Wanting to build my own cage.

[Brandon Osborne]

Also, Why not use melamine for the back piece instead of the white shower board? Is melamine hard to cut?

Melamine is heavy. A sheet of shower board is about 10lbs. It is very water resistant and less espensive than melamine. Both are easy to work with if you have experience, but shower board is going to be the best if you don't. If you are going to make black cages, you'll have to find a place to order 1/4" black MDF for you. I have been unsuccessful in finding 1/4" black melamine. The main reason for using the thin backing is weight. You can use whatever material you like if it works.

In my experience, MDF is much less forgiving to moisture issuse than melamine. The best coating for MDF would be a Formica type laminate, which will set you back about $50 more per sheet. You can look for a vinyl type roll for your finish, but I'm not so sure where to start. Vinyl sign companies may be able to help you out. The original Contact paper was sold to a different company many years ago, and the adhesive does not hold up well.

[Brandon Osborne]

What is your opinion of MDF? I skipped a few chapters in "The More Complete Chondro" to read about caging. Does hd or lowes have the stuff to water proof it? Im sure im gonna use melamine though. Also what size do you keep your yearlings in?

The only "waterproof" materials I know of are plastic/PVC and glass. Nothing made of wood is totally waterproof. That doesn't mean they will not hold up, you just have to seal them very well.

As far as yearlings, I house them in 15qt. sterlite tubs. These are just about perfect for 1-2 year olds.

[juddb]

Brandon those cages are out of control!!! I have yet to build my own cages, but if i did, i would love to make something like Brandon's cage's!!! Over the years i've been buying all these tools, and still havent attempted to build anything