Anyone have good plans for a DIY audio rack?

Paul Hynes · « **Reply #20 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 12:05 pm »

Hi Toobluvr,

This type of extrusion is available in the UK for use as framework for exhibition stands. There are a lot of usefull fixing accessories available to facilitate structural assembly.

I used heavy duty 45mm square extrusion as a frame/support for my 2 metre line array loudspeakers. I had to have custom threaded spikes machined to provide secure floor coupling. I was pleased with the result and they look good as well.

I have been considering the design of a matching equipment stand to keep the theme going and really like the simple solid look of the extrusion frame/butcher's block stand.

One of the things I had to consider with the line arrays was the resonance of long extrusion lengths. This required considerable cross bracing, with extrusion section, to reduce any resonances to an acceptable level. This should not be problematical with your design due to the bracing provided by the butcher's blocks.

Regards
Paul

TomS · « **Reply #21 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 12:15 pm »

Quote from: richidoo on 4 Mar 2009, 11:59 pm

What kinda saw to cut the 80/20 extrusions? They look great toobluver. Like a $1000+ commercial product!
Link to 80/20 for those interested.

Rich, I cut these on a DeWalt miter saw with non-ferrous metal blade. Same thing for aluminum heatsinks, angles, stock, etc. for my amps. Not nearly as precise as the factory, but good enough for most of my work, then just clean up the ends with tools of choice. Always wear a face shield if cutting these small parts with a big blade.

Marbles · « **Reply #22 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 01:04 pm »

Tom, did you get your stuff at the factory?

TomS · « **Reply #23 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 02:40 pm »

Quote from: Marbles on 15 Mar 2009, 01:04 pm

Tom, did you get your stuff at the factory?

That would be fairly easy, but I just got some scraps from a guy at work who has built displays. I wanted to work with them a little bit. The 80/20 stuff is really nice, but expensive if you buy all new stock. They have a lot of seconds that apparently you can get on ebay or just visit and tell them what you're looking for.

toobluvr · « **Reply #24 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 04:27 pm »

80/20 does have an E-Bay store....can't remember their handle at the monent. But I'm not sure if they offer full product range, or just selected pieces. And I don't how the store prices compare to buying the normal way.

The normal way to buy 80-20 products is thru a dealer network. I contacted 80-20 directly and they would not sell to me...put me in touch with the local dealer.

As a rough guide, figure about 50 cents per inch for the extruded aluminum posts. The attaching hardware and other accessories are reasonable.

Several well known, and very pricey, companies use the product in their racks and stands. Namely, Adonna and Salamander. A local NYC guy who sells on AG also uses it. Search on "Blinn":

http://www.steveblinndesigns.com/

Make it yourself. Much cheaper and greater flexibility in getting the desired design and outcome.

toobluvr · « **Reply #25 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 04:35 pm »

Hi Paul....

I'd love to see your product. Can you post photos or a link?

Thanks....John

ltr317 · « **Reply #26 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 05:35 pm »

Quote from: toobluvr on 15 Mar 2009, 04:27 pm

80/20 does have an E-Bay store....can't remember their handle at the monent. But I'm not sure if they offer full product range, or just selected pieces. And I don't how the store prices compare to buying the normal way.

The normal way to buy 80-20 products is thru a dealer network. I contacted 80-20 directly and they would not sell to me...put me in touch with the local dealer.

As a rough guide, figure about 50 cents per inch for the extruded aluminum posts. The attaching hardware and other accessories are reasonable.

Several well known, and very pricey, companies use the product in their racks and stands. Namely, Adonna and Salamander. A local NYC guy who sells on AG also uses it. Search on "Blinn":

http://www.steveblinndesigns.com/

Make it yourself. Much cheaper and greater flexibility in getting the desired design and outcome.

I bought my pieces from their ebay store. They sell leftover pieces from their big orders, so the prices tend to be cheaper than their regular catalog. I have a friend who has a workshop and he cut the pieces to the sizes I needed. I even got the fasteners from their ebay store.

Paul

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #27 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 05:49 pm »

Anyone have the eBay link ?

TomS · « **Reply #28 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 06:37 pm »

Quote from: lonewolfny42 on 15 Mar 2009, 05:49 pm

Anyone have the eBay link ?

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale__W0QQ_armrsZ1

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #29 on:** 15 Mar 2009, 06:38 pm »

Thank you Tom....

Paul Hynes · « **Reply #30 on:** 16 Mar 2009, 03:35 pm »

Hi John,

The line source array is not a product. I built them for my own use. I have been messing around with line source designs for a while now and a couple of years ago I decided to get serious with it. I wanted to keep it simple but I required very high performance capable of generating the illusion of a live performance. After a period of analysis I settled on an open baffle line source configuration. I did not want any crossovers to mess up the phase response/musical timing so I looked for a good full range driver capable of open baffle use. The results are very satisfying. They are incredibly efficient with very low distortion and only require a few watts for concert levels in our listening room.

http://s700.photobucket.com/albums/ww7/paulhynes/th_Picture036.jpg

http://s700.photobucket.com/albums/ww7/paulhynes/th_Picture039.jpg

These are old photos from when we used to live in Cumbria (England). I have not taken any new photos yet as I want to finish the listening room installation first.

Regards
Paul

toobluvr · « **Reply #31 on:** 16 Mar 2009, 03:49 pm »

Nice Paul!

Another creative use of the 80-20 product.

mhconley · « **Reply #32 on:** 22 Mar 2009, 06:04 pm »

Quote from: woodsyi on 29 Dec 2008, 01:39 pm

Check this out. Dave (Joules) made his racks shown here. He told me that after seeing my Adona rack, he researched and got all the parts from various places and put them together. Nice job and I think it's much cheaper than what Adona charges even though he used some things that he already had.

Great site with lots of great information. I've been looking into DIY racks for months now. I've been leaning toward a rigid Flexy rack design using 3/4" to 1" threaded rod and maple butcher blocks. Then I ran across this site and the 80/20 T-Slot material.

I love these racks. I've put together a couple of 4 shelf 48" tall design ideas using 80/20 T-Slot material and butcher block shelves. I sent off for quotes from two local 80/20 dealers.

I am looking at both the 1515 and 3030 T-slot material. The 1515 seems strong enough but pretty light. I am considering filling or partially filling the center cavity of the 3030 with lead shot or sand for a more substantial rack. I'll be interested in what the quotes look like. The 3030 rack uses considerably more parts than the 1515 rack.

What is the cross section used on the legs for these racks?

Thanks,

Martin

toobluvr · « **Reply #33 on:** 22 Mar 2009, 07:07 pm »

Hey Martin....

Any photos of your projects?

I've built with 80-20 and would like to do so again, so I am always curious about different approaches and designs.

Thanks!

John

mhconley · « **Reply #34 on:** 22 Mar 2009, 07:38 pm »

Quote from: toobluvr on 22 Mar 2009, 07:07 pm

Hey Martin....

Any photos of your projects?

I've built with 80-20 and would like to do so again, so I am always curious about different approaches and designs.

Thanks!

John

No pictures yet but I am going to build one using my 1515 design. I just sent emails requesting quotes for all the pieces.

The 3030 is overkill but would be an interesting experiment.

The plan is to use four 48" 1515 legs with three "X" shelf supports made using 1515 pieces and anchor fasteners supporting 24" x 24" x 1-7/8" butcher block shelves on small 1/4"-20 spikes. The top and bottom of the legs will be 5/16"-18 tapped and I'll use larger spikes on both ends, the top supporting a larger 30" x 30" x 2-7/8" butcher block shelf for my turntable. From 80/20's deflection calculations the shelf supports should be strong enough to support 200 lbs. each with less than .002" deflection.

I fully expect to be able to build this for under $700 and I think it would compare very favorably with units costing $1500 to $2000 from some of the names already mentioned in this and related threads.

I'll post pics when complete.

I like the rack in your system pics - that looks like a substantial hunk of granite under your turntable.

Martin

toobluvr · « **Reply #35 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 03:31 pm »

Yeah....
That granite was a ball buster! 3' thick and 150 lbs!

But that's my old rack, which is sold. You can just barely see it to the left.
My current one is 80-20 + butcher block.

More photos:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=1465

As you can see, I made no attempt at isolating or coupling the shelves.
I simply attached the butcher block shelves to the 80-20 uprights with "L" brackets provided by 80-20.

Nor did I use any horizontal bracing or "X" cross members. I'm sure it would be more massive and rigid if I had, but I was going for a more open and clean look. Cost was also a consideration.

The Blinn stuff uses horizontal members arranged in a rectangular fashion:

It's hard to see what's going on under his shelving, but I suspect some sort of spike system....or other method of coupling / isolating.

From a strictly visual point of view, I prefer my design.
I have no idea which one "sounds" better.

If I were to use horizontal bracing, I would go with an "X" system as you have chosen to. I think it just looks cleaner and less chunky than the rectangular bracing. I believe Adona also uses the "X" system.

Your design sounds real nice, Martin.
I'm sure it will turn out beautifully.

It is similar to what I would have done if $$ had not been a factor. I was given the 80-20, and my objective was to get it done as cheaply as possible w/o sacrificing visual appeal, and too much in the way of performance. I think it cost me about $250 in total.

Good luck, and be sure to post some photos when done.

mhconley · « **Reply #36 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 05:24 pm »

John,

Very nice job on the rack! I must say I like the looks of your rack much better than the Blinn design, much more elegant. Is that an Opera Consonance CD-120 Linear I see on the second shelf? How do you like it? I thought it was a great sounding CD player. I just sold mine to finance the purchase of a Parasound Halo D 3 to go in my system. I already have a Parasound Halo P 3 preamp and A 21 amp. I also have an Opera Consonance LP-2.0 turntable. Nice piece.

For the rack I am trying for something more along the lines of Adona's racks without the associated cost. I have all the quotes in hand and it looks like it's going to cost me about $700 at retail including tax and shipping. Sure beats $1500! I plan to order all the pieces today and hope to have it together in the next 2 weeks. I'll definitely be posting pictures.

Martin

toobluvr · « **Reply #37 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 05:47 pm »

Quote from: mhconley on 23 Mar 2009, 05:24 pm

John,

Very nice job on the rack! I must say I like the looks of your rack much better than the Blinn design, much more elegant. Is that an Opera Consonance CD-120 Linear I see on the second shelf? How do you like it? I thought it was a great sounding CD player. I just sold mine to finance the purchase of a Parasound Halo D 3 to go in my system. I already have a Parasound Halo P 3 preamp and A 21 amp. I also have an Opera Consonance LP-2.0 turntable. Nice piece.

For the rack I am trying for something more along the lines of Adona's racks without the associated cost. I have all the quotes in hand and it looks like it's going to cost me about $700 at retail including tax and shipping. Sure beats $1500! I plan to order all the pieces today and hope to have it together in the next 2 weeks. I'll definitely be posting pictures.

Martin

Good eyes, Martin.
Consonance CD-120 Linear is on the shelf above the amps.
The player above it is a Talk Thunder 3.1B.

I think the 120 Linear is an excellent excellent player at its price point. I also owned the Consonance 2.2 Linear ---- its pricier (and supposedly superior) stablemate. I much prefer the 120. As surprising as it sounds, the solid state 120 sounds more liquid and "tooby" than the tubed 2.2!

I found the 2.2 dry and too insistent and aggressive in the highs. The 120's presentation is warmer and better balanced, and overall just more relaxed, musical and engaging. It doesn't have the dimensionality and palpability of expensive players, but its tone, detail and harmonics are very good.

The 120 acquits itself quite well against the stalwarts in the modest price / good performance arena: EE Minimax, Rega Appollo. I have had both in my system and they are both excellent, but I think I prefer the 120.

On your rack...
Is the butcher block included in your total cost?
Where are you getting it, and what is its cost?

~ John

bluemike · « **Reply #38 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 06:19 pm »

John
You seem to like 120's Dodd , Consanance aa

mhconley · « **Reply #39 on:** 24 Mar 2009, 04:22 am »

Quote from: toobluvr on 23 Mar 2009, 05:47 pm

On your rack...
Is the butcher block included in your total cost?
Where are you getting it, and what is its cost?

~ John

The best prices I have found were on another thread here in these forums: http://www.perfectplank.com/maple_butcher_block_tops.html. I had been looking elsewhere including Timbernation and a couple of other mom & pop shops. All too expensive. I have not gotten Perfect Plank's quote yet but their prices are on their website. Do you know of anyplace less expensive?

Martin