# glass sliding doors on enclosure



## elrobbo (Feb 4, 2010)

G'day guys,
just wondering if anyone has any info on how to build an enclosure with glass sliding doors? or info on certain types of tracks used or needed, has anyone ever built something like this or do we only buy the pre-fab enclosures?!
thanks heaps

rob


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## Snake_Whisperer (Feb 4, 2010)

You can purchase 5mm PVC sliding glass door tracks at Bunnings.


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## elrobbo (Feb 4, 2010)

ok cool, so when you cut the glass how do you get it so smooth that it runs nicely? I suppose I could get a glass company to do it but the idea is to save some $$$!!!
thanks for the bunnings tip


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## dickyknee (Feb 4, 2010)

Can just use a bit of sandpaper to smooth the edges .


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## cuttinloose88 (Feb 4, 2010)

Really, i asked around at our Bunnings here an they said "ahh.. we dont have that." haha. so i got mine form Lincoln Sentry, there all over Australia an it cost around $50 for a 3.6m length, and you need the seperate top and bottom lengths..

As for glass, the glazier can polish the edges for you when you get it cut..

Cheers matt


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## BlackAdder4350 (Feb 4, 2010)

Hey elrobbo, you can get the tracks at bunnings or often where you buy the glass but you might find it to be more trouble than its worth. For a start its more expensive as not only do you have to buy the tracks you also have to use a heavier grade of glass than you would in a fixed panel and have two pieces cut instead of just one. Then you need to have a hole cut in them for your finger in order to slide them. If the tank is going to be huge it may be difficult to slide such heavy pieces of glass. Not sure what you are planning to put in it but if you were planning on using sand as a substrate it will usually end up in the tracks and cause you a lot of grief.


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## station (Feb 4, 2010)

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/herp-help-38/sliding-glass-115915

i built an enclosure with sliding doors, if you decide to go with this option i would suggest making sure you that the glass fits properly as i had an issue with my bredli pushing the glass out of the track so i ended up putting a spacer in to solve this problem

i have no problem with the glass sliding so no need to cut holes in it


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## dickyknee (Feb 4, 2010)

BlackAdder4350 said:


> Hey elrobbo, you can get the tracks at bunnings or often where you buy the glass but you might find it to be more trouble than its worth. For a start its more expensive as not only do you have to buy the tracks you also have to use a heavier grade of glass than you would in a fixed panel and have two pieces cut instead of just one. Then you need to have a hole cut in them for your finger in order to slide them. If the tank is going to be huge it may be difficult to slide such heavy pieces of glass. Not sure what you are planning to put in it but if you were planning on using sand as a substrate it will usually end up in the tracks and cause you a lot of grief.



Since when do you have to have a hole cut in glass for it to slide ???


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## Jungletrans (Feb 4, 2010)

Most of my cages have sliding glass , its the way to go . Bunnings DO have track and its cheap , Get the people cutting the glass to smooth the edges IT IS WORTH IT ,. The only tricky bits are allowing the height gap [ directions come with tracks ] and the overlap , so the catch will fit . Width x half plus 2 inches each piece .


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## Jungletrans (Feb 4, 2010)

You dont need a hole / groove to open . That is what friction is for . Dry hand against glass , slide sideways . Get the catch while you are at Bunnings , under $10 .


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## adz73 (Feb 4, 2010)

Hi elrobbo.
I may be stating the obvious here but just in case.

Things you may want to consider...firstly you can fix a glass front and have an opening in the side (timber hinged door) saves you money, no tracks etc. Just make sure the oppening is big enough for cleaning etc. 

Or you can go with the track idea and use perspex which is easy to work with and you can buy from bunnings... Not as flash as glass though.

Good luck and have fun!


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## BlackAdder4350 (Feb 4, 2010)

dickyknee said:


> Since when do you have to have a hole cut in glass for it to slide ???


 
Guess it depends on the size and weight of the glass but a mate of mine built a six footer and this is what he ended up doing. By the way he later said that he regretted going with the sliding door option for all the reasons I just mentioned.


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## elrobbo (Feb 4, 2010)

thanks all, some great ideas there.
I like sliding glass doors purely for access and great viewing, but when you open them obviously you can onlyopen half at a time.
If I had more then one snake I would make 1 long cage with a center divider so that when you slide the door open the entire door slides infront of the other cage and you have full access and also when closed there is no glass overlap to look at.
maybe I just need a 2nd snake!!!
I have some 5mm perspex I might be able to make use of, hopefully not too much flex, what is maximum gap between doors suggested in overlap so as to get no escapees?


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## station (Feb 4, 2010)

I have some 5mm perspex I might be able to make use of, hopefully not too much flex, what is maximum gap between doors suggested in overlap so as to get no escapees?[/QUOTE]

i dont know if i would use perspex as i have had some problems with flex in the glass that i used and perspex has more flex, but my glass is approx 1400 high


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## herptrader (Feb 4, 2010)

If you really want to save some money second hand sliding glass windows with aluminium frames often sell quite cheaply on ebay. I bought one recently for $20.


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## adz73 (Feb 4, 2010)

The deeper the channel..the more support.. the less flex- You have to use deep supportive channel (not glass tracks)

The smaller and thicker the pannel the less flex of course.

If you your doors are not too large and you have deep channels you can minimise flex, which will be fine for small enclosures....Large enclosures will definatly cause you dramas using perspex.

Everything has its pros and cons. 

What are the dimensions?


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## adz73 (Feb 4, 2010)

Good point herptrader......

Shop around and see what you can find.. just be aware that domestic glass is usually thinner than your after...and old glass is brittle.

And as the old saying goes- you get what you pay for in the end.


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## elrobbo (Feb 4, 2010)

my coastal is only about 70cm so I think the cage will be about 600 by 450 by 500,
my mate has a few melamine cages, he gets plastic angle and staples it to the top, side and bottom edge leaving about 5mm gap from the melemine edge so the single door can slide in from the side, great viewing and access, not sure about the flex, he uses perpex though, he has a small hole one the side of the perspex for a small padlock but never locks it so the flex can't be too bad. 

also whats a good idea for side venting? i'm thinking of just drilling a pattern of holes in each side


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## AndrewQLD (Feb 4, 2010)

herptrader said:


> If you really want to save some money second hand sliding glass windows with aluminium frames often sell quite cheaply on ebay. I bought one recently for $20.



That's a great idea, would make for a really well sealed enclosure that would be solid and secure.
I am going to keep my eyes open for a small sliding window for when we build our enclosure.

Thanks
Andrew


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## adz73 (Feb 4, 2010)

The angle would create a deep channel..hence enough support, and no need for overlap! It sounds like your mate has got a simple, practical, small enclosure design there.

As for the venting depends where you live ...If your south and need to retain heat the drilled holes will be fine. If your north eg Cairns... you need more ventilation, and I would suggest cut out some sections of the melamine and mesh it ,or equivalent.

Good luck and post us a pic. when you finished.


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## Rox.n.Lix (Feb 4, 2010)

elrobbo said:


> my coastal is only about 70cm so I think the cage will be about 600 by 450 by 500,
> my mate has a few melamine cages, he gets plastic angle and staples it to the top, side and bottom edge leaving about 5mm gap from the melemine edge so the single door can slide in from the side, great viewing and access, not sure about the flex, he uses perpex though, he has a small hole one the side of the perspex for a small padlock but never locks it so the flex can't be too bad.
> 
> also whats a good idea for side venting? i'm thinking of just drilling a pattern of holes in each side



Hey elrobbo,
I'm just finishing an enclosure for my coastal. just remember, he wont stay 70cm for long!
My enclosure i purchsed second hand from an office furniture trader. it already had tracks in it, but you can easily find one that just has shelves and put the tracks on yourself.
not sure where you are but i found a place in melbourne that did pretty cheap glass for me for this one (just picked it up today, and it fits a treat!) $105 for 5.38 ml safety glass with finger grooves and polished edges.
its approx 800w x 950h x 400 deep.
I used the spare shelves to make the basking shelf and pelmet. and have storgae down the bottom, that could even be used as enclosure space too by putting hole in the bottom.
(by the way, its not quite finished, getting a fake background made for it next week). -oh and i just drilled a series of holes for ventilation


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## nathan09 (Feb 4, 2010)

Wet rub sand paper for the glass edge works well, bunnings might even have a specialty sand paper made for glass


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