Building a stand to place cage on?

TheCageCleaner

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 11:03 am


Hiya friends,

Been a long while since I've posted but I'm working on a project and looking for suggestions/experiences. We are expanding our current cage as we have expanded our herd to a total of 4 piggies. Aiming to have this all done by the time new piggy is out of quarantine. When finished, the new cage will be 31" wide and 11' (yes, feet) long.

I'm trying to build some kind of frame to rest it on, but it does not need to be a 'table' per se as the cage has a solid bottom. I only need it about 18" off the ground for storage. Here's a quick sketch I made to try to illustrate the general idea: https://imgur.com/a/sGHd2oK

Anyone ever do this for their cage?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 11:07 am


There are jillions of pictures of cage stands in the Photo section of https://www.guineapigcages.com.

Grids like those used in C&C cages are often used. Just use the connectors and zip-tie them with heavy ties at the corners of all the grids.

TheCageCleaner

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 11:12 am


Thanks, bpatters--this cage is about 50-75lbs as the base is solid 3/4" melamine, so C&C wouldn't do the job for us.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 11:34 am


Yes, it would, if you snug it together tightly and put some cross-grids in it. I had a stand that I kept filled with 80 pounds of wood pellets plus the weight of the cage, and I know of one C&C stand that survived a 130 pound human falling into it.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 11:49 am


Could you build the cage so that it's self-supporting? That is, the sides are longer with the "cage part" framed higher up, so that the ends support the whole thing?---maybe with a support in the middle? (could make it a divider in the cage with a doorway, but the piece of wood would extend all the way down to the floor through a slot in the bottom of the cage, if that makes sense). Would that work?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 2:24 pm


What I would emphasize to you is to have some diagonal bracing on the supports (for example, on the side view, secure a diagonal brace). Diagonal members that are firmly secured to the frame will prevent racking and collapse. Since I don't know the details of the construction and how pieces are connected, I am pointing out the simplest way to make this strong.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:37 pm


I'm pretty adept at building with wood, but without the height dimension, I can't be certain. I can tell you that a shorter height requires less diagonal bracing on the legs than a taller one. A longer base requires more braces in the middle as well as more cross pieces. Your design looks pretty solid. If it's 11 feet long, you should have at least 4 cross pieces. 5 would be better. If you're height is more than 2 feet, your should use diagonal cross braces as Lynx said. When designing the legs, you have to consider the weight of the base as well as what you are putting on the stand.

From your drawing, it looks like you are using 2x4s, which is great. I advise spending the extra money for finished material. You get way better quality and you don't have to sort through the store's entire stack for enough straight boards for your project. I always use wood screws when I build tables because they are stronger than nails and they don't back out or get loose as much. Another thing you can do is add a shelf somewhere under the base. At the mid point between the floor and the base or at the very bottom, depending on the height. That adds strength and stability and it gives you a very good place to store supplies.

The new habitat for my two new piggies arrived today and the coffee table I have to put it on is an inch short of being wide enough for it to sit on. The length is perfect. I'm debating on whether to slip a 4 foot long piece of half inch plywood under the cage to make it wider or to design and build a stand that it fits on. Your drawing and this discussion gave me a few ideas if I wind up building something.

TheCageCleaner

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 9:17 pm


Thanks y'all. The plan is to only lift it all up about 18" so I can fit my Ikea SORTERA bins underneath. My project is only limited by Home Depot's ability to cut my 2x4s for me. :)

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PooksiedAnimals
Supporting my GL Habit

Post   » Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:06 pm


That looks very much like my stand. Stupid thing won't let me post photos directly - here's a link to my stand.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:17 pm


Let's see if this works:

Image

Image

Image

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Apr 28, 2019 10:20 am


I love having skirts of cloth to cover things beneath stands. Simple to do, cleans it up visually.

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PooksiedAnimals
Supporting my GL Habit

Post   » Sun Apr 28, 2019 1:29 pm


You did it! Thanks! I still use that stand, although with a new skirt. Those photos are old - I've been fleece-only for bedding for over 6 years.

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