Vinyl Asylum

Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

Return to Vinyl Asylum

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Any good ideas for equipment racks?

87.231.17.251
Posted on June 19, 2016 at 12:58:09
mr.bear
Audiophile

Posts: 4167
Joined: November 13, 2001
 I'm thinking of building something. I have access to the services of a custom fabrication shop, fortunately. I'd like to put a tall, vertical rack on wheels with my TT on top. Anybody have any images you could share? I need some ideas!

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
TT on top: you want 'heavy'. Which is shot fill tubing, wide wide set wheels, posted on June 19, 2016 at 13:28:42
Smelly_Socks
 Sort of a steep pyramid. Wide set wheels outboard as possible. NOT canted (swivel) wheels, best plain heavy duty steel rollers.
(maybe have a system to 'jack up' the rack on spikes when in position.. A lever to lower a spike at each corner.. plus ability to level when on spikes.)

Four corner steel square tubing up to top. Base tubing, top tubing. Then (maybe) side smaller round stock tubing criss-cross to brace sides.
Back best to be a flat brace, or two tubes slanted up, with flat metal screen ir solid in back/ Narrow.. Only 1/3 centered on back. The shelves are best to have a slight angle back. So the bottom most item is forward a bit of one above, but not so much to be in way of standing up to it all to use TT.
Also make certain deep enough to allow ease of rear access to move IC, connect etc.. Without swearing up a storm.
Reason for central flat back plate is to place (tie down) AC cords behind it. Keeping IC away from AC.

Welding shelving slots to side tubing.
So shelves can slide forward or back some. Then be locked in place.
Or, flat side plates you can mount shelves to with spikes.. Though if moving with stuff on it, you want them ALL to be locked in place...

Weld handles on back or front for moving if it is going to be moved a lot. LOW, so no tendency to tip.

 

RE: Any good ideas for equipment racks?, posted on June 19, 2016 at 13:37:14
WildWest
Audiophile

Posts: 664
Location: Southwest USA
Joined: April 3, 2003



We needed something custom that tucked into the corner. Got some 1 inch all thread, nuts, washers, rubber washers. Sent the the all thread/nuts/washers to the chrome shop. Cut some HDF shelves and hit the leading edge with a router. Painted to match the appearance of marble, clear coated. Put casters on the bottom...taadaa.

 

RE: Any good ideas for equipment racks?, posted on June 19, 2016 at 14:17:44
George S. Roland
Audiophile

Posts: 1470
Location: N W Pennsylvania
Joined: March 20, 2004
 Beautiful! Works for me!

 

RE: Any good ideas for equipment racks?, posted on June 19, 2016 at 14:26:55
John Elison
Audiophile

Posts: 23900
Location: Central Kentucky
Joined: December 20, 2000
Contributor
  Since: January 29, 2004
 I ordered my equipment rack online, but it required assembly. I'm sure you could add castors to the legs so it could be rolled around. It seems to be fairly sturdy so I think it would easily stand up to that sort of mobility. You could improve its structural integrity further by filling all its structural members with sand, which would also provide additional damping. I thought about doing this but I was in a hurry to get it assembled and get my audio system up and running. I am very pleased with this equipment rack and I have no desire for a different one. It was the perfect solution for my needs and it was also very economical.


 

RE: Any good ideas for equipment racks?, posted on June 19, 2016 at 15:04:21
lancelock
Audiophile

Posts: 27
Location: Maryland
Joined: December 17, 2013



I have had a few different racks. My new rack is no rack at all. I wanted to get my equipment out of the center between the speakers but I settled for close to the floor. I found a lumber mill in Pennsylvania that sold me a 75" long slab of maple with a live edge for $135. The slab is 2 1/8" thick so very solid. After a few coats of shellac this is what I got. Thne room is a 14.5' X 14.5' spare bedroom and sounds good.

 

RE: Any good ideas for equipment racks?, posted on June 19, 2016 at 15:15:50
AudioSoul
Audiophile

Posts: 4594
Location: north central AZ
Joined: July 9, 2005

This post is very timely. I have been looking at audio racks to. I am on a budget though, so far haven't found anything I can recommend....

 

RE: Any good ideas for equipment racks?, posted on June 19, 2016 at 15:31:11
Waxxy
Audiophile

Posts: 2648
Joined: July 19, 2011
Contributor
  Since: November 22, 2011
 I've settled on a cheap Ikea-hack unit that works well, is very sturdy and best of all, cheap as chips!

I'm using some platforms between the equipment and the shelf, so that adds to the cost, but I seem to remember that the Ikea unit was only $40. When assembling I used Gorilla Glue on all the joints and the whole structure is remarkably rigid, while still being light weight. It would be easy to mount castors to the bottom of this "rack".



 

That is so beautiful. Too bad you had to install wires. Mine looked, posted on June 19, 2016 at 16:28:22
alaskahiatt
Audiophile

Posts: 7508
Joined: December 9, 2000
Contributor
  Since: November 1, 2005
 better too until I had to install all the wires.



 

Looks great., posted on June 19, 2016 at 19:03:28
vinyl survivor
Audiophile

Posts: 1471
Location: Southeastern US
Joined: November 28, 2007
 How much to do the chrome?

 

I posted this (video) a while back when I was looking. . . , posted on June 19, 2016 at 20:20:27
peteSF
 Of course I already found my rack (got a great deal on a used Salamander).
If not I would have put something like this together. Pretty straightforward, and cheaper than Mapleshade by a grand.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,21006065,00.html

 

Looks good..., posted on June 20, 2016 at 00:10:21
John Elison
Audiophile

Posts: 23900
Location: Central Kentucky
Joined: December 20, 2000
Contributor
  Since: January 29, 2004
 I'll bet it sounds good, too, with those acoustic diffusers in-between the speakers. I just need my components located higher so I can reach them more easily. Getting old is a bitch! ;-)

 

RE: Looks great., posted on June 20, 2016 at 13:03:22
WildWest
Audiophile

Posts: 664
Location: Southwest USA
Joined: April 3, 2003
 Forgive me, it's been a while and I simply don't remember.

 

I had a friend build one for me, and its on casters., posted on June 20, 2016 at 14:08:43
Rick W
 I designed it according to dimensions of my gear, and my tt is on the top shelf. Just used birch ply with the five .75" thick shelves routed/glued into 3"x 1.5" columns that serve as the frame (casters on bottom of each column). Its fairly lightweight and easy to move, but plenty sturdy enough to hold my tt, preamp, cdp, tape deck and heavy McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe amp.

I have double-layered pieces of fabric covered homosote cut to fit gear size on each shelf, and use various footers between that and the components. I can do jumping jacks right next to the rack while playing an LP with no deleterious effect. One of these days I'll enter the 21st century and have a means of posting pics. I didn't stain the rack, just used a half and half mixture of clear shellac and wood alcohol, then waxed it. I think it looks very nice. Total cost was less than $300.

 

Salamander clone?, posted on June 20, 2016 at 18:21:22
electrovice

Hi Doug

You could build up some sort of Salamander clone. 80/20 Industries sells the aluminum extrusion on eBay at fairly modest prices. I use a double wide Salamander for my TV system, which holds a heavy old Sony CRT TV (and will hold it until it dies). I do not think it would be difficult to add casters to such a rack.

Too bad you are not still local. I think I have enough Salamander parts to make a 3 foot single rack.

The link is to a universal mobile tool base made by Delta. I have a few of these in my shop and they work well for heavy power tools. The tools are easy to move when the wheel is lowered but are rock solid when retracted. Probably a bit too industrial looking to appeal to Mrs.bear but it might provide some design ideas.

John



 

RE: I had a friend build one for me, and its on casters., posted on June 20, 2016 at 22:13:30
John Elison
Audiophile

Posts: 23900
Location: Central Kentucky
Joined: December 20, 2000
Contributor
  Since: January 29, 2004
 All you need for pictures is a digital camera or a cell-phone with a camera. Most people have one or the other these days. Download the pictures onto your computer and use the Upload Image function to post them.

 

RE: Salamander clone?, posted on June 21, 2016 at 13:54:02
MannyE
Audiophile

Posts: 2088
Location: Miami Beach
Joined: March 4, 2001
 Hmmmm With a little help those casters will please any Mrs. A little stain and shellac on the wooden staves and with some careful disassembly and masking, the metal can be painted in any number of wife-pleasing hues. Gloss white comes to mind. The black wheels would add the prefect accent color...and quicker than you can say "Robert is your father's brother." you have a $3,000 "audiophile" caster base...just don't forget to cryo-treat the metal parts.

 

RE: Salamander clone?, posted on June 24, 2016 at 11:16:00
mr.bear
Audiophile

Posts: 4167
Joined: November 13, 2001
 Hey John! I had seen those extrusions on eBay. I did up a design with them but I'm thinking now along the lines of a fully enclosed 70's retro look, glass doors and all. The mobile base is an excellent idea. That is a problem I'd been pondering. Thanks.

 

Page processed in 0.038 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]