# Building a rack, and needing some advice.



## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

I'm looking at building a rack for my snakes, but needing a bit of help, firstly, does anyone know off hand if 2 different sized RUBs are the same height and width?
I have a few different snakes, and want to make the shelves the same gap if I can just to make it a bit easier to make, but obviously some snakes are bigger than others, I thought if I use 18L RUBs for the smaller snakes and 33L RUBs for the bigger ones, but the 33L are not quite as tall as the others, so the gap between the top of the RUB and the shelf would be too much, can anyone advise what to do?
If someone else has an easy solution to it etc... Give some advice please? 
Also, will the shelving be okay just held in with screws from the outside?
My Dad didn't think they'd hold, but I think they will, how does everyone else do it?
I did a search on the Forum but it didn't find anything for "rack build" or "building a rack" so no idea what's going on with it :lol2:

Edit: after doing a total costs, it's going to be about £150 without the RUBs, or water dishes etc... How do others seem to be able to do it so cheap?
I'm hoping to build one that will hold 16x 18L RUBs.


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

if you go on the really useful box website all the dimensions are listed

I guess you could use a spacer underneath the lower height rubs


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## eightball (Jan 1, 2011)

Oh How Original said:


> I'm looking at building a rack for my snakes, but needing a bit of help, firstly, does anyone know off hand if 2 different sized RUBs are the same height and width?
> I have a few different snakes, and want to make the shelves the same gap if I can just to make it a bit easier to make, but obviously some snakes are bigger than others, I thought if I use 18L RUBs for the smaller snakes and 33L RUBs for the bigger ones, but the 33L are not quite as tall as the others, so the gap between the top of the RUB and the shelf would be too much, can anyone advise what to do?
> If someone else has an easy solution to it etc... Give some advice please?
> Also, will the shelving be okay just held in with screws from the outside?
> ...


Firstly are you planning on a lidded or lidless rack?

When building itll probably just as easy to do shelves at different heights, simply work out the length of your uprights, cut the actual shelves, put the rub on the rack, put some sort of spacer ontop of the rub so youve got an extra 2/3mm gap for either air flow for a lidless rack or for play to slide the rub in and out on a lidded rack, the simply place the shelf ontop of the spacer, screw the shelf in and then remove spacer, no skills required to make a rack in all honesty haha

Dont forget to bare in mind heating sources, if your using cable then route the cable route in first, if your using a mat, there's usually a plastic bit thats got about a 6mm profile so youll have to bare that in mind, if your not sure just put the mat where you want it while you make it, you definitely cant go wrong that way

We used 18mm MDF for our rack and did it lidless, we varnished the underside of the wood (to stop moisture getting in) with yacht varnish, not the slightest indication of moisture in the wood as of yet, we secured the shelves in place with 3 2" screws each side of the wood


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

eightball said:


> Firstly are you planning on a lidded or lidless rack?
> 
> When building itll probably just as easy to do shelves at different heights, simply work out the length of your uprights, cut the actual shelves, put the rub on the rack, put some sort of spacer ontop of the rub so youve got an extra 2/3mm gap for either air flow for a lidless rack or for play to slide the rub in and out on a lidded rack, the simply place the shelf ontop of the spacer, screw the shelf in and then remove spacer, no skills required to make a rack in all honesty haha
> 
> ...



Problem with doing different heights is if I was to ever breed, and needed very large RUBs for females to lay in, I'd then have to re-design it all etc...
So need something that's fairly versatile.
But don't really want to spend like £500 on an already made one.
Also, I am using heat strips, I already have 2, so it works out cheaper to buy another 2, rather than loads of heat cable, and a pulse stat, as I already have a high W mat stat too.
I think that'd be alright wouldn't it?
I've seen people do it a few times.


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## DaveM (Oct 18, 2006)

could you do a pin system, thing, so, you have adjustable shelves?


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

DaveM said:


> could you do a pin system, thing, so, you have adjustable shelves?


That's actually not a bad idea, the only problem I can see is the heating, obviously my wires are going to go through holes in the back of the rack, so if I was to lift a shelf up a bit, I'd then need to make another hole etc... So I'd have to do that everytime I wanted to move one :lol2:
Might think more about this kind of idea though, see if I can iron out the creases lol.


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## Skar's Royals (Aug 24, 2007)

I knocked this one up earlier today, just worked out measurements and went to B&Q, got them to cut up 2 sheets of MDF £44 all in.
Take it home and screw it together : victory:

Its actually 2 small racks, using same measurements for each one.

Top shelf fits either 3 x 12lt's or 1 x 33lt 
2nd shelf fits 2 x 18lt RUB's
3rd shelf fits 3 x 12 lt's or 1 x 33lt
4th shelf fits 2 x 18lt's
Bottom 2 shelves fit 3 x 12lt's or 1 x 33lt RUB on each shelf.

Took me longer to work out the measurements than it did to build it :lol2:


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

RaW Exotics said:


> I knocked this one up earlier today, just worked out measurements and went to B&Q, got them to cut up 2 sheets of MDF £44 all in.
> Take it home and screw it together : victory:
> 
> Its actually 2 small racks, using same measurements for each one.
> ...



My B&Q don't do cutting, I even went to Kendal today (about 30 mile away) to their B&Q who also don't have a cutting service :lol2:
Looks like a nice rack that, exactly what I'm after really.


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## tigercookie (Feb 6, 2009)

we have just built a rack system as part of a shed conversion, we used 10mm threaded bar and 18mm MDF, doing this all the shelves are adjustable by moving the nuts up or down the bars if that makes sense 








overall pic 








excuse the mess still got bit to do and tidy up :lol2:


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

tigercookie said:


> we have just built a rack system as part of a shed conversion, we used 10mm threaded bar and 18mm MDF, doing this all the shelves are adjustable by moving the nuts up or down the bars if that makes sense
> image
> overall pic
> image
> excuse the mess still got bit to do and tidy up :lol2:


And that's strong enough to hold snakes?
Just doesn't look it that's all :lol2:


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Oh How Original said:


> My B&Q don't do cutting, I even went to Kendal today (about 30 mile away) to their B&Q who also don't have a cutting service :lol2:



you went 30 miles the wrong way. If you'd headed South and come off at J29; there's a superstore at Bamber Bridge and they cut.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Meko said:


> you went 30 miles the wrong way. If you'd headed South and come off at J29; there's a superstore at Bamber Bridge and they cut.


Ahhh, someone mentioned the one at Preston does cut the wood, but it's a bit further away for me, so trying to find someone a bit more local.


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## tigercookie (Feb 6, 2009)

Oh How Original said:


> And that's strong enough to hold snakes?
> Just doesn't look it that's all :lol2:


yeah it should be : victory: the unit is 7ft long and 2ft wide and just over 6ft tall with 8 10mm uprights, there is a washer between each shelf and nut so that spreads the weight also it is a few brackets from the shelves to the wall to hold it against the wall, it its present configuration we reckon it will hold 45 tubs as you can see from the photo there is already 15+ tubs in and nothing has moved, but yes keeping a close eye on it as it is a bit of an experiment :2thumb::2thumb::2thumb: may have to put angle iron around the shelves if they start to bow but don't think that will happen :whistling2:


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

tigercookie said:


> yeah it should be : victory: the unit is 7ft long and 2ft wide and just over 6ft tall with 8 10mm uprights, there is a washer between each shelf and nut so that spreads the weight also it is a few brackets from the shelves to the wall to hold it against the wall, it its present configuration we reckon it will hold 45 tubs as you can see from the photo there is already 15+ tubs in and nothing has moved, but yes keeping a close eye on it as it is a bit of an experiment :2thumb::2thumb::2thumb: may have to put angle iron around the shelves if they start to bow but don't think that will happen :whistling2:


Seems like a good idea that actually, but a bit elaborate for me lol, just need to do something simple, but still can't source wood.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Savoy deliver to Carnforth but it's not cheap Delivery

for the price of it you'd be better to just drive to B&Q in Brig. It's not that far to Carnforth and it's just off the motorway


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Meko said:


> Savoy deliver to Carnforth but it's not cheap Delivery
> 
> for the price of it you'd be better to just drive to B&Q in Brig. It's not that far to Carnforth and it's just off the motorway


Aye it's not that far I just can't get there at the minute, Dad isn't home until Saturday :lol2:


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## Firthbeast (Jun 4, 2010)

I know a man that will make you a rack for £175 and in any colour, unless you want the satisfaction of making one your self, I'm thinking of doing a Eurorackk style one materials are £340 alone though (they charge £675)


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Firthbeast said:


> I know a man that will make you a rack for £175 and in any colour, unless you want the satisfaction of making one your self, I'm thinking of doing a Eurorackk style one materials are £340 alone though (they charge £675)


I'm not too bothered if I build it myself or get one ready built.
What sizes can they make?
Does that include heating and stuff for that price?
Materials are only about £50 :lol2:


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## tigercookie (Feb 6, 2009)

did think about using this stuff
EasyFix Aluminium Tube Connectors
looked easy stuff to use but when i started to work out cost....:whistling2: but depends what you want i suppose


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

tigercookie said:


> did think about using this stuff
> EasyFix Aluminium Tube Connectors
> looked easy stuff to use but when i started to work out cost....:whistling2: but depends what you want i suppose


Just something simple to house my snakes lol.
All the colubrids are going into it, my Carpet is getting a big viv and Dads Royal is so all the colubrids will be happy at the same temps, figured it'd save space and gets them all in the same room etc...


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