Building a Rack and Bad Luck = Disaster!

Hey guys! So after reading a bunch of DIY posts on building racks I found one I thought I liked and took myself down to Home Depot to buy all the parts. I got my melamine cut, bought my screws, and headed to walmart to find the right tubs.

Firstly... I could not find 32 qt tubs to save my life, so I had to settle with 28 qt as they would be the biggest I could fit on the shelf without turning them sideways. I get home and begin building the rack with my husband and everything that could go wrong begins to go wrong.

First we discover the melamine is not all cut to the same size. Some are longer than others, some are wider. Thanks Home Depot for not being able to cut quarters, next time I will so measure them before I leave. Begin putting it together to realize the screws are too short. So hubby heads back to walmart to buy new screws.

Then the drill bit breaks off in the melamine, kid you not! So we try a new drill. We finally have three pieces together but he had to go. So I have the very beginnings of my rack sitting in the living room. I am just praying as we continue this process that we don't find more things wrong. >,<

Sounds like my luck. I hope you guys get it all right. I wouldn't have the patience if things didn't fit right for me :rage::)

sterilite 32/28 are same width and length if not mistaken, just diff height.

all i ever use is 28qt and they are nicer than the old 32qt style

I may have to end up taking back the shorter ones, because I just don't know how we can make them work. My husband is convinced we can do it, but I am not so sure... I do not want it to be shaudily pieced together lol. So I might be storming my happy bum down to home depot with all the wood they cut for me and demanding new stuff. 100 worth of wood wasted on poor cuts does not make me a happy camper!

I am not sure if the 28 and 32 were the same dimensions. I know the 28 will barely fit based on the size we had cut or were supped to have cut lol. It is gonna be a tight squeeze to have three tubs per shelf... but I am hoping it all works out okay.

target has the 32 or 34's i forget which. because when i bought my rack i couldn't find the tubs and ended up ordering these from walmart and they were cheaper.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...i_sku=15539793


i run em with out the lids and no escapees. to much of a hassle to do stuff. had to pull the lid off every-time after you slid the tub our or back in.

Try bed, bath, and beyond if you have one near you. The carry the Iris tubs in all sizes from shoeboxes to 41qt.

You need to take your wood back and get pieces with the exact dimensions you need. Trying to "make it work" with wood is a sure recipe for frustration and eventual failure. I've built many many racks and can tell you from personal experience that you'll be happier in the long run if you don't have to mickey mouse stuff together. It may be a bit of a pain in the butt to keep going back, but when you have a perfect rack that functions properly you'll be glad you did. Take your tape measure with you and measure each piece as it's cut. If the guy doing the cutting can't use the saw properly, ask for someone else to do the cutting.

A lot of times the panel saw at lowes or hd is the problem. They get abused and used by idiots who don't respect the tool so they aren't accurate anymore. As for the tubs go to odd lots if you have one near you they seem to always have them.

at my homedepot there is a sign above the saw that says they will not guarantee exact cuts.
they also sell ind. pieces at my home depot from the factory. i have built racks using them as well and they are always the same size.
and i wouldnt recommend a rack with 3 tubs wide. it WILL sag in the middle. i built one with 2 tubs wide and it needed re-inforced with center dividers.

so they will only cut as close as the employee's are willing to try for.
adam jeffery

Sadly these are not off by like a quarter inch... not even a half inch. They are off on width and on length. I do not think the guy measured them at all before cutting them. It seemed as though it could be incredibly easy. I mean the big sheets just needed to be cut in quarters, 2ft x 4 ft... they are so not that size.

As for the tubs... those 34 qt do not fit, they are too long as the depth of the shelf is only 24" or 2ft. The 28 qt were the biggest I could find at the right length. I can, however, do the 71 qt sideways and it fits perfect as well. So I can put my bigger girls in there. I am thinking 28 qt up to about 1500 grams, then switching them out to a big tub.

Don't forget that the saw blade takes 1/4 inch of board with every cut. If you cut a piece of wood that's 4 ft. long in half you'll have one piece 24" and one 23 3/4.

You need to figure that into your cuts.

If you're going to be making more than one rack, buy a skill saw. It's not that hard to cut what you need.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wilomn

Don't forget that the saw blade takes 1/4 inch of board with every cut. If you cut a piece of wood that's 4 ft. long in half you'll have one piece 24" and one 23 3/4.

You need to figure that into your cuts.

If you're going to be making more than one rack, buy a skill saw. It's not that hard to cut what you need.

---

my blades are only 1/8";)

Even if its a quarter, they should still be able to make 4 pieces the same width/length by cutting the boards in perfect quarters. Some of these pieces are over an inch different from the others.

We called Home Depot and told them, they said to bring back the bad cuts and they would make new ones. So we will be heading back to home depot to return the wood. Taking the tape measure this time to make darn sure it comes out right lol.

There's a runt in every litter.

lol

i just built my rack i went to home depot and got the precut wood that was 23 3/4 by 4 foot and i use 28 quart tubs and the fit good i also use a piece of 3/16 inch hardwood between the tubs and the next shelve so i could have good air flow in there

Usually a router and glue is easier then screws. I made my rack and even with predrilled holes the wood still split. Then those walmart tubs are so flemzy and have a high spot by the handles its a pain.

Post the finished pictures when its all tightened up...

JFYI, sterelite doesn't make the 32qt model anymore. They discontinued them quite a while ago.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Quikcobra

Then those walmart tubs are so flemzy and have a high spot by the handles its a pain.

---

:confused::confused::confused:
Sterilites are different from different stores??
:confused::confused::confused:

So... I took all the wood back to Home Depot. Returned it and got three sheets cut the way I needed them to be cut. Then as I was standing there and they were cutting the wood, I asked what they planned to do with the stuff they had cut incorrectly.

They told me they were going to sell it as cull wood for .51 a sheet. So I had them cut all the pieces down to the same size and took home that wood for 6 dollars. SO I spent about 120 for two racks worth of wood, one will simply be about an inch shorter than the other... which for 6 bucks, I am more than happy with lol.

Part of me feels like I totally just cheated Home Depot and yet the other part of me says it never would have happened had they not cut it incorrectly in the first place. All in all I think we got out of it with a steal lol. I will post pics as the project gets under way. :D

so it worked out for the better:gj:

You did nothing wrong. The guy using the saw, especially someplace like that REALLY should know how to do it properly.

I've seen some nice pieces of birch and oak in the bin at a Home Depot out here, almost had me wanting to start making cages again.

I hate building racks...built one and will never do it again. To me, it's worth the $$ to buy one and be done.

I think I got a good deal after buying back the lumber as culled lol. I mean once put together I will have enough rack space for 36 snakes for about $120. Granted that does not include the price of tubs or the flexwatt, but even then it'll be around $300 total for 36 tubs worth of space. I am only putting one together right now as I only have the 5 snakes at current, but eventually I am sure I will put the other together as well. It's an addictive hobby! lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crawly's Mom

I think I got a good deal after buying back the lumber as culled lol. I mean once put together I will have enough rack space for 36 snakes for about $120. Granted that does not include the price of tubs or the flexwatt, but even then it'll be around $300 total for 36 tubs worth of space. I am only putting one together right now as I only have the 5 snakes at current, but eventually I am sure I will put the other together as well. It's an addictive hobby! lol

---

That's awesome that you were able to buy all that wood for such a great price, even with all the hassle. Melamine is not cheap, I'm glad it worked out in the end for you.

The final result! Okay... so I still need the flexwatt and the tubs. The flexwatt should be here within the next couple days, then I can work on filling it up. 3 tubs wide, 28 qt or it will fit one of the 71 qt long ways.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...65758351_n.jpg

Not bad at all. I'm sure your slithery friends will be quite happy there.

I am going to toss a little bit of hard won advise. Buy extra tubs now. I have a rack that takes a discontinued size of tub and It can no longer be found. I have been looking for a replacement but no luck so far. I priced having it made but at 70$ a tub I think i'll re build that rack first.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crawly's Mom

The final result! Okay... so I still need the flexwatt and the tubs. The flexwatt should be here within the next couple days, then I can work on filling it up. 3 tubs wide, 28 qt or it will fit one of the 71 qt long ways.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...65758351_n.jpg

---

VERY impressed with final outcome. Much more professional looking than what the original pains would have seemed to lead to. You two do good work and I bet your BPs will appreciate it :P

I had the same bad luck when building my rat rack and Lowes did the same thing to me with the cuts. I went back and politely complained and the manager said the saw is for making wood small enough to fit in cars, not exact cuts because the machine is so abused. I told him that when someone comes there with exact measurements, they need to know these things. Manager was a nice guy and made sure the cuts were right for me.

I am just going to steal one of my dad's table saws to save the frustration.

Thanks guys! Yeah I am going to have to invest in some tubs lol. I was thinking I would do 28 qt for all my snakes until they hit about 1500 grams, then bump them up to the 71 qt. What do you guys think? 71 just seems so huge... my big girls are in 41s right now lol.

Oh no, that's terrible! I have good luck with Lowes, they have helped me figure out all sorts of my wack job projects, lol. They think I'm a nut, but the last time I was there the guy spent 45 minutes helping me plan/cut/and get everything I needed for my project (rat racks).

Adding the flexwatt! Soon we will be up and running. I snapped this pic of hubby putting it all together. Talk about representing, hmm? lol.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...78644383_n.jpg