Melamine

Quick question about melamine when building your own rack...

Would the 5/8 be thick enough/sturdy enough to support full grown ball pythons in 41 qts? Or would you suggest the 3/4?

Also, if you have had experience with melamine, what kind of screws did you use? I have used melamine before and it cracked, but that was when screwing into it.

Any pointers would help, Thanks!

Use the 3/4. if you pre-drill with a smaller drill bit before you screw it together you shouldn't have a problem. I am working on a rack and a guy at home depot gave me a great idea. he said every time he uses melamine he drills and then puts some wood glue in the hole then drives the screw in. It will keep it together a little better, as long as you are not planning on ever taking it back apart.

pre drilled holes have worked best for me. I found that it would crack much easier if i didnt do the pre drilled holes. Also take your time bc it can be quite frustrating working with it for the first couple times.

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...r/DSCN4736.jpg
Use sheetrock screws

a pic of one of the racks I made using melamine. I am very happy with them, just make sure to use some dividers to keep the shelves from sagging with time. Also pre-drill your srew holes to prevent cracking. :gj:

Here is a taller rack I built also with melamine,
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...s/DSCN3719.jpg

Thank you all for the posts, this was VERY helpful. We're using melamine for the shelves and Poplar wood for the frame and pegboard for the sides to hold in a bit more heat/humidity (Arizona = dryyyy air!). I'll post pics when we finish! (And pics of the snakes as well!)

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Originally Posted by Old_School

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...r/DSCN4736.jpg
Use sheetrock screws

a pic of one of the racks I made using melamine. I am very happy with them, just make sure to use some dividers to keep the shelves from sagging with time. Also pre-drill your srew holes to prevent cracking. :gj:

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old_School

Here is a taller rack I built also with melamine,
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...s/DSCN3719.jpg

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come to long island and build my racks in the future please???hahah you do some awesome work. I wish mine came out as good as those. great work :gj:

3/4" is a must. drywall screws with wide threads. pre-drill. use a cross-cut saw blade, and tape the top surface prior to cutting. this will prevent excessive chipping of the face which can be problematic with melamine.
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