So this summer I was going to buy a rack. Since then, I have decided that it would be more up my alley to make my own instead. I am an architecture student and I have quite a bit of experience with building structures, and I have access to a full wood shop (it is great).

Today I was doing a lot of brainstorming and I came across a few points that I for sure wanted to incorporate into my rack.

1. Economical: I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on supplies and I really would like to use as much recycled material as possible. I go to a school where sustainability is really important to everyone, and I will be dumpster diving like whoa come end of semester.

2. Portability: I am a college student and I see many moved in my future. I don't want to be carrying a 30 pound shelving unit around me every time I move into a tiny Chicago apartment. How can you go wrong with a portable rack?

3. Attractively Functional: Being an architecture student, I am taught to design everything with function in mind. If it doesn't serve a purpose, why put it there? I also want my rack to look GOOD. I see a lot of racks and yeah, they are functional but to be honest, they are really tacky. I don't want someone to walk into my room and ask why I have a shelf full of tubs. I want them to recognize it as a proper piece of furniture.


To accomplish these points, I decided on a few things:

1. I will use only 2x2's and 1/8th inch plywood.
2. I will make the shelves for the rack removable and the frame collapsible.
3. I will use these iris tubs
4. I will use 4" flex watt heat tape for belly heat. 4 of the 6 shelves will be wired in parallel, and the remaining 2 will be wired individually.


I don't have a picture of this yet, but one of these days I will throw together an awesome 3D model so you can all see what I see in my head.

Basically, I am going to make a 6 shelf rack frame using 2x2's.
I will make the frame collapsible using hinges. They will all be sanded down and have nice smooth edges. For installing the shelves, I will use this shelving system. This will give me a lot of height flexibility and will make it very easy to remove the shelves for transportation.

Each shelf will be made by making a frame out of 2x2's and putting plywood on the top and bottom. This makes the shelves hollow, light and seamless. The shelf's dimensions will be able to accommodate 1 iris 30qt tub or 2 iris 16qt tubs. This will make the rack flexible for juvenile ball pythons and adult ball pythons.

Here is what I am debating: For the frame, I really wanted something natural looking and I was thinking of using natural wood dowels. Obviously I would use something a bit thinner than this. They would still have minor inconsistencies but I think they would be a nice touch. Please tell me what you think of this idea! I really want to do a brownish black paint or stain, any one else have a color opinion?