I found this somewhere on the net and thought I would share it. Whoever made this did a great job. I wish there were more pics but I could only find one that was posted.

The info below is from the person who made these cages.

Just thought Id post a pic of my cages. I built them out
of 1/2" PVC. I bent the bottom, back, top, and front out
of one piece and routered out 1/8th inch deep slots for the
sides and glued them in. The top three cages door are different
from any other cage Ive seen. To open them you lift the door striaght up and pull it out toward you and down. Kinda hard to explain. What do you guys think?

I got the PVC from Total Plastics in Tampa FL.
Its expanded and the name brand is Sintra I think

Its Sintra. Not sure how much I saved but three of the cages are 4'x18"x10" with a divider in the middle. For materials the cost was about $60-$70 a piece. I dont know how much they would of been if I bought them.


I got the pvc from Total Plastics.
Bending:I used a v-shaped router bit and routered out with a guide where I wanted to bend them about a 1/4" deep. Then heated it with a strip water heater thats 1"wide by 54" long that I controlled with a plugin dimmer switch.
When I take the door out I just set it up against the other cages. I would have to say I like that door style the most. Its nice and easy.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/Halfdawg/misc/l_eafd981479145f9892dbaa21b277f33b.jpg

I found this site that sells the pvc and it seems that it cost 23 dollars a 4 x 8 sheet plus shipping. Here is the website that sells the pvc.
http://artgrafix.com/store/product52.html

Looks like I misread the price of the pvc, it's about 238 dollars a sheet.

I think that stuff is 280 for 12 pieces but I also think that foam board is not the expanded pvc but poster board....

I can buy the plastic sheets here, m-f 8-4 (the hours I work) for $110 per 4 x 8 sheet.

I don't suppose anyone would know someplace in Michigan that sells the expanded pvc? The only place I've found so far wants something like $180/sheet. At that price it's actually cheaper to just buy one from AP.

Wish I could find sheets of expended PVC here....just to make some more racks with....

I don't suppose anyone would know someplace in Michigan that sells the expanded pvc? The only place I've found so far wants something like $180/sheet. At that price it's actually cheaper to just buy one from AP.

I worked at a place called Vantage Plastics about 5 years ago. Not sayin' it's a for sure thing, but I may be able to get scrap sheets for free or at least next to nuthin'. I'll look into it in the next week or two and post what I can find out.

Quig

nice cages thanks for posting. I actually have always wated to try and make some PVC cages.

Go to www.thomasnet.com and search for plastic sheets in your state. I have found 1/2" sheets for $80.
Trey

I worked at a place called Vantage Plastics about 5 years ago. Not sayin' it's a for sure thing, but I may be able to get scrap sheets for free or at least next to nuthin'. I'll look into it in the next week or two and post what I can find out.

Quig
That'd be awesome, but even if you can get it for $100 a sheet or so, I'd definitely be interested in some.

On a different tangent, what exactly is the stuff called? I'm leaning more towards it being the foam board just because I bought a sheet of 1/4" expanded pvc about a year ago, and it was pretty heavy. I'd say the whole sheet was probably as heavy or heavier than one of my AP T10's.

Info from fastsigns, I believe I read somewhere that you can pick-up sheets from them locally.

http://www.fastsigns.com/pvc.html
About Expanded PVC
Expanded PVC is also known as Foam PVC. It projects a high-quality and professional image for your business or event. Typical applications include the following:

Point of sale displays
Menu boards
Directional and informational signage
Name plates and name tags
Trade show signage


Expanded PVC - What is it?

Medium-weight and durable, expanded PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is easily installed and transported. Its matte finish hides fingerprints and is easily cut into shapes, allowing for custom applications.

Thanks for the link!! There is actually one in town, so I sent them an email asking them if they sell the sheets!

Those look great! Great job!

I've thought about doing my own cages a few times as I've done all my racks with XPVC and love the stuff and saved a bundle to! But never tackled my own cages as I've been reluctant to bend the plastic. After seeing how nice yours came out I may give it a shot next time I need some extra cages!

Again great job!

Anyone find a good place to get Expanded PVC?

Well, that company never responded to my email, so IDK

Has anyone here ever built anything like this? if so can you post some pics and some info. Those Melimine cages are just so heavy and I think will swell over time. The pvc should last forever and there is nothing like building your own nice cage and saving money Bush League style.

Richard

A buddy of mine used pvc to build his retic cages. He bonded them using MEK. I thought the were pretty cool. But it seemed like alot of work. The cages I have from Constrictors Northwest and welded plastic. They clean up better than alot of the other cages I have seen

heres the only problem i read on the site about the expanded pvc

Installation and Care

Expanded PVC tends to warp when exposed to heat or sunlight for extended periods of time. Do not leave this product inside your car.

It may also absorb moisture and mildew when left in exposed outdoor locations. Therefore, carefully install PVC in sheltered dry areas when possible.

the bottom worries me also. if that can happen outside then what about the days inside when the humidity is high and so forth?