a rack construction journal, a journey of elastoplasts and splinters

[chrism]

Originally Posted by loxocemus

iv decided to make the frame from 25.4 aluminium tube, it works out more expensive than timber but its much easier to break down and should be a lot more durable.

costs
Qty. Product Unit Price Total
12 Aluminium Square Tube (6063T6) 1 in x 1 in x 16 swg x 2500 mm £3.87 £46.49
24 4 Way Connector (Type 4) £1.86 £44.60
4 3 Way Connector (Type 2) £1.70 £6.80
4 Castor with Metal Threaded Insert £1.48 £5.92
2 5 Way Connector (Type 6) £2.07 £4.14
4 3 Way Connector (Type 3) £1.87 £7.48
1 Hi-Viz Hacksaw £2.61 £2.61

i think altogether it was @ £160 delivered.

ed

Where did you get the aluminium from?

[loxocemus]

from here
Aluminium | Aluminium Sheet | Aluminium Tube | Aluminium Warehouse

that price includes vat and delvery

so not ban

Originally Posted by chrism

Where did you get the aluminium from?

[loxocemus]

im at a crosroads, and theres no demon it on for my 25years,

i stilled havent choosen u frame material yer, alu is @160, magohgany, kin oak, wot wot wot to do, stan if u van help let me knie.

ed

t

Originally Posted by loxocemus

iv decided to make the frame from 25.4 aluminium tube, it works out more expensive than timber but its much easier to break down and should be a lot more durable.

costs
Qty. Product Unit Price Total
12 Aluminium Square Tube (6063T6) 1 in x 1 in x 16 swg x 2500 mm £3.87 £46.49
24 4 Way Connector (Type 4) £1.86 £44.60
4 3 Way Connector (Type 2) £1.70 £6.80
4 Castor with Metal Threaded Insert £1.48 £5.92
2 5 Way Connector (Type 6) £2.07 £4.14
4 3 Way Connector (Type 3) £1.87 £7.48
1 Hi-Viz Hacksaw £2.61 £2.61

i think altogether it was @ £160 delivered.

ed

[SNAKEWISPERA]

Very nice Ed, Those tubs are really nice!
I like those tubs, Whats the name of them?

[loxocemus]

thankyou, thier a fiver from here HEAVY DUTY PLASTIC PLANTING TRAYS - VARIOUS SIZES CHEAP on eBay (end time 10-Dec-09 09:32:57 GMT), i meds espcially are the dog danglys

Originally Posted by SNAKEWISPERA

Very nice Ed, Those tubs are really nice!
I like those tubs, Whats the name of them?

[ryan2]

you have pm

[loxocemus]

replied sorry for the lateness

ed

Originally Posted by ryan2

you have pm

[loxocemus]

no i havent forgotten my thread been away, just back. a couple minor updates, i bought all the necessary aluminium from Aluminium Supplier | Aluminium Stock | Aluminium Warehouse mentioned above somewhere i think, then promptly forgot, i then bought a small sheepful of oak, aluminium warehouse contact me, i freakout/swear/cry and had to cancel as the order oak order is cut to size and cant be cancelled, they refunded me with no problems or quibbles and i can recommend them i think, thier also the best price i could find on aluminium, if ur going to use the easyfix connectors dont buy the easyfix aluminium, buy the regular 25.4mm square stuff its virtually identical but a good chunk cheaper. i was looking forward to building it ala grown up lego too.

il have more updates this week with pics i hope as most of my materials are starting to arrive.

iv finished all eight boxes re window and vent holes £60
full extension drawer runners 500mm/100lbs around £50 for 8 pairs/ebay

gorilla glue, its an expanding/foam/poly glue, very strong but friggin £12, but it will expand in ur dodgy joints and wont stain the wood. dries light brown.

solid oak timber, kiln dried, this removes moisture, usually down to 10-15%, it makes it very stable, £80 for enough for uprights, runner fittings and a band round every shelf, maybe some left so i can make some light housings.

i bought a test light to play with, its sold for aquariums but its uses the regular square 2 pin flourescent NEW COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT WITH BALLEST IDEAL SUMP on eBay (end time 02-Dec-09 17:38:34 GMT) not too expensive but i need 6-8 iv taken this one apart to see how it ticks, it gets very warm but this might be a good thing, £6 i think

a lovely 300mm hacksaw and some nice bimetal/carbon blades for the aluminium i forgot £10

fixings, nuts bolts, i want to use nylon fixings, white ones for fixing the runners to the boxes, thier surprisingly expensive, but i got a pack of 100 nameplate nut and bolts for £7 but the nuts are black, so il need to replace them, m8 25mm

glass for the boxes, 5mm/regular, thatll be around £25 ish i think.

foam boards, not the styrene bead ones, the dense stuff thats usually blue (i got white) and can be carved, £14 for 4 pieces 300mm x 300mm that will do the 4 medium boxes for 4 11" x 11" pads and 4 pieces 24"x12" for the four large boxes with thier 23"x11" pads.

as u can see it all adds ups and theres still some stuff to buy, this coming week should see all the important stuff arrive so i can start on the rack frame itself, the oak and the runners being the most important, iv really no idea on the eventual dimensions as i make that up as i go along but itll be interesting i hope, hope this update isnt too boring

rgds
edward

[loxocemus]

[loxocemus]

i realised i havent mentioned the shelf materials (as stan puts it, the stuff to keep the animals in) this year i will be mostly using



i bought a bunch to make a cage, i put the cube together with masking tape and some nice bright lights and walked past it everyday for 2 months and could not think of anything to put in it, so it shall become shelves for this open plan type rack, the open plan worrys me in 2 ways, heat leakage and light leakage, heat escaping thru the non existent walls robbing the tubs of that warm air i do so like, and light leaking into the tubs from all around especially from the light fixture below, lighting a burrower from above is one thing, when light leaks into thier underground world thats quite another, though it can be fixed.

rgds
ed