# Which plywood should I use for my custom cage?



## ToCoolTegu (Feb 22, 2013)

hey guys, 

I was wondering if this plywood is safe and ok to use-7/16 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft. Pine Oriented Strand Board Plywood from home depot....it will be coated with 3-4 layers of drylock.. I keep hearing its toxic but I believe Dubya said it would be safe if its plywood+coated with drylock.


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## Dubya (Feb 23, 2013)

ToCoolTegu said:


> hey guys,
> 
> I was wondering if this plywood is safe and ok to use-7/16 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft. Pine Oriented Strand Board Plywood from home depot....it will be coated with 3-4 layers of drylock.. I keep hearing its toxic but I believe Dubya said it would be safe if its plywood+coated with drylock.



That stuff doesn't hold screws well and it falls apart really easily. Spend a few bucks more for plywood.


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## Orion (Feb 23, 2013)

ToCoolTegu said:


> hey guys,
> 
> I was wondering if this plywood is safe and ok to use-7/16 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft. Pine Oriented Strand Board Plywood from home depot....it will be coated with 3-4 layers of drylock.. I keep hearing its toxic but I believe Dubya said it would be safe if its plywood+coated with drylock.



From an earlier post I made..........
I use oak 3/4 4 by 8 foot sheets. Its expensive ,45 dollars a sheet, but I plan on never building them again. The Oak is really nice and stains well. You will not need to use supports if you use 3/4. I use one sheet for the top one for the bottom and rip 2 others at 8 inches for the back and front, the 2 8 inchers go top and bottom on the front then I use one of the 8 foot sections I ripped for the back. I then use the other 8 footer I ripped and cut it in half and use it for the sides.
I also use pressure treated 2x6s, coated with Drylok before installed then once together everything gets 2 coats of Drylok, in the front to keep the glass edges away from prying claws and then use w channel to set the sliding glass in.


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## ToCoolTegu (Feb 23, 2013)

ok well then what about this? 15/32 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. 3-Ply Rtd Sheathing it says it durable? [/u]


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## Dubya (Feb 23, 2013)

ToCoolTegu said:


> ok well then what about this? 15/32 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. 3-Ply Rtd Sheathing it says it durable? [/u]



It will do, but if you use it for the bottom, you will need a few crossbeams to support it.


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## ToCoolTegu (Feb 24, 2013)

ok cool! Im making it with a good family friend who does alot of woodworking so we'll make sure its done right..


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## bfb345 (Mar 22, 2013)

Orion said:


> ToCoolTegu said:
> 
> 
> > hey guys,
> ...


what grade is the wood you used did you get it from home depot im making one soon and the only wood they have is c-3 and people say there are voids in it so im not sure but that stuff is 45 bucks too


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## Dubya (Mar 24, 2013)

Use hardwood ply. Oak or birch. Sapele, okume, or meranti marine ply is best, but expect to pay $100 or more per sheet. That stuff is the best of the best. No voids at all.


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## bfb345 (Mar 24, 2013)

yeah they only have that it is 3/4 thick but people have commented and said it has voids but its only 45 a sheet


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## Dubya (Mar 24, 2013)

bfb345 said:


> yeah they only have that it is 3/4 thick but people have commented and said it has voids but its only 45 a sheet



Hardwood ply is just fine. If I had the kind of money that Chitodadon does, I would make it out of marine ply and teak with bronze hardware.


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## bfb345 (Mar 24, 2013)

Yeah im just hoping that i dont cut into it and it has a huge void in the middle i have most of the money i just need a bit more i think im going with sliding glass doors they seem cheaper and easier


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## Dubya (Mar 24, 2013)

bfb345 said:


> Yeah im just hoping that i dont cut into it and it has a huge void in the middle i have most of the money i just need a bit more i think im going with sliding glass doors they seem cheaper and easier



The tegu will throw bedding into the sliding tracks and jam them up eventually. I would go with hinges.


The voids are not huge, they are just a small spot water could enter. You must seal edges well.


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## bfb345 (Mar 24, 2013)

yeah i am making them raised 8 inches from the ground i have already run into this with my current cage the hinged doors seem really complicated how do i get the glass to stay in the middle


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## Dubya (Mar 24, 2013)

bfb345 said:


> yeah i am making them raised 8 inches from the ground i have already run into this with my current cage the hinged doors seem really complicated how do i get the glass to stay in the middle



Home depot has a cool cheap framing material. It is plastic and is found in the lumber section of Home Depot. It caps off pvc lattices. it is 3/4 wide and has a 1/4 inch slot in the middle. you can slide or tap the glass or plexiglass right into it. I think you can get it in tan, grey, or white. The 3/4" width will match with regular wooden board thickness. Use utility hinges to install.


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## frost (Mar 25, 2013)

what about melamine?


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## Roadkill (Mar 25, 2013)

Keep in mind you get what you pay for. Melamine being cheap, is otherwise known to most wood workers as crap. Falls apart with heat and humidity, off-gases considerable formaldehyde, corners don't seal well with silicone as silicone doesn't adhere to plastics well, has little strength, etc.

I'm sort of with Dubya on the sliding glass track. Doesn't matter how "high" you place them (unless you're thinking 3-4'), they will fill with junk kicked up by the tegus. An alternative I've used, though, with snakes and other escape artists is to orient it so that instead of a horizontal sliding action you have a vertical sliding action. Only needs one track, but the trade off is a big pane of glass you have to lift out. With windowed hinged doors, without access to a proper wood shop, it's hard to make a strong frame that will hold the window and not warp or twist out of shape. The best I've come up with over the years is to make two "picture frame" borders with the ends dado cut for strength (think Lincoln logs), the inner edge routered to accommodate the glass, and then sandwich the pane of glass between the two "picture frames". However, I have yet to try this with tegus because with their mass and sometimes propensity for whipping or charging, I've found anything less than 5mm thickness glass is just going to get busted readily, and this thickness (or greater) of glass is pretty heavy, requiring a more robust frame to support.


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## bfb345 (Mar 25, 2013)

yeah my current cage is melamine and i dont think i am going to use it the water really gets too it lol the oak probably wont need to ever be built again im going to look up some videos on youtube and hopefully it will turn out ok


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## Tannaros (Mar 25, 2013)

bfb345 said:


> yeah my current cage is melamine and i dont think i am going to use it the water really gets too it lol the oak probably wont need to ever be built again im going to look up some videos on youtube and hopefully it will turn out ok



One of the most simplistic cages to build is to just build a box, very literally.

If you're not having to worry about an internal framing structure with box or miter joints then you're really building just a rectangular prism, minus the front. If you're worried about construction just build an 8x4x4', that way you essentially only have to make one riot cut roughly center on one plywood sheet for the sides.

Glue and screws hold things together very well. The only thing that is more difficult to do would be doors - though you can have a glass shop sell you a track for a display case door and simplify that. Otherwise you can always use a window, or just use dual track aluminum to create them.


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## bfb345 (Mar 25, 2013)

yeah its going to be just a rectangle cage we were just debating the doors because substrate gets in the sliding track so i am going to have to make swinging doors im sure my dad will know what to do


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## Diablo (Mar 25, 2013)

I was about to make a thread about this but I see you already have. So I read through a lot of the posts but I only skimmed. What is a good type of wood that is easy on the budget but still looks decent and isn't just pressure treated plywood? Was 45$ a sheet the cheapest? This is the first wood project I've really done and I'm having my brother help me with it. I need to let him know what kind of wood to get.


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## Dubya (Mar 26, 2013)

3/4 hardwood ply is $45. 1/2 is $36. Prices are from Home Depot..


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## Cshelt11 (Oct 24, 2020)

Orion said:


> From an earlier post I made..........
> I use oak 3/4 4 by 8 foot sheets. Its expensive ,45 dollars a sheet, but I plan on never building them again. The Oak is really nice and stains well. You will not need to use supports if you use 3/4. I use one sheet for the top one for the bottom and rip 2 others at 8 inches for the back and front, the 2 8 inchers go top and bottom on the front then I use one of the 8 foot sections I ripped for the back. I then use the other 8 footer I ripped and cut it in half and use it for the sides.
> I also use pressure treated 2x6s, coated with Drylok before installed then once together everything gets 2 coats of Drylok, in the front to keep the glass edges away from prying claws and then use w channel to set the sliding glass in.


What are the final dimensions of this cage. 4x2x8?


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## Chris & Stitches (Nov 2, 2020)

I use 1/2 inch pvc plastic sheets and trim for everything.lifetime materials.75 for a 4x8 sheet but if you have big lizards you can’t have a “budget” ive learned.a budget is never best for your animals


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## Chris & Stitches (Nov 2, 2020)

I have “wasted” thousands on trial and error, and I have more thermostats and lights and heat pads and other gadgets than most pet stores.I’m not saying you have to spend a fortune, but it’s good to have a lot of extra stuff too.I’ve been able to add other animals to my collection on sight without having to do anything but use things I have laying around.I have backup thermostats on all my enclosures on a different circuit so if that room blows the breaker and the heat gets to 70 backup heaters run off another breaker (we get very cold here in va) but anyways ball out and you won’t regret it


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## Cshelt11 (Nov 2, 2020)

I used 3/4 inch birch cabinet grade plywood and finished it all off with the best natural sealer i can find. It was 250 finished minus the plexi which was a scrap find. The tank is 8'x4'x40".
In the late future I plan on buying an apcages T100


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## Cshelt11 (Dec 1, 2020)

ToCoolTegu said:


> hey guys,
> 
> I was wondering if this plywood is safe and ok to use-7/16 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft. Pine Oriented Strand Board Plywood from home depot....it will be coated with 3-4 layers of drylock.. I keep hearing its toxic but I believe Dubya said it would be safe if its plywood+coated with drylock.


I used cabinet grade blondewood. About 45 for a 3/4" sheet. Needed 3 sheets and a 1/4" sheet for the top board


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## Cshelt11 (Dec 1, 2020)

Orion said:


> From an earlier post I made..........
> I use oak 3/4 4 by 8 foot sheets. Its expensive ,45 dollars a sheet, but I plan on never building them again. The Oak is really nice and stains well. You will not need to use supports if you use 3/4. I use one sheet for the top one for the bottom and rip 2 others at 8 inches for the back and front, the 2 8 inchers go top and bottom on the front then I use one of the 8 foot sections I ripped for the back. I then use the other 8 footer I ripped and cut it in half and use it for the sides.
> I also use pressure treated 2x6s, coated with Drylok before installed then once together everything gets 2 coats of Drylok, in the front to keep the glass edges away from prying claws and then use w channel to set the sliding glass in.


Thanks for the design I built my enclosure based off this and it came out great.


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