Long story short I started building my own cabinet incubator a while back. Well after buying most of what I needed I ended up finding a very good deal on 4 GQF cabinet incubators and I bought them. After doing the math I was going to end up having around $350 in my incubator. So honestly if I were you I would look HARD for a used GQF cabinet. I bought 4 for $1000 and sold 2 to a friend. I've seen them for sale on craigslist anywhere from $200-$400.
If you really want to build one here's what I was going to use. Basically I would copy the layout of the GQF cabinet. I bought four (only need two) electric fans off of
amazon for $15
https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Bea...UTF8&qid=1525139109&sr=1-4&keywords=120mm+fan
I bought a temperature controller off
amazon for $16
https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-All-...138995&sr=8-4&keywords=temperature+controller
I bought a GQF model 3015 225W heating element for $25.
http://www.gqfmfg.com/cabinet-model...w/wire-lead-attatched-6-porcelain-insulators/
I HIGHLY recommend getting a GQF model 3030 Water Reserve System. This will keep a constant level of water in the incubator throughout the enire hatch. This way you never have to open the door to add water.
http://www.gqfmfg.com/cabinet-accessories/3030-water-reserve-system/
You'll need two sheets of plywood and some type of sealer/paint. Plywood will run you anywhere from $30-$50 a sheet depending on how nice you want it to look. You might be able to find an old cabinet or nightstand that you can convert into an incubator if the size is right. But most cabinets are cheaply made using thin materials surprisingly. I would go with 1/2" plywood or larger. Also if you planning on adding a Plexiglas door that adds another $100. You can incorporate a pane of glass into a wood door for much cheaper.
You will also need some egg turners. This is where a significant amount of the cost is. I was going to buy 3 Little Giant turners from
tractor supply for $50 each. You can build your own, especially if you build a wooden that you operate by hand from outside of the incubator...
Basically you build the cabinet around the dimension of the egg turners. The top shelf does not go all the way to the back wall. There is a gap that allows air to flow down towards the bottom of the incubator. The water pan sits on this shelf. There is a wall on this shelf near the back that the fans and heating element go into. Remember the fan blows towards the back wall. It pulls air across the water pan, then through the heating element, then it goes through the fan and is forced towards the bottom of the incubator. This is how GQF does it anyway. I'll attach some pics of my GQF with the back off so you can see what I'm talking about
It would be a lot of fun to build one but honestly it's more cost effective to buy a used GQF. Plus the egg turner is built like a tank. It also has a two-way switch so you can level the egg trays instantly instead of waiting an hour for them to turn. Also my incubator is probably 20 years old and everything works like new AND they have a replacement for every part of it AND the design hasn't really changed at all in the last couple decades. It's a quality product. Anyway good luck with your build either way you do it.... Matt
