Well i made this rack...

Well i made this rack. Im gonna make sure with you guys first that its safe. If not ill use it for a TV stand lol :cool:.

Its a plywood rack that I staind with water based polyurethane cherry stain. Then i put clear semi gloss polyurethane on it to seal the wood with.

Given enough time to air out (a week or so) do you think my snakes would be affected by the chemicals at all?

If you need more info let me know.

PICS OF THE RACK---
http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/s...9/DSCF1197.jpg

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/s...9/DSCF1193.jpg

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/s...9/DSCF1195.jpg

Did you use water based poly or oil based? If you used water based, shouldn't be a problem after it dries for a day or so.

Personally, I think that if you let it air out long enough, it doesn't really matter if you use water or oil based. I used oil based sealant for my custom enclosure (that was a year ago). I let it air out for about two weeks -- until I could not smell the sealant anymore.

My snake is doing great, with no issues. The reason I used oil based is because I could not find any of the high quality water repellant sealants that were water based.

well i used water based urethane for the stain BUT then i used normal polyurethane gloss/sealer to make the wood shiny and glossy, thats the part im worried about

I'm no expert but I would think as long as it is cured and there is no smell, you should be safe. You might check for the smell of it also after you've got your flexwatt heating. Don't know if heat will make a difference and I'm suspecting it wont.

I dont think you have a problem, as long as you let it dry about a week should be good.:gj:

totally off the thread question....what are you doing for heat

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

totally off the thread question....what are you doing for heat

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flexwatt 11 inch most likely

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

totally off the thread question....what are you doing for heat

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I have an off topic question too.... how much did it cost you to build it? I was just talking with my BF about building a plywood one. The one we built that houses the snakes now was very expensive and I was hoping to do something quite a bit cheaper.

what you built looks VERY nice IMO and I'd love to do something similar.

As for the smell, I would, along with some others above me, think that if you air it out long enough it should be ok?

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Originally Posted by AcePythons

I have an off topic question too.... how much did it cost you to build it? I was just talking with my BF about building a plywood one. The one we built that houses the snakes now was very expensive and I was hoping to do something quite a bit cheaper.

what you built looks VERY nice IMO and I'd love to do something similar.

As for the smell, I would, along with some others above me, think that if you air it out long enough it should be ok?

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I built it at my school and they supply at the matierials and tools in my woodshop class. But i think it took 1 or 1 and a half sheets of 4x8 plywood to make. which are 30-40 bucks a piece i think? It can house 3 41 quart sterilite tubs and its pretty big. kinda afraid to use it so it has a fsh tank on top of it right now. The tools i used were pretty much just a table saw and a table saw with a dato blade then wood glue and a nailgun. then the stain and poly.

and thanks :D

Just give it a nice week to air out. If you have a garage, just put it in the garage and leave the door open for about 5-7 days and let it air out nice and good. Make sure its dry as can be and theres no smell. Also, after you add the flexwatt, let it run a day without any snakes in it, and see if the flexwatt makes it smell or does anything negative to it. You don't want to take a chance when it comes to your snake.

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Originally Posted by AWESOM-O 3000

I built it at my school and they supply at the matierials and tools in my woodshop class. But i think it took 1 or 1 and a half sheets of 4x8 plywood to make. which are 30-40 bucks a piece i think? It can house 3 41 quart sterilite tubs and its pretty big. kinda afraid to use it so it has a fsh tank on top of it right now. The tools i used were pretty much just a table saw and a table saw with a dato blade then wood glue and a nailgun. then the stain and poly.

and thanks :D

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i'm going to be building a similar rack as well, and i'm just wondering if there's any real advantage to using a dato blade to cut out channels for the shelves?

i was just going to screw the shelves in from the side.

don't know if this measly little diagram will help or not...

http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/a...pents/rack.jpg

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Originally Posted by AWESOM-O 3000

kinda afraid to use it so it has a fsh tank on top of it right now.

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Be careful with that. Putting something heavy on top of ply-wood WILL warp it after a time, especially if it gets damp at all. Trust me, I've learned from experience. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by katia

i'm going to be building a similar rack as well, and i'm just wondering if there's any real advantage to using a dato blade to cut out channels for the shelves?

i was just going to screw the shelves in from the side.

don't know if this measly little diagram will help or not...

http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/a...pents/rack.jpg

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the advantage is way sturdier shelving. and if you screw it threw the side of the other peace of ply youll probably split it open and make the shelving pretty weak.

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Originally Posted by katia

i'm going to be building a similar rack as well, and i'm just wondering if there's any real advantage to using a dato blade to cut out channels for the shelves?

i was just going to screw the shelves in from the side.

don't know if this measly little diagram will help or not...

http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/a...pents/rack.jpg

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the only real advantage youll get is a sturdier more level shelf. you should also glue/nail them in.. plywood and screws dont go together very well in my own oppinion and even when predrilled it has a tendecy to crack, which isnt really a problem it just doesnt help its appearence dependingon the crack

Nice rack. It looks lightweight which is always a plus for a rack...

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Originally Posted by Zach

I built it at my school and they supply at the matierials and tools in my woodshop class. But i think it took 1 or 1 and a half sheets of 4x8 plywood to make. which are 30-40 bucks a piece i think?

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$13-20 a sheet. Depending on what kinda grade you get. I was able to build mine out of the really cheap stuff by giving the shevles a frame and some glue to prevent warp. You can check mine out under the DIY forum, titled "The Anti-Melamine Rack"

Nice rack by the way!

When ever staining with polyurethane just feel the surface.

If the surface feels tacky still, its not cured.

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Originally Posted by Cody John Steele

$13-20 a sheet. Depending on what kinda grade you get. I was able to build mine out of the really cheap stuff by giving the shevles a frame and some glue to prevent warp. You can check mine out under the DIY forum, titled "The Anti-Melamine Rack"

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i used cabinet grade plywood