First rack build

I’m a sheet metal worker by day lol. Decided to fabricate a rack from stainless steel for a fellow breeder. The rack holds 32 qt tubs. Was very happy with how it came out.

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That looks pretty slick!

How are you heating it?

I’m not using the rack my self. But I’m guessing he will probably run flex watt.

Looks great man I lmao at some of the driftwood looking garbage people make and try to sell me on Facebook that looks amazing. I wish I had the skill and materials to do it!

That’s real quality mate.

How much would you say you have saved your friend Vs buying a rack of the same size?

It’s a prototype. He actually owns his own shop so he paid through my work to get it made. But the price was In line with a comparable vision rack system. It’s made out of all stainless steel even the hard ware. So it will last longer than I will lol. I believe he will be selling them in his shop. I’m going to make a couple for my self on my own time. But I think I’m going to make mine out of mild steel and get it powder coated. It will actually break down into 6 pieces besides the shelf. So they can be shipped at a reasonable price. Making it out of mild steel and powder coating would cut the cost probably in half. But stainless won’t rust paint can chip and start rusting. The way it is designed also it’s very easy to adjust the size to whatever size tub you want to use.

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Reminds me of stuff I’ve seen in resturants/cafeterias… Holds bread or casseroles or something? Can’t remember what they are called.

But this is sick work. Love it! Hope your friend is happy with it. You should be proud of the craftsmanship.

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I really like it, if it works out well you never know, you could be providing half of us on here with racks in 10 years time :grin:.

A little suggestion, though you might have thought of it already and it not fit into your plans… Along the back (opposite side of where you slide the tubs in) if you had a lip/stopper it would stop the tubs sliding out of the back accidentally, though 99% of the time it will be against a wall and be unnecessary.

There is a stopper you can see it in one of the pictures.In the second picture it’s the part that is bent down.

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I missed that :roll_eyes: I was looking for one coming from the bottom, upwards. well played :+1:

I think it’s the picture that makes it hard to tell. Everything is laser cut besides the frame. So the tolerances are very tight. There won’t be any escapes on my watch lol.

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The rack looks great!

I would mention to your friend to possibly line the shelves, though. Those are metal, right? Flexwatt tape across a metal shelf has a lot of concerns. At minimum, you might hear a buzzing (120V AC across two parallel busses even if they’re covered/isolated/non-conductive can do unexpected things). You may also hit temperatures you don’t intend to hit because of heating the metal shelf itself. There’s also a risk of sparking or even getting yourself zapped if the heat tape is damaged in any way and contacts parts of the rack.

Just a quick FYI! Awesome rack!

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@saleengrinch Very Cool! Good work on those man!

Damn…that is one sexy rack you made. I think we’re gonna have to put a explicit warning haha. Definitely looks like it is a quality rack. Well done!

Thanks!! It was fun making something i like for once. Making automotive stuff all the time gets old.

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I would stick with the Stainless. The ones I have seen that are powder coated with the built-in water bowls rust over the top of the water bowl. The combination of the heat and humidity always seem to have water droplets over the water bowl . They start to rust over time and then the rust falls in the water.

Yeah problem is stainless is super expensive.

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I understand that. But everytime you open the tub and there is rust in your water bowls is aggravating. Maybe if you did a section of stainless across the top where the water bowl would be

Looks nice :+1: . I have been debating building my next rack out of shelving/wood or aluminum (mostly). Seeing this is tipping the scales.

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Thank you! I appreciate that for sure! I had a lot of fun making it! Doesn’t seem like two years ago lol. Did make me realize I lost a lot of weight lol. Thanks for that lol. If you do end up making a metal one I would love to see it when it’s done!

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