New Plexi/Acrylic Cage

[SnakePool]

Just finished this one today. My first one made up completely of plexi. I like the way it turned out and will be building all cages like this. More than likely I will put backgrounds on all the cages to add a bit of decor. Now that I have built this one I have a few ideas on how to build it so the screws aren't so visible. If I get good at it I will offer some for local sale in the Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas.

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[herpkingdom]

Sure keep them all down south. It's not like us northern people could use a good cage. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]

Looks great! I like the acrylic cages that are all clear like that. Adding a nice aquarium background would be a great way to spruce it up.

What was the final cost for materials?


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[vetstudent82]

Snakepool,
How did you put the plexi together? What toold did you use to cut it? ect ect ect

Tnx in advance for the info [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

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[reptilemama]

Very cool! How did you get the screws in without cracking the plexi? Was it very expensive? Hmm, I might have to think about making a couple of those!

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[Nyte]

Reptilemama- Plexi/acrylic is great in that it can be drilled, then tapped (or threaded) to accept machine screws. As long as they don't have tremendous force on them, or are constantly backed out and re-inserted dozens and dozens of times,they hold well, especially if you put a little acrylic sealer on the screw before you insert it in.

I too am curious about your materials costs, and what thickness acrylic you used, as well as the source you used, it seems hard to find the thicker stuff at a decent price around here.

Brian
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[Ed_r]

Specially the cost. Here at Home Depot the 3/16th thickness shhets are real steep. I want to say about $80. for a sheet.
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[SnakePool]

I used the drill/tap method with #4-40 1/2in machine screws. It takes one sheet of 3' x 6' 1/4in plexi to make one this size. The sheet cost about $60, the screws and hardware ar a bit more. What would make the total cost a bit more would be the labor and the extra materials if you messed up. There's a few chips in it from drilling and tapping, and there's half of a tap in one of the screw holes....lol it wasn't easy. I used a plastic cutter to cut it. I am going to try and find another way to cut it, maybe a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade, we'll see. I tried to just use glue but that proved difficult as the plexi is not perfectly straight. Plus when you start building them this big and bigger for larger snakes you want that extra stregth. I'm looking for a cheaper source for the plexi also.

Thanks for the compliments.
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[herpkingdom]

THis place sells plexi and acrylic.

They also sell it precut in certain sizes

US Plastics


I was looking over pieces fore a 24" cage and the total cost was like $33 plus $8 shipping
This included the precut pieces, plastic hinges, plasticx solder (glue), and clasps for the door.

And it comes in colors too!
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[XzyluM]

Looks very nice Jesse.
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[Nyte]

Jesse- As for cutting, my grandfather always used a radial arm saw, with great results. Anything with a high enough speed not to chip is great. Another trick to reduce chipping/cracking is to cover the area your working on, such as your cut line, with masking tape before you cut or drill. It helps protect and stabalize the surface. Thanx for the good link, HerpKingdom.

Brian
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[CraigC]

Hey Jesse,
Thats a nice design. Are you planning on adding heat to the cage or heating the room? We had a lot of problems with the 1/4" ,as we have to heat our cages individually and the 1/4" tends to warp. If you get "finish cut" blades for the power tools the acrylic won't chip and will have smooth edges. The hardest thing I have found working with acrylics is making sure that when cutting you have to watch that the tool speed doesn't generate too much heat causing the acrylic to melt. The supplier that we get our acrylic from has jigsaw blades and drill bits specifically for acrylic. Good acrylic cement is a must if you need to have "water tight" sealing.
Here is a pic of one of our arboreal cages made from 3/8" acrylic. We only use 1/4" for the water tray bottoms.
CraigC

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	Arboreal Arboreal is a word meaning "related to or resembling trees". Its meaning comes from the Latin arbor, meaning tree.<br> In biology, an arboreal animal is one which inhabits or spends large amounts of time in trees or bushes.

[Herpguy55]

Can some one help me i need to know what to do after i screw the hindgs on to the plexi should i grind the screws down to the plexi or what?

Thanks
Kody
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