Small Rack Construction

So, I've done a lot of searching and snooping, but I can't find what I'm looking for so I'll ask. I want to make a small rack of between three and six of the following tubs for my male normal, and maybe a mate and a pair of san diego gophers or dwarf boas.
41 quart Sterilite
Does anyone have any instructions or guides I can follow? I don't have enough money to buy a rack, but I don't want to load up on melamine, pegboard, and flexwatt and then blow it or burn the house down because of some dumb mistake. If you have guides for any other appropriately sized boxes feel free to post those. Thanks in advance.

http://www.blueappleherps.com/page13...structions.pdf

:carouse: A toast to Smith :carouse:

haha, I had that link saved because I plan on using the basic outline to make a rack of my own just with smaller tubs... it's certainly not my design though, and I think it's from someone on this website but I'm not sure... the toast should go to them

Okay, so the next question is, what should I do with the flexwatt? The guy who wrote that used it, but if I remember correctly those sterilites don't have legs, and I remember reading soemwhere that sandwiching flexwatt between two surfaces can cause it to overhead. Should I add chair-leg pads to the edges of the tubs? Should I just sandwich it and use a thermostat?

Here is another link you can take a look at. Similar concept, but this one uses pegboard on top of the tub which eliminates the need to drill or melt holes in the tub:

http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/cages.shtml

Look at the setup for the iris tubs. You can basically use that concept and modify it for the 41 qt dimensions.

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Originally Posted by brainman1000

Here is another link you can take a look at. Similar concept, but this one uses pegboard on top of the tub which eliminates the need to drill or melt holes in the tub:

http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/cages.shtml

Look at the setup for the iris tubs. You can basically use that concept and modify it for the 41 qt dimensions.

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I remember looking at that in the past. So your saying to just put feet on the boxes? He said the Iris tubs had feet. The only problem is his whole two-level thing which is a little more work. Could I just substitute Sintra for pegboard or should I go for plywood?

Thanks for the help by the way.

Okay, so I've been cutting through options here, and Im going to go with either plywood or pegboard. Which is preferable? This is the plywood I had in mind.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...XXXXXXXXX&bc=c
If neither of these are good, should I resort to melamine? The guy who wrote those rack instructions said that it would be way too heavy.

Can someone please respond? :)

EDIT: By the way, here's the pegboard.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...egoryID=503003

Go with whatever best suits your needs. If you need to move it alot then go with the lightest materials and design possible. If you are on a tight budget then go with whatever is cheaper. There are numerous ways to build a rack, so go with whatever best suits you.

Great, thanks. I think I'm going with the plywood, I just hope it's not treated with anything detrimental. God, I can't wait to get this headache over with and get the snakes in there. So, 1/4" is think enough for plywood, right? He suggested 3/8" but that isn't available.

I'd go with 1/2" if 3/8" isn't available. With wood it is better to go thicker than to go thinner than what is recommended.

Also, I would advise coating everything in a layer of sealant to make it water/humidity proof, as well as heat resistant. Melamine is often used for constructing racks, if you can find the right dimensions. I, however, cannot.

Dont use the 1/4 inch stuff. I made one and some of the shelves warped and now the tubs dont fit.
Im making a new one with half inch so i can counter sink some heat rope into the shelf.
Here is a simple picture i drew in paintbrush just to give me an idea.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...hp?i=23511&c=3

Im using the big apple heat rope thats 27 feet long and they have a new temp controll thats like 30 bucks.

Is sheathing plywood okay? I found that in 3/8". It seems like it may have chemicals. The pegboard looks a little more intruiging at this point, but would something like that warp? God, this is a pain!

Again, here's the link.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...egoryID=503003
It's thin but it's pressed and tempered, and formaldehide free.