Chandler's Cage 2.0

cyberlocc said:
Well that's very big. So structural, did you mean 70 high by 48wide? Why so wide and not high?

For that, I would use PVC 4x8 sheets, or AC plywood. The price double ramps up there. And your proposed dimensions are good, as it will use almost a full sheet for the back panel, and 1/4 a sheet for the sides. If you flipped it, 70 tall, it would use full sheet back and half sheet sides.

So your looking about 50 a board for AC ply, and 100 for PVC. You would need 2 for the main frame. Then you could strengthen the top with 1x2s, and the bottom with your soil bin (assuming soil bin).

Then your doors made from 1x2s (assuming screen doors) or decorative trim, (alot of those have a good notch for stapling screen down) or you could cut grooves for it and spline into the frame, or just staple it on.

Unless you want solid doors, in which case you could do sliding glass, cut grooves for the glass in, or attach it to the back. You use Plexi, you can screw it in, and likely should as it will get scracthed and need replaced fairly often.

No matter what, Doors on a cage that large are going to be a pain.

That is less like building this threads, and more like building a cabinet.
This vid does it with PVC, wood be the same way though.


Ignore the door parts, that's a dumb way to do a door.

If you do go wood, go with Douglas Fir, it barely cost more than Pine, is much more rigid, and harder, and is not nearly as Poisionous to reptiles. It's still a soft wood, though on the harder side of softwoods. A 4x8 AC grade is like 40-50 for 3/4 inch.
Click to expand...

Doing quick math... This would all add up rapidly. Maybe I should just get a second cage to attach to his current one lol. I think in the end I would be at just about the same price. LOL
 
Beman said:
Doing quick math... This would all add up rapidly. Maybe I should just get a second cage to attach to his current one lol. I think in the end I would be at just about the same price. LOL
Click to expand...

I put together a blueprint of a dyi I was going to make out of oak and it ended up being the same cost as my large dragon strand clearside atrium lol.
 
Beman said:
Doing quick math... This would all add up rapidly. Maybe I should just get a second cage to attach to his current one lol. I think in the end I would be at just about the same price. LOL
Click to expand...

Yes it likely would. However it will be much more solid, especially more solid than 2 cages Frankensteined together.

I also, still prefer solid wood/glass/PVC ect. You can attach walls. Whether cocofiber covered foam, Cork Bark panels (I prefer this, it's more natural to a Chams setup) or even cocofiber liner.

There is also the factor of stands. I wouldn't build DIY and out it on a table. For one it might be too heavy, and for 2, why?

You could do a 70"x24"x72" stucutre. To do so, I would cut your 1 sheet in half, and use that as the sides.

Then I would attach the top section, back panel. A solid 4x8, cut to 4'x70" and put it to cover the back.

Then I would use another sheet for the floor. This gives you 2x 24inch, 1 for the floor of the cage, and 1 for the floor of the of the shelf below. I would reinforce cage floor with 2x2s, a square first and then joists. You could do the bottom shelf as well.

Attach the back panel to the floor reenforcement, as well as on the sides. You can leave the bottom shelf, uncovered or cover with some 1/4 ply.

So all in, that's 4 sheets of plywood. Add trim to your liking, and doors and stuff. You could make it look like a piece of furniture.

Using oak, especially if staining it would be ideal but pricey. For that you get a solid structure, with walls that can be nailed too, have cork bark attached, ect. It will never bend, it won't bow or collapse, if you use oak, it will easily last most of your life and every Cham you want to out it. It will also retain resell value, something that commerical cages do not.

Personally did the lower shelf for mister idea. And I regret it. I wish I would have built with soil on the floor, the trees we use can get quite large, can be bought large but that isn't practical. However over the years, when trying to maintain a Bioactive tree that wants to be 6 ft, and maintain it at 3-4 it will get old.

My next revision will be soil on the floor. If you own your home, you could do something like this as well.
f8d0206747c7e8ed561649357fdc4f01.jpg


Though this is more of what I suggesting for you. For the dimensions you wanted.

dcc3ed7597d4ab1dcb0b821264143de7.jpg
 
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Beman said:
Doing quick math... This would all add up rapidly. Maybe I should just get a second cage to attach to his current one lol. I think in the end I would be at just about the same price. LOL
Click to expand...
So this is my plan. I want to connect two cages together and build a frame to go around them as a "display". I also don't have all the necessary tools BUT ---

see if your town / nearest city / wherever it is you live has a fun shop. Not sure what they are called everywhere but they are sprouting up more and more -- it's basically a warehouse that is stocked with building materials/machines and professionals. you would pay for help building whatever. Maybe not cost-effective for a whole cham cage -- but a GREAT activity for kiddos and also could give some fundamentals. IE you'd see what types of supplies you'd need in the future so you're not running back and forth to home depot.
 
AnamCara said:
So this is my plan. I want to connect two cages together and build a frame to go around them as a "display". I also don't have all the necessary tools BUT ---

see if your town / nearest city / wherever it is you live has a fun shop. Not sure what they are called everywhere but they are sprouting up more and more -- it's basically a warehouse that is stocked with building materials/machines and professionals. you would pay for help building whatever. Maybe not cost-effective for a whole cham cage -- but a GREAT activity for kiddos and also could give some fundamentals. IE you'd see what types of supplies you'd need in the future so you're not running back and forth to home depot.
Click to expand...
my town has nothing lol
 
Currently just two pothos that are both about a year old in my care. I will however be decking the new cage out with more live plants.
 
Just like to share that all I'm doing right now is sanding and sealing the wood which is a 3+ day step that's really boring, I'll post pics once it's sealed and as I build it's temporary base. Eventually plan on making it a cabinet that it sits into. Cage is really rigid when fully assembled and has enough weight an a large enough base that I won't have to secure it to the base. So the new cage will be comprised of 7 pieces total. The stand, the drainage base, the left panel, the front frame, the back panel, the top panel and the right panel with door attached. Might actually consider building these, at least the frame part, choice of wood or pvc lumber as requested. I still have a huge roll of aluminum screen left from building my first cage, my beardies cage, and I'll still have a lot leftover after I finish this new cage.
 
My custom beardie cage. Still slowly adding decorations to it, basically needed it in a usable state and then ran out of funds. Barely able to build the new cage, luckily a lot of the stuff I already had and what I did need to buy was relatively inexpensive.
20190803_170922.jpg
 
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