As far as niche markets go, Mt. Clemens, MI-based JB Cutting Inc. has certainly found an unusual and virtually untapped one.

“Brian Barczyk from SnakeBytes.TV had a mutual friend who contracted JB Cutting to manufacture the parts for his snake racks,” says Nathan Klomp, sales and marketing manager for JB Cutting. “As you can see from watching any of the SnakeBytes.TV episodes, these guys needed tons of racks to house all of their snakes. We have definitely made some unusual things over the years at JB Cutting, but nothing quite like this. SnakeBytes.TV is a pretty unique operation with a very particular need.”

Klomp says the racks are made from 3/4-inch melamine and 1/4-inch MDF. They are white on one side, with a 1/2mm or 3mm PVC edgebanding.

“It is important that we have a material that is easy to clean for our crew and is not too porous, so that it won’t hold bacteria,” adds Barczyk.

The pieces are cut out of 4-foot by 8-foot or 5-foot by 9-foot sheets on a rear-load beam saw. All exposed edges are edgebanded with PVC edging. Parts are then taken to a CNC machine and dowel inserter to prepare them for assembly. Holes and grooves are cut in the sides and shelf panels to allow for a heat tape to be attached inside the unit. The heat tape runs continuous throughout the unit to keep the snakes warm. The units are then assembled.

Brian Barczyk, creator of SnakeBytes.TV, stands with a 12-foot-long Albino Burmese python amidst the snake racks manufactured by JB Cutting.

“We have been working closely with JB Cutting for years on the application of their racks for our snakes,” says Barczyk. “When we first started, we thought we wanted the tolerance to be super-tight, but we learned that it was a huge problem to open and close the cage.

“On the other hand, we started to loosen the tolerance and sure enough, I would come into one of my snake rooms to see 10 snakes halfway out of the gap,” Barczyk continues. “Over time, we figured out the perfect size slot for each of the several types of racks that JB Cutting makes for us.”

Working with SnakeBytes.TV has been extremely exciting, Klomp says. It has also helped bring in new business for JB Cutting.

“SnakeBytes.TV came out to our facility and filmed an episode that featured JB Cutting and the manufacturing and assembly process for their snake racks,” says Klomp. “They later sent us the video, and we included it in our e-newsletter. After we featured the story, our customers picked up on it, and with Snakebytes’ huge viewing audience, we started getting inquiries almost immediately. Needless to say, we have definitely found a new untouched market in our industry.”