building plans for a 6-shelf rack

[tttaylorrr]

i'm currently tossing around the idea of building my own 6-shelf adult PVC rack. i based my design on IRIS CB-70 tubs.

i drew up a blueprint in SketchUp, as well as laid out each piece on top of the 4' x 8' x 0.5" PVC sheets i would use for this.







i'm not sure how i would cut a groove for the heat tape yet, or what size heat tape i should use. i think my current rack's heat tape is maybe 3"(?).

i'll update as i keep thinking about this i guess. any tips, suggestions, questions or anything else would be appreciated!!!

[tttaylorrr]

already had to change the layout of the pieces lol. i changed the size of the top and bottom panels.

[andrewross8705]

You are far braver and skilled than I am. While I have my talents, I'm not sure I have the patience or skill to put together a rack and will stick to ordering them lol.

Do keep us updated on your progress. I like watching how these things come together from planning to finishing.

[tttaylorrr]

You are far braver and skilled than I am. While I have my talents, I'm not sure I have the patience or skill to put together a rack and will stick to ordering them lol.

Do keep us updated on your progress. I like watching how these things come together from planning to finishing.

my father is a carpenter and an engineer so he's the true brains and help that will be behind the actual build; i just have the plans, hahaha.

i plan on keeping this thread updated. i'm not 100% committed to this yet so i hope it works out where my dad and i can actually build this!

[Godzilla78]

I use 6" wide heat tape located toward the back of the tubs, for the hotspot. I have my heat tape individually cut for each shelf, and individually wire connected to a single wire power source connected to a thermostat, but I have heard that it is superior to use one long piece of heat tape snaked through the rack shelves, with only one wire connection.

Nice design!

[SDA]

This is a "I can do it" build more so than "I think I can save a buck" at this point isn't it?

I have been here done that ended up spending 3x more than buying it built and still feeling proud

[tttaylorrr]

I use 6" wide heat tape located toward the back of the tubs, for the hotspot. I have my heat tape individually cut for each shelf, and individually wire connected to a single wire power source connected to a thermostat, but I have heard that it is superior to use one long piece of heat tape snaked through the rack shelves, with only one wire connection.

Nice design!

thanks!!! i was already thinking 6" heat tape, so it's nice to have some confirmation!

[Aedryan Methyus]

This will definitely be nice. Melamine is much cheaper, but also much heavier and a little more difficult to work with than PVC. Keep in mind, Lowes will cut all of the pieces out for you right at the store, which saves a lot of trouble. That way all you have to do is load up the pieces and take them home and assemble them. I would definitely recommend 12" heat tape for adults, though. Heat tape should cover about 1/3 of the tubs...

[tttaylorrr]

This will definitely be nice. Melamine is much cheaper, but also much heavier and a little more difficult to work with than PVC. Keep in mind, Lowes will cut all of the pieces out for you right at the store, which saves a lot of trouble. That way all you have to do is load up the pieces and take them home and assemble them. I would definitely recommend 12" heat tape for adults, though. Heat tape should cover about 1/3 of the tubs...

weight was a definite factor here and why i want to go with PVC: i will be moving more than once in the next few years so it's important that this rack move easier than a melamine counterpart.

also thank you so much for your input!!! i used to work at Lowe's but i didn't know that lol. i think i will use 12" heat tape instead...that does make more sense.

[tttaylorrr]

This is a "I can do it" build more so than "I think I can save a buck" at this point isn't it?

I have been here done that ended up spending 3x more than buying it built and still feeling proud

yeah, you're probably right hahahaha. i just haven't been able to find something i'm truly happy with, so i've decided to say "screw it" and recruit my very handy father for help.

this is all still in the planning stages and seeing if this is feasible, but so far my dad is on board. we're having a hard time figuring out how to cut the route/groove for the heat tape, but that could end up as a trial and error process lol.