# Quick, Cheap Rack



## saximus (Nov 17, 2013)

I put this together today. Total cost was about $50 for materials ($85 if you add the heat cord I already had) and about three hours to build. It's nothing fancy but I was really impressed with how easy it was. Each shelf is a 1200x445 sheet of melamine which will hold four 7L Sistema tubs comfortably. There's also enough length on the threaded rods to add another two shelves so future expansion will be fairly cheap and easy again.


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## Norm (Nov 17, 2013)

Looks good, does it need any bracing to stop it wobbling?


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## The_Geeza (Nov 17, 2013)

Norm said:


> Looks good, does it need any bracing to stop it wobbling?


Nope.... I made one exactly the same holding 6 x 45lt yearling tubs and it's very sturdy... Need to knock a quick one up for hatchies me self.... I did have to put a back and half sides on tho to keep ambient correct due to tub size


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## Norm (Nov 17, 2013)

So was it sturdy before you put the back and sides on or after? I like the look of it, interested in doing one myself.


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## The_Geeza (Nov 17, 2013)

Norm said:


> So was it sturdy before you put the back and sides on or after? I like the look of it, interested in doing one myself.


Once u tighten the nuts it's very sturdy.... The more shelves the sturdier.... Longest bit is spinning the nuts on lol.... I'll post a pic of mine in the morn when I get on me PC so u can see..... As Sax said its ridiculously easy and cheap.... U won't need back and sides for small tubs


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## saximus (Nov 17, 2013)

Yeah like Mipsreps said, it's good once the nuts are tight. At first I didn't have the ones on top of each shelf and it was super wobbly


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## Reptiles101 (Nov 17, 2013)

Looks great Saximus! It's that great, think I'm going to invest and make one myself as I'm an absolute gecko nut.


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## Snowman (Nov 17, 2013)

Yeah I did one with coreflute. Love it.


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## ingie (Nov 17, 2013)

These look great! I am going to make a new rack like this


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## reptilezac (Nov 17, 2013)

ill have to make myself one of these i think


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## dragondragon (Nov 18, 2013)

So if you wanted to make a larger one you could add two rods for support in the middle intresting nice work that would almost half the cost of wood


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## saximus (Nov 18, 2013)

Yeah if I had the time and inclination I'd probably do that even on this length because the weight of the snakes and tubs may cause it to sag a little. 

A friend also suggested that if you don't like the look of the threaded rod you can put PVC piping over it.


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## Pythoninfinite (Nov 18, 2013)

An excellent innovation guys! The advantage I can see is that it is permanently adjustable, so if the size of tubs you use becomes unavailable at some future time, you can simply crank the shelf up or down to accommodate the new ones.

Do you leave your lids on Daniel, or do as I do and just have a mm or two clearance to allow you to just slide the tub out without having to remove the lid? I find it to be far less disruptive to nervous hatchies if you can just pull the tub out about 25-50mm and offer food without needing to remove the tub totally and take off a lid.

Jamie


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## saximus (Nov 18, 2013)

Thanks Jamie yeah I think the adjustable nature is a big plus as well. I specifically left a bit of extra on the heat cord to accommodate raising the shelf if need be. 
At the moment the tubs will have the lids left on because most of the snakes going into it are vens but I think it would be perfect for your sort of design because I’ve noticed on a couple of friend’s racks that if they aren’t set up perfectly or if they move a bit with age, the tubs can stick and be really difficult to slide in or out. In this case, you’d just need to wind the shelf up a touch.


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## Norm (Nov 18, 2013)

Pythoninfinite said:


> Do you leave your lids on Daniel, or do as I do and just have a mm or two clearance to allow you to just slide the tub out without having to remove the lid? I find it to be far less disruptive to nervous hatchies if you can just pull the tub out about 25-50mm and offer food without needing to remove the tub totally and take off a lid.
> 
> Jamie



This is what I like about them also, Jamie, very easy to get the right height shelf for the size tub. I`ll be making a new rack shortly ( hopefully I`ll be needing it ) and would prefer to not use lids on the tubs. I found the lifting and refitting of the lids a major disruption for some of my hatchies last year.


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## The_Geeza (Nov 18, 2013)

Sax hope u don't mind but I thought I might post up a few facts that ive learnt over the past 12 months regarding a lot of testing with cords that ive done and it may help people without the hundreds of replies due to cords being great but require the correct placement.....
Some of you will have seen my enclosure builds using cords under sealed tiles and have done heaps of testing using various methods....
If u r making a rack for 2ltr Ant hatchies you can get away with 1 routered cord under ali tape...But....if using 7ltr tubs then run 2 x cords at 20/25mm apart and if using 45/50 ltr yealing tubs then u will require 3 x runs....this will enable the cooler ambient temps to be in the mid 20's while the hot end floor will be 30/34 deg ....my pics show the 3x cord set up using 45lt tubs and im using a high range microclimate B2 digital pulse stat that keeps its temps pretty constant 31/33....
Regarding not using lids ....this is fine with smaller hatchies etc but in my yearling rack I have adjusted the tubs so they still slide but with a firm feel.....the reason for this is that a friend of mine has had 2 x snakes in the past learn how to open glass doors on enclosures when no lock was fitted and a larger carpet yearling could easily push its body hard onto roof and tub and get some movement going ...but this is just me being safer than sry 
Also (and this may cause some disagreements ) people miss concept the length and wattage of cords expecting them to be hotter or cooler.....At the end of the day all cords fluctuate slightly due to different manufacturers etc but the true fact is that just cause its higher wattage doesn't mean its going to get hotter...the higher wattage is to accommodate the heat source needed over a longer length of cord....
I personally love using these adjustable racks and will be making a lot more in the future... 
So my pics don't confuse people I had extra cord over that I looped up side of tubs as its situated in a cool part of the house and buy doing this I still kept good temps through the coldest of winter nights...but this was like I said a lot of testing and trial and error......thankfully now ive made all my mistakes and know which cords /measurements/placements to apply to new builds to get it right......
Hope this helps a few peeps and if any extra info needed feel free to PM me
Ta.....Pete
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## Norm (Nov 18, 2013)

Snowman, I notice yours has a black tubular frame on the ends. Whats this for?


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## Snowman (Nov 18, 2013)

Norm said:


> Snowman, I notice yours has a black tubular frame on the ends. Whats this for?


It doesn't really need it. But the coreflute is very light. The frame was to make sure it is stable. I've got a wood top and bottom on it. The frame will let me put a back and sides on should I want too later on. Back and sides would make it more efficient and there would be less heat loss. I sacrifice a tub for the thermostat probe and a thermometer probe. Through I do a general check with a temp gun regularly too.


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## Norm (Nov 18, 2013)

Cheers for the info, I think this is how ill make my new one though with MDF rather than coreflute.


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## Red-Ink (Nov 18, 2013)

Nice one guys... I've been meaning to make a new rack. Usually I make them the "cabinet" type. I'll give this a go this time to knock down the cost.

So no extra support at the back to combat the woobles?

I need one around the 9 shelf mark.


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## saximus (Nov 18, 2013)

You'd be surprised how sturdy it is once the nuts are done up nice and tight Red. You could put some sort of back support on it but it would make changing the height of the shelves more difficult if you ever needed to do it. If anything though, more shelves will make it more solid anyway.


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## Red-Ink (Nov 18, 2013)

saximus said:


> You'd be surprised how sturdy it is once the nuts are done up nice and tight Red. You could put some sort of back support on it but it would make changing the height of the shelves more difficult if you ever needed to do it. If anything though, more shelves will make it more solid anyway.



I take it Bunnings or Masters would have the Rods?

What's the width of the rods (differing height as well?)... any particular ones that would be the best to use?


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## The_Geeza (Nov 18, 2013)

Red-Ink said:


> I take it Bunnings or Masters would have the Rods?
> 
> What's the width of the rods (differing height as well?)... any particular ones that would be the best to use?


I use 16mm zinc plated ... U best get from steel stockist as they are longer lengths and cheaper


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## saximus (Nov 18, 2013)

I used 3/8” x 3’ zinc plated rods which were about $3.50 each at Bunnings. They were good for this size but you might want to go with the thickness Mid used if you went for the longer ones. I was a bit surprised because the price didn’t seem to be linear (it was about double for 4’ in the same thickness as mine) but I was in there after a big night and very long day so may have just been confused haha. 

If you want to do some rough calculations, the nuts and washers were around 15-20c each so about $3 per shelf and the melamine was about $15 per sheet.


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## dragondragon (Nov 18, 2013)

I was looking at a price for 16 gecko tubs without the tubs its around 100 for 20 storemaids


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## bingera84 (Jan 9, 2014)

Does anyone have any pics/tips to make racks for adult carpets? Heating etc I have 150lt tubs.


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## saximus (Jan 9, 2014)

If you were going to do something like this, you'd probable want three or four rows of cord instead of the two I used. What dimensions are the tubs? You can get melamine sheets that are 595mm wide


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## bingera84 (Jan 11, 2014)

Yeah I'm thinking along same lines with maybe 3-4 rows of heat cord. Tubs are 760 l x 560 wide x 400 high and I'm joining two together to make them bigger.... They are too small for a 2mt Morelia( I think so anyway) with using just one


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## pinefamily (Jan 12, 2014)

Saximus, what are the rods sitting on/what is at the bottom for support?


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## saximus (Jan 12, 2014)

I've just used nuts so I could set the height it sits above the ground and to hole the shelf on but you could also slip PVC pipe over it to make little legs that spread the weight a little.


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## pinefamily (Jan 12, 2014)

I was actually thinking of small castors, with brakes to hold them still.


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## saximus (Jan 12, 2014)

Yeah if you need it to be mobile that sounds perfect


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## Rob (Aug 13, 2020)

Bumping for interest.


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