time to build

ok my girl is out of town so i have to find something to do with my time so i decided to build a rack. my question is can i use mdf wood because i have looked everywhere for melamine and i can only get it in 1 foot by 8 foot peices. what do yall sugest.

ugh...MDF is a sagging NIGHTMARE!

Plus it weighs a billion pounds.

If anything I would use Plywood over MDF

I would suggest not useing it, go to home depot you can get it for cheap

Ive been using one of my mdfs for a little over a year and it have seen no sagging,heck ive even got a small tv on top of it!

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...f/IMGP8099.jpg

just remember the bigger it is, the faster it will sag. The good thing though is that it is so cheap, it does not kill you to have to build another one a few years later down the road.

Go with the xpvc plastic... its lighter and better all around... I am already planning for another rack

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Originally Posted by Drew87

I would suggest not useing it, go to home depot you can get it for cheap

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i can get what for cheap? if you are talking about melamine they only have it in small peices.

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Originally Posted by JasonG

Go with the xpvc plastic... its lighter and better all around... I am already planning for another rack

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Not easy to find for most of us. I have looked all over and the closest without huge shipping charges is in Kentucky and then i would have to drive for 8 hours each way because I dont have a dock.:(

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Originally Posted by dmaricle

i can get what for cheap? if you are talking about melamine they only have it in small peices.

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Yea i was sorry haha im at work trying not to get cought, Really the one i go to has big pieces and they will cut you out sizes you want for cheap!! Melamine i mean haha

I've found quite a bit of melamine pretty cheap at the local Lowes. First time I went, I had them cut 3 sheets of melamine ($20 a 4 x 8' sheet) to size for me, and every single one of those pieces had to be recut because none were the same size and many were crooked. Talk about a waste of time.

For the second rack I built, one to house juveniles, I bought some precut shelving melamine from Lowes. Look around they might have it kind of tucked somewhere, but it should be there. The second rack required no cutting at all, and went together quickly with just a screwdriver and some particle board screws.

im on the phone now trying to find melamine

ok no one has melamine. whats the next best thing and it has to be something common because of this small town i live in lol the people barely know what wood is.

High grade plywood yo

3/4" MDF will be fine...:D

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Originally Posted by dmaricle

ok no one has melamine. whats the next best thing and it has to be something common because of this small town i live in lol the people barely know what wood is.

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Home depot or Lowes.

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Originally Posted by Emilio

Home depot or Lowes.

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tried them already

MDF is so heavy, and plywood is just as strong, if not stronger, at half the weight!

Just my :twocents:

this is a great post.. i found myself in a simila situation tonight.. i went tolowes to proce materialsfor building a rack.. i found MDF and was gonna get it butI was affraid that if it got wet it would frey and sag.... so now after reading this maybe we need a poll... melamine or ply or mdf

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

MDF is so heavy, and plywood is just as strong, if not stronger, at half the weight!

Just my :twocents:

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what type of plywood? im going tomorrow to get all the stuff so any tips is greatly appreciated.

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Originally Posted by SamuraiZr0

this is a great post.. i found myself in a simila situation tonight.. i went tolowes to proce materialsfor building a rack.. i found MDF and was gonna get it butI was affraid that if it got wet it would frey and sag.... so now after reading this maybe we need a poll... melamine or ply or mdf

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i would rather use melamine but i just cant get it here and im not paying to order some. so i just neexd the next best thing.

I like an A grade Baltic Birch, or Poplar

I use Exterior Roof/Walls plywood 3/4". Very good quality, doesn't require a ton of sanding, holds a lot of weight, and is SOOO much lighter than MDF or Melamine. I believe it is grade A or B at least. $21 a sheet at Lowes.

I'm very surprised you didn't find melamine at Lowes, tho. They have it in two places: the shelving/organization section as pre-cut shelves, and the lumber section with the presized boards. 12 and 16" widths. I got some for a rack, but changed my mind when I had to carry it in from the cab. That stuff weighs a ton! Now, I plan to use it to make a hatchling rack...with casters.

ok today i went to all the stores in town and noone had melamine over a foot wide. so i went with mdf that was 3/4 thick. i would post pics but it will look like all the other rack posts i will post some semi finished pics, but i do have one question should i paint the wood or leave it raw. it does not look bad so it should be fine.

ok well this is what i have done so far
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8.../Picture-1.jpg
my male in his new tub
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...Picture002.jpg
there is a 3/16 th gap
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...cture003-1.jpg

almost done with the work top.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l8...cture001-1.jpg

Looking pretty good so far.

thanks. i wanted to paint it but i thought it would be bad for the snakes.

well i finished it up today now i need to add flex watt and a thermostate. what is a good one for a decent price, and is there a complete pacage i can buy/

ok today i ordered a johnson controls therm with night drop and my flex watt i got 5@4' they said they would pre wire them so its pretty much plug and play. oh and i have a proven spider male from 8 ball pythons that should be here in the morning. so we are getting everything together finally. lol