Anybody build a rack out of plywood?

[MaxT815]

Hey everyone, Im having a hard time with building a rack. Mostly because i am so indecisive, i would like to A. save money, B. keep weight down, and C. have some type of uniformity because i will most likely be building more when hatch-lings come and my females get BIG! My problem is i dont want to use melamine, id like to avoid spending that much, and its heavy. I cant track down pvc sheets ANYwhere and again it would still probably be a little pricey. So im looking for alternatives and i dont see why plywood wouldnt be feasible. I need it to hold 28 qt sterilite tubs since they dont make 32 anymore ( i think the dimensions are the same though) and i was thinking of just using some type of sealant on the underside of the shelves to keep the humidity from warping the wood. I was wondering if anybody had used plywood or had any other ideas. Maybe a suggestion on a sealant that is no toxic, i dont want my snakes getting sick. Any advice would be greatly appreciated im having a hard time. Thanks

[Scubaf250]

I think the reason the melamine is used over plywood is because it's easier to clean and more resistant to liquids. Plus the plywood will have to be just as thick as the melamine. Eventually it will start to sag but thin plywood will sag a lot quicker, so as far as weight and price are concerned its not going to weigh any less without the coating and i'm sure it's not a lot more expensive for melamine over plywood.

Also from what I've seen looking around and adding up prices, it looks to me that making one will cost about as much as buying a nice animal plastics economy rack...

[The Serpent Merchant]

When you add it all up using plywood isn't going to save you much money, as you will have to spend a good bit on sealing the plywood, and thick plywood isn't nearly as cheap as the thin stuff.

If you go with ply I would recommend 1/2" thick ply That has been sealed very well as plywood is usually very porous.

I highly recommend that you look into the economy line of racks sold by AnimalPlastics and/or the racks sold by RBI

AP: http://www.animalplastics.com

RBI: http://www.reptilebasics.com/reptile-rack-systems

A professionally made rack will be much lighter than a home made rack, and in most cases will be better made (since they use computer controlled routers to make all of the parts with extreme precision)

[MaxT815]

When you add it all up using plywood isn't going to save you much money, as you will have to spend a good bit on sealing the plywood, and thick plywood isn't nearly as cheap as the thin stuff.

If you go with ply I would recommend 1/2" thick ply That has been sealed very well as plywood is usually very porous.

I highly recommend that you look into the economy line of racks sold by AnimalPlastics and/or the racks sold by RBI

AP: http://www.animalplastics.com

RBI: http://www.reptilebasics.com/reptile-rack-systems

A professionally made rack will be much lighter than a home made rack, and in most cases will be better made (since they use computer controlled routers to make all of the parts with extreme precision)

I definetly would like to invest in some plastic racks but was thinking plywood for now. Just to last a little while. 1/2 in would be my choice definetly and I was thinking of just sealijg the underside of the shelves where they will serve as the top of the tub. That's really the only part that would have to be resistent to humidity I would assume right? Only thing is I don't know what I could use that would not hurt the animals. Maybe latex paint or a water based sealant as opposed to oil.

[GenePirate]

Plywood will definitely sag very quickly, but another good reason to stay away from wood is mites. Mites and their eggs are very difficult to eradicate from wood, and wood is a haven for those little white wood mites as well. The white mites are not necessarily harmful, but they're just a pest you won't want to deal with. I'd stick with plastics and metal frames. It costs a bit more, but it's well worth a clean, healthy collection.

[grits]

We own a cabinet shop and get plywood prefinished. In our case its cheaper than regular plywood because we buy so much. Maybe a cabinet shop in your area could order it for you.

[OhhWatALoser]

my entire set up is wood and never had to deal with wood mites.... never even herd of anyone dealing with them from processed wood.

My question is whats the big deal with it being heavy? do you really move your rack that much? 35 bucks for a 3/4 inch 4x8 piece of melamine and a 2 dollar tube of caulk and you're not going to have issues. cheapest i could find pvc sheet around me was 125 bucks and it was only 1/2 inch. the sag depends on many factors, I've talked to people using 20 year old racks made of melamine and no sag. support it well and take care of it, just like anything else.

but if your set on using thinner plywood, you might run into issues with design, make sure it is supported very well. also I would seal the entire thing, the tubs are not air tight, the humidity is going to be high in the rack pockets, not just in the tub.

[RaltsXIV]

My rack and 2 burm enclosures are made out of plywood. Just use a good brush on poly on EVERYTHING and you'll be fine for a while.

I do still plan on jumping on the first good deal I can get on a commercial rack and some vision cages though but I've had no issues with my enclosures or rack other than thinking that the self stick vinyl tiles would stick well enough to prevent urine from going underneath them... luckily I had contact paper lining the underside.

[MaxT815]

Yea I'm not worried about mites. Good point the tubs aren't air tight. Sealing the entire inside would definetly be better. The weight isn't too much of an issue, but I will definetly have to move it at some point I don't plan on living where I'm at forever. I've seen people put casters on them that would be a good idea. I would just like to get the most space for the lowest price of course, plus I will need more when three clutches of eggs hatch and my females get bigger they'll need to be moved to 41 qt tubs. Plus ill have plenty of subs and adults and I would like to have a rack that holds 14 or 16 28qt tubs as opposed to 7 or 8. Likewise for babies. And id like to have the option to move them when I want. So I'm just trying to get the most bang for my buck until I upgrade to plastic.

[grits]

Heres our burm cages we just finished.



And a rack we did for our hognoses



We do our rat racks out of plywood too



We've even done incubators out of plywood. Got some Burm eggs cooking in there now