Question about rack

[TexanLady]

So I finally bit the bullet and built my own rack today. I was intending to buy a new one at the NARBC in a few weeks, but I decided to save that money to put towards a new snake and built my own. I used melamine (sp?) and heat tape, and it is built to house five 28qt tubs. I got everything set up with the heat and everything, but two of the shelves have about a half inch between the tub and the upper shelf. I tried putting the tubs in there with the lids, but that makes them too wide. Do I need to tear the whole thing down and do it again? Or is that half inch not going to be a problem? I've never had to worry too much about space because all of my other racks are manufactured ones where the tubs are very tight and require me to drill holes in the tub for air. I'd really like not having to tear this thing apart and put it back together again since it took me about four hours to do. I am NOT very handy, but I also don't want anyone escaping. I'm intending to put some of my juvenile girls and adult males in it.

Anyone have any racks with space issues like this?

[steve_r34]

See if u can find something to glue to the top of the hole that comes down towards the tub .. I don't know if ur gonna understand that lol ..

[TexanLady]

You mean to the shelfs above the two tubs? I don't know anything that slim that would work. It really is half an inch at most. Maybe less.

[TexanLady]

I have my albino boy in there right now. He keeps poking his head in that little gap, but so far it looks like he can't get out. Do you think he'll be able to push the tub out?

[The Serpent Merchant]

I have my albino boy in there right now. He keeps poking his head in that little gap, but so far it looks like he can't get out. Do you think he'll be able to push the tub out?

I think you are gong to have issues. I know I wouldn't trust a gap that big.

You have a few options:

1. Rebuild the rack (I suggest using the tub plus a few CD's to get the spacing right)

2. Get a strip of wood to screw into the underside of the shelves to block up the gap

[steve_r34]

Idk ... throw up some pics ... .. see if u can stack a couple CD cases in the front under the tub to raise the front of the tub some .. the back is closed off right ??

[TexanLady]

ok, my dad says to let it sit inside for a few days before I take it apart and rebuild it. I had the materials sitting in my garage since Saturday and I built it out there too. He says the wood might have shrunk in the cold (It's been between 20-30 here for the past week), and to give it a few days to expand before tearing it down and rebuilding it. Is that right?

[The Serpent Merchant]

ok, my dad says to let it sit inside for a few days before I take it apart and rebuild it. I had the materials sitting in my garage since Saturday and I built it out there too. He says the wood might have shrunk in the cold (It's been between 20-30 here for the past week), and to give it a few days to expand before tearing it down and rebuilding it. Is that right?

It might have shrunk some, but certainly not that much. Even still it won't hurt to wait a few days. I wouldn't keep a snake in a tub with that big of a gap unsupervised for any amount of time.

[skittles24]

You could always go to Lowe's or a lumber yard and get 1/8 or 1/4 inch plywood and just glue it to the top. When I first built a rack I had the same problem so I went with 1/4 plywood and glued it up there. It was a little to big so I took a belt sander and went to work on it and everything actually turned out great. Hope you can figure it out because they're a pain to take apart.haha

[jtipton]

You could always go to Lowe's or a lumber yard and get 1/8 or 1/4 inch plywood and just glue it to the top. When I first built a rack I had the same problem so I went with 1/4 plywood and glued it up there. It was a little to big so I took a belt sander and went to work on it and everything actually turned out great. Hope you can figure it out because they're a pain to take apart.haha

I was going to suggest the same thing. Except I would put the plywood on the bottom and put your heat tape on it so that the top would have the moisture protection of the melamine.