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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2011 19:12:45 GMT -5
After collecting enough scraps of plexi, my dear husband built a new gate for the fuzz's play area! Since this is a corner of our kitchen/living room, I wanted something that looked a little nicer than the white playpen panels with hunks of panel screwed to the top that we'd cobbled together before. (Hocus is an incorrigible escape artist.) The whole thing is one piece on a hinge, so it'll be so much easier for humans to get in and out. We expect that they'll put a lot of scratch marks in the plexi, but I can deal with that. We'll still be able to see each other.   |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2011 21:35:09 GMT -5
How awesome! I'd love to make something like that. If it's not too much trouble, maybe you can post instructions for how to make them  I think it looks wonderful! |
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Post by Sherry on Mar 23, 2011 8:54:45 GMT -5
Oh, now! That is an excellent idea  I see kitty already thinks so ;D |
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Post by Heather on Mar 23, 2011 13:10:44 GMT -5
I would love to see instructions too. What grade of plexi do you use? That is a fantastic gate
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 14:08:58 GMT -5
I see kitty already thinks so  Kitty looks very happy that the ferrets can't torture him anymore ;D |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 17:51:07 GMT -5
Kitty invites it on himself by trying to jump in and out to steal ferret treats, thinking they won't notice!  The plexi is .080 thickness, left over from my husband's signage projects. The frame is just stained pieces of 1x2 and drywall screws. He used clear silicon to glue the plexi to the frame on the interior side, because it won't show there, and makes a seamless piece with nowhere for little ferret claws to grab hold. The whole thing is 33" high... a few inches higher than Hocus's standing jumps. The "hinge" is just eye screws lined up with a bolt dropped through them. Might update that to actual hinges at some point. He did mount another piece of 1x2 and attach to that instead of hooking the gate straight to the wall.  Here's the interior side. The flash really caught the silicon; it doesn't actually show up that much. And of course, cat #2 making sure that I'm not over there committing the crime of giving treats to ferrets only.  It's soooo much nicer than the playpen panels. Hocus can't rattle this! And after their initial burst of leaping and scratching, they seem to have mostly accepted that it contains them. Yay! |
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Post by Sherry on Mar 23, 2011 19:49:45 GMT -5
Now, as long as they don't realize how to create miniature block and tackle, you should have them safely confined  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 19:52:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the instructions! I'm not handy person, but I might give this a shot |
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Post by xeopse on Mar 24, 2011 13:49:04 GMT -5
THIS IS GREAT!!! I can't wait to do this! Using the wood is a great idea, I've been thinking of how to do it with all one sheet of plexi but this would make things a bit sturdier I would think.
Thanks for posting this! 4 of my 5 are jumpers, there is no playpen that can contain them.
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Post by maddiesmom on Mar 24, 2011 17:48:24 GMT -5
Jealous! It looks really nice!! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2011 18:36:04 GMT -5
Thanks everybody! I should've nagged to had this thing made months ago 1x2s come in 8 ft lengths for like $2 apiece. A tube of silicon is a couple bucks. The plexi is the pricey part, about $20 for a 30" x 60" sheet. There's nothing super fancy about the construction... at first I thought about routing a groove into the frame that the plexi would sit in, instead of gluing with silicon, but that'd be an extra step that we didn't really need. If the gate was visible from both sides, it might be worth the time. Then you might as well miter the corners too! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2011 18:18:44 GMT -5
looks great! I may have to nag to get one too!!!
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