Homemade Rack

Here is a recently completed rack I just built (photos were taken before it was completely finished). It houses 30 sterlite boxes with lids and there is only about the necessary 1/8 inch gap for each box. Of course a similar rack could be built to accomodate smaller tubs/more neonates. I chose sterlites so hatchlings could be comfortably kept for a long time (for keepers ya' know!). I'm using ZooMed heat cable with a rheostat for heat. The total cost with heat cable for everything was right at about $150. In case you're curious, the ingredients are: 96"x15" pre-drilled melamine (one)
96"x15" melamine (four)
48"x24" white peg board
shelf pegs
white duct tape
screws to secure outer frame and peg board
about 3 hours of spare time
Just cut the pre-drilled melamine in half. Take one melamine board and cut two 33" pieces and one 28" piece (33" pieces for top & bottom). Take the three other melamine boards and cut three 28" pieces out of each one. Cut each peg board to 24"x30". You'll have a few scrap pieces after you build your 48" rack... assemble those scrap pieces to give you additional space for six more tubs (as seen on top). Most hardware stores you buy the melamine at will cut all the pieces for you to save tons of time. I'm no handyman, it's not the prettiest rack you'll ever see... but it's affordable and relatively easy. LOL

Looks great. I'm all about home built stuff! Very nice job.

jmksnakes said:

I'm no handyman, it's not the prettiest rack you'll ever see... but it's affordable and relatively easy. LOL

Click to expand...

Actually, I think it turned out really well and it looks great! I wasn't aware you could buy the "mel" pre drilled. Where did you find the mel? Shelving section?

Pyshodad: Got it at HomeDepot, I couldn't find it at Lowe's. It was the lumber section with other pre-treated wood and peg boards. They sell pre-drilled (1" spacing) or non-drilled. I just had them cut all the pieces I needed to size! Again, I bought the 96"x15" for bigger tubs, but they sell it in 12" wide and 10" wide too!

Thanks John! Your design is great. Simple but efficient. I'm going to make one or two for myself.

Lee

Just some more tips

In addition to previous info... if anyone was planning on building this rack, here are a couple more helpful tips.
Pic 1 is how I installed the heat cable by weaving through the peg board holes. You'll have to drill the holes you need slightly larger to accommodate the heat cable. And let the cable "droop" just a little bit. If the cable is woven firmly through the holes, the temp in the back of the tub only reached 75-77 for me. By loosely weaving the cable (only drooping about an inch), that achieved optimum temps.
Pic 2 shows the necessary way to install the shelf pegs. You must alternate peg-up/peg-down. This is necessary because the sterlite tubs are just barely short of 5 inches tall with the tubs... and the shelves are 3/4 inch thick.
Pic 3 shows the necessary duct tape I used around the pegs. The first reason I did this is it creates a non-sliding surface (melamine on bare metal pegs create a slippery surface!). The second reason I did this is the construction of the rack is almost perfect... but if you put several layers of tape (maybe up to 10-12 layers in some instances) around the pegs, it will either increase or decrease the height of each shelf to make it perfect! You won't have to put lots of tape around all of the pegs, just a few.
Pic 4 just shows the tub setup using drink holders cut in half and cut to fit. I prefer to use a small hide even in a rack system, I believe the snakes are just more comfortable that way. They make for great hides and they're free!
Good luck to anyone who may build these, they're pretty darn easy to build and it's an awesome set-up.