756 boxes per shelf. Do you think this will work or will the doors sag? i don't think it should be a problem but figured someone else might have experience with it.

I have had this rack in use for about a year and a half. The doors were left intact.

The boxes I use are A LOT bigger than the 1756. Mine are 31" x 17" x 12". Each has a layer of moist substrate and a full and heavy ceramic water bowl.

I recommend using HC doors where the frame is made from finger-jointed solid wood. I also have some doors with MDF frames and they do not seem as well built.

Cover the underside of each door with vinyl film. I used contact paper but that was back when you could still get decent contact paper. The stuff available today is junk.

I used melamine for the sides only becasue the snake room I had at the time was only a bit over 82" wide. If I had used HC doors for the sides the rack would not have fit.

About a year ago I moved and snapped the front center caster off of the rack. The rack is still flat.

I do recommend a middle support like this. I have one in the back also that is pretty wide. However big the leftover piece was. You can sort of see it in the picture.

I just built two arboreal type racks (3 tubs high) and used the hollow core wood doors. They worked great. Each shelf is 36" deep and 20" wide...and so far no sagging at all. And they are extremely light weight compared to my melamine racks I built. If you end up cutting any part of the door, be sure to take some 1x2s and cut them to size to fit in the gaps on the end where the cut was made. This way it gives it more stability. Yo want to have solid wood all around the frame. But if you don't have to cut the door then no need to worry about that. You shouldn't have a problem with sagging.

I will try to post pictures of the racks later.

Hope that helps and good luck. Be sure to post pics of the rack when you are through.

Thanks,
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Michael Rehker

The Snake Breeder

"Which of us has not been stunned by the beauty of an animal's skin or its flexibility in motion?"
--Marianne Moore

Michael,

Looking forward to seeing those pictures as well as any during construction pictures.

Chris

Thanks Chris. Hope all is going well with you! These racks don't even come close to those high quality cages of yours that I've seen. But they were inexpensive and work great. I currently have a couple of carpet pythons and a Taiwan beauty in them right now...hoping to add a few others real soon!

The total price for both racks including 11" heat tape running down the back was right at $200. Needless to say, I am very pleased with the way they turned out. These were the largest "clear" tubs I could find, they measure right about 36"x20"x18" and work well, though the "feet" on them is kind of a pain but they'll do.

And sorry I don't have any construction photos...I always seem to forget them when I building. Just too much to concentrate on, lol. It only took about 2 hours to make both racks. I coated the underside of each shelf (the side that would be exposed to moisture) with a sealent just to be on the safe side.

Anyways, hope those pictures help. If you need more I can take more. And Chris, hope you like the racks too.

(Sorry the pics aren't the best...kinda hard getting a good angle)

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Michael Rehker

The Snake Breeder

"Which of us has not been stunned by the beauty of an animal's skin or its flexibility in motion?"
--Marianne Moore