Help Building A Rack

I'm Moving To A New House & Just Recently Got 2 More Ball Pythons In Addition To The One I Had. I'm Thinking About Building A Rack To Keep Them In, I Just Don't Know Where To Start? Any Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated

First I would decide on the size tubs your going to use. And how big your bp's are / how big will they get. There are a few threads in the diy section on rack building as well as some really good YouTube videos as well.

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Originally Posted by Alexio

First I would decide on the size tubs your going to use. And how big your bp's are / how big will they get. There are a few threads in the diy section on rack building as well as some really good YouTube videos as well.

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They Are All Different Sizes. I Wanted To Do Tubs They Could Just Grow Into. Here are some pictures of them
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...84c24b879f.png
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...2882897a98.pnghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...7c2927111c.pnghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...2bc0382455.jpg

I am usually apprehensive about starting larger projects based on the idea I'll save money for a few reasons. I am not that handy so I will probably make something that won't last as long as if I had bought it.

The second is that I don't have a large amount of equipment and buying tools is expensive. Sometimes the initial cost hurts but buying from a professional who has worked out the kinks is the easiest and most cost effective . If your determined to do it yourself there are lots of diy threads on here if you search for them and youtube, good luck !

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Originally Posted by Ba11er

I am usually apprehensive about starting larger projects based on the idea I'll save money for a few reasons. I am not that handy so I will probably make something that won't last as long as if I had bought it.

The second is that I don't have a large amount of equipment and buying tools is expensive. Sometimes the initial cost hurts but buying from a professional who has worked out the kinks is the easiest and most cost effective . If your determined to do it yourself there are lots of diy threads on here if you search for them and youtube, good luck !

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I'm not very handy either & I would have to buy all the t

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Originally Posted by Vonnie

I'm not very handy either & I would have to buy all the t

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Tools to build myself, I just wanted to try. But I talked to my grandma after posting & she also said it might be better & cheaper to just buy one that professionally done to

I don't know how old you are but here are a couple things to think about. Tools are an investment. If you buy good tools you only have to buy them once. I have tools that I still use that belonged to my great grandfather. Even more of an investment are the skills that you acquire when you learn how to do things. If you have never built anything before it will probably be a pretty painful process however the skills that you pick up will save you money for the rest of your life. The number of people that actually know how to do things these days is absolutely sad and most wouldn't last more than a couple days without a store that carried everything they need. When you know what you are doing the only limit is your imagination. When I decided to get serious about my "hobby" I knew I had to figure out how to do things efficiently and cost effectively. My latest rack design that I actually finished last night holds 18 40qt tubs. It cost me $38 dollars to build. I still need to build two more however imagine what that would have cost if I had to buy them pre-built. I'm betting the shipping would be more than my entire build.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I don't know how old you are but here are a couple things to think about. Tools are an investment. If you buy good tools you only have to buy them once. I have tools that I still use that belonged to my great grandfather. Even more of an investment are the skills that you acquire when you learn how to do things. If you have never built anything before it will probably be a pretty painful process however the skills that you pick up will save you money for the rest of your life. The number of people that actually know how to do things these days is absolutely sad and most wouldn't last more than a couple days without a store that carried everything they need. When you know what you are doing the only limit is your imagination. When I decided to get serious about my "hobby" I knew I had to figure out how to do things efficiently and cost effectively. My latest rack design that I actually finished last night holds 18 40qt tubs. It cost me $38 dollars to build. I still need to build two more however imagine what that would have cost if I had to buy them pre-built. I'm betting the shipping would be more than my entire build.

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I'm 21 & I honestly wouldn't mind sitting down & actually figuring out how to build one myself, I wish I would have thought about this earlier in the summer so then it would have been a project I could have worked on. I might still try if I have some free time seeing as though school is about to start back & I will be working. I just know once I focus on that its going to be my main focus until I finish it. & your right it is a lot of people who wouldn't last if they didn't have a store to depend on. But it is important to be able to acquire new skills. I do want more snakes in the future so I think this is something I should learn how to build.

Good luck. Measure twice, cut once.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Good luck. Measure twice, cut once.

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Thank you

Even as a semi-pro (yes I build and sell part time and do turn a profit) I can tell you measuring twice is not always enough. I've wasted a good amount of material in R&D even with a CAD system. My suggestion is to draw one out on paper first. Examine what your needs are then see if your sketch matches that. If not, do it again. I made a tub rack for a customer that has different size tubs in it. A 16qt Sterilite is about as long as a 28qt is wide. It's a good mix.

Once you decide on your configuration, buy a couple of tubs so you can get exact measurements. A lidless style rack needs to be much more precise than a system that uses the lids of the tubs to secure the snake. An extra 1/16 of an inch may be all that a snake needs to squeeze out in my opinion.

When you are confident in your design go buy materials and build away. I'll be happy to answer questions along the way when and if they pop up. Well, most of them anyway. :D

Most importantly, have fun on the build. :gj:

Dave

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Originally Posted by AKA Dave

Even as a semi-pro (yes I build and sell part time and do turn a profit) I can tell you measuring twice is not always enough. I've wasted a good amount of material in R&D even with a CAD system. My suggestion is to draw one out on paper first. Examine what your needs are then see if your sketch matches that. If not, do it again. I made a tub rack for a customer that has different size tubs in it. A 16qt Sterilite is about as long as a 28qt is wide. It's a good mix.

Once you decide on your configuration, buy a couple of tubs so you can get exact measurements. A lidless style rack needs to be much more precise than a system that uses the lids of the tubs to secure the snake. An extra 1/16 of an inch may be all that a snake needs to squeeze out in my opinion.

When you are confident in your design go buy materials and build away. I'll be happy to answer questions along the way when and if they pop up. Well, most of them anyway. :D

Most importantly, have fun on the build. :gj:

Dave

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Thank you for the advice