https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...e-complicated)Originally Posted by Maddlesrain
The short version is that I started with a plastic storage bin and cut it down to make the bottom tray. I measured that tray to determine the overall interior dimensions. I planned out the main exterior "box", the sliding doors, the little side ledges over the corners of the tray, and the sliding door track and then ordered the PVC and the acrylic doors pre-cut to size. When it arrived, it was just a matter of screwing and cementing it all together and sanding the edges. It's pure coincidence that it turned out to be exactly the same width as those two Ikea tables it's sitting on!
I also ordered an additional 3/8" sheet of PVC for smaller parts and add-on's as needed (I do have a band saw and plenty of hand tools). That's what I made the front panels with the arch from, as well as the tray that sits above the RHP (I was hoping to find another plastic storage bin that would be the right size, but didn't find a suitable one, so I built my own tray). The structural PVC framework is easy to do and easy to cut with a chop saw, and sort of like playing with tinker toys but with toxic cement. There's a hole up top with a desk grommet in it for the cords for the light, the RHP, and the thermostat probe. There's another hole down on the side at the bottom for the cords for the UTH, the UTH's thermostat, and the thermometer probe. All that stuff can be just taped down very simply. The bottom of the bin/tray isn't flat and isn't totally square; it has raised and lowered areas, so I just positioned the probes under one of the raised areas where there's just the right amount of room for them. It also has sort of hand-holds cut out (covered by those side shelves) which provide a neat place for the UTH cord.
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