Screw length?

[nikkicostello89]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of building my beardies some new enclosures, and i would like them to be stacked. How can i ensure that i make them strong enough so that they don't collapse? What size screws would I need to help this?

I use heavy rocks for basking so i'd need to make sure they were secure, at the moment i've literally got a viv on top of a viv, but i'd like a better stacked look.

also would it be better to have a gap in the centre, between the top viv and bottom viv? or would i just use one piece of wood? I've looked through a few of the 'instructions' and i can't find one that says about screw length or the gap thing.

Thanks,

Nikki

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[Codeman]

I would make them separate for portability and ease of use.

And as far as crew length, it depends on what you're building it out of.

3" should be plenty, though.

 

[nikkicostello89]

well i was thinking MDF because it's cheap, and fairly easy to work with, but i've never built anything like this before!

So you'd build them completely separate and then screw then together? I was thinking of using one long 4ft piece for the side so that this would be the height of two?!?

Thanks for your help

Nikki

 

[Codeman]

well i was thinking MDF because it's cheap, and fairly easy to work with, but i've never built anything like this before!

So you'd build them completely separate and then screw then together? I was thinking of using one long 4ft piece for the side so that this would be the height of two?!?

Thanks for your help

Nikki

I wouldn't even screw them together, maybe just stack them. If you use MDF or any compsite material make sure to pilot drill all your screw holes or you'll split the material. If you wanted to get a 4 foot piece you could just slice it in half and use it separately.

Good luck!

 

[beardiebandit]

if you use mdf i would suggest drilling a pilot hole for sure. it will keep the screws from coming out the sides.

as far as stacking i would also make them seperate but i would use 3/4 inch mdf for the sides and drill 1/8 holes in the corners and go to a hardware store and get some little wooden pegs to keep them stable instead of screwing them together. so the bottom would have holes drilled in the top of the corners and the top tank would have holes drilled in the bottom corners and then the pegs will hold them together....

kinda hard to explain but i think you know what i mean....lol!

 

[nikkicostello89]

Hi,

Yeah i get what you mean! Thanks for the advice. I don't think i'll be able to start it for a while due to ££. But as soon as i do i'll be putting up pics. The great thing is i'm going to be making fake rock back grounds etc in them as well, which i haven't been able to do because i don't have anywhere to put my beardie's whilst i do them...

But MVB's come first....so it may be a long wait!

Nikki

 

[beardiebandit]

it will be worth it! : ) good luck and we will be waiting to see pics.

 

[drewdizzo]

If I were you I wouldn't use screws or nails at all. I just built my 4x2x2 enclosure last weekend using a bolt and an anchored nut. I got them at home depot, but I can't find them anywhere on their website. It is similar to what ikea does with their furniture except instead the nut has actual threads. I can post a pic later of what they look like. Doing it this way will avoid all the problems with the screws just stripping out in the MDF. It will be much sturdier as well. It takes more time and planning than screws, but it will pay off. I was able to find this, which is similar to what I did, but not exactly the same. Hope it helps.
http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?page=2334

 

[drewdizzo]

Ok, I found the type of hardware I used on the same site. I guess the correct name is cross dowels. You can get these at Home Depot if you look hard enough and you can get bolts with a flathead instead of these allen heads.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=367

 

[nikkicostello89]

Thank you very much