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Help with DIY PLEASE!

S

simthesnake

New member
Ok guys I've been considering a couple different ways of housing my corn snake that I plan on getting. I was thinking about a tub then I saw how easy it was to make a viv so I decided on that. The good thing is I have a good amount of wood that would be great except I was looking at the wood and it is pretty thin. (I would geuss around 1/4 inch) I'm pretty sure thats too thin to make a viv but I need suggestions. Is their anyway to maybe attach two pieces together to make it thicker if I could do that I do have enough wood to do so. Please help and any suggestions are appreciated. I would really like to use this wood though but I'm not sure if their is a way to attach it, with it being so thin.
 
Not much wood come !/4" thick that is also wide enough to make a viv.

Being a carpenter for 30 some years, I think even if you lamanate two pieces of 1/4 ""wood"" together it will still be a hassle when you join them together to make a corner of the viv. Mind you, a viv can be made from 1/2" stock but when you screw or nail the corners together they will tend to split or bulge. Hell, I even pre-drilled and counter sunk all the screw when I made mine. Overall. the time spend gluing the 1/4' together in not worth the time in the long run because of all the clamping that would be required. If you have wood and not luan plywood. You could glue them cross grain together but then that kill the width. Do you own a biscuit joiner?
 
The 1/4 inch was a geuss but it's pretty thin, so I'm not sure about that. I'll have to measure the wood tomorrow to be sure.

Also since I had to google "biscuit joiner" to know what you were talking about, no I don't have one. I geuss I'll have to get some other wood or another way to house my future corn.
 
another idea, if your wanting to build one, look around online for a cabinet or something and convert it. I did a Entertainment center, but you could take a coffee table (the right kind) with a glass top or something and convert it.


This is mine, its not finished though. I still need to finish the bottom but maybe it might give you an idea. http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107788&page=4

I did that one because I planned on getting more snakes at the time, of course now I have 3 but its not totally done lol. But I have thought about finding a cabinet or something that could be mounted on the wall and put a glass door on the front of it for viewing.

Just some ideas.
 
Well in that case if its like a sheet of plywood, or something like that You could build a frame out of 1x2s (use a table saw to rip a 1x4 in half) and use the wood on the outside. I would use pegboard in the back for ventilation and then on the floor I would use glass or plexi glass, for the UTH and then of course build a door for the front and use plexi glass on the door. If it was me for a single chamber viv I would use the hinges on the bottom and the latches on the top of the door.
 
Allalaskan said:
another idea, if your wanting to build one, look around online for a cabinet or something and convert it. I did a Entertainment center, but you could take a coffee table (the right kind) with a glass top or something and convert it.


This is mine, its not finished though. I still need to finish the bottom but maybe it might give you an idea. http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107788&page=4

I did that one because I planned on getting more snakes at the time, of course now I have 3 but its not totally done lol. But I have thought about finding a cabinet or something that could be mounted on the wall and put a glass door on the front of it for viewing.

Just some ideas.
Click to expand...

Yeah thanks it gave me some ideas...I do have a shelf I could use but it's not as wide as I'd like it. I'll have to keep looking around. Thanks for the ideas though.
 
Allalaskan said:
Well in that case if its like a sheet of plywood, or something like that You could build a frame out of 1x2s (use a table saw to rip a 1x4 in half) and use the wood on the outside. I would use pegboard in the back for ventilation and then on the floor I would use glass or plexi glass, for the UTH and then of course build a door for the front and use plexi glass on the door. If it was me for a single chamber viv I would use the hinges on the bottom and the latches on the top of the door.
Click to expand...

I keep seeing these post's after I post my first reply. That's a great idea. I'll look around to see what wood I have. Thanks a lot for that idea:)
 
Just trying to help :D A few months ago I was sitting where you were trying to figure out how I wanted to build my viv and got a lot of great ideas from the site here. Then one day I was in our bedroom where this old entertainment center was sitting there not being used and my wife asked me to get rid of it, it was like a light popped on in my head hahaha. ANd now, it is far from being an entertainment center.
 
I'm pretty sure I can do the first idea you mentioned about the frame, but I really like the idea of converting some kind of shelf into a viv. Also since I want to put my viv on some kind of shelf anyway's it would be cool to turn that shelf into a viv itself. So many ideas...
Thanks for the Inspiration!
 
Quick Question: If i convert a shelf/entertainment center to a viv, do I need to stain the inside? or anything to protect against water? Now that I think about it, the inside is probably already stained.
 
I wish their was a way to edit your post's....
Anyways another question: If I can get it could real glass be used instead of plexiglass? I prefer to use plexi but I think I may be able to get some glass easier...
 
Glass will work, and it will also be alot less prone to scratching then Plexiglass, also it will conduct the heat better also. Down fall is its harder to cut and drill Glass then Plexiglass.
 
Ok I was planning on only using it for the door and I think some people put plexiglass above the uth? Would glass work there too?
 
simthesnake said:
Ok I was planning on only using it for the door and I think some people put plexiglass above the uth? Would glass work there too?
Click to expand...

Yes it will, thats what I thought you were talking about using the glass at. UTHs are usually designed to work on glass most of the time. Or at least heat pads with adhesive are.
 
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