[DaveC113]

I found some nice lumber on ebay, air dried claro walnut, 2 1/4" thick. They will be shelves for an equipment rack, and I will have a total of 4 boards (one more is on the way). The question is how to support the shelves. I can work with wood or metal, but this has got to be quick, easy, and look good  . Total width of the shelves will be about 26.5" after they get trimmed and finished.

Right now I'm thinking the amp on top (better heat dissipation), preamp under the amp, and sources on the lower shelves. Then there's the cable box, the audio alchemy DAC setup, and the tube-rectified power supply box for the preamp that I really have no idea what to do with.

I may need more shelves, or maybe resaw one of the shelves into 2 thinner ones...

[daddydoom]

Hey daveC113

If your look for something with speed. Go allthread.
I built mine with 2 inch soft maple.

I had the hardware polished nickel plated which took about a week.
That gave me time to finish the wood.
The assembly was fast.
It took a little time to thread the bottom of the rods for spike, but that was the hardest part.

[toobluvr]

Nice wood!

To put it all together use the center channel extruded aluminum stuff by 80-20.  That's what I used.  Stronger than you will ever need, goes together fast and easy, and looks good.

All the info you will need is contained in these threads:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=63111.0

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=56322.0

Good luck!

[JoshK]

I like the 80-20 option.  I did my permanente with dowels and now I am thinking of sawing it apart to make them adjustable with 80-20.  Things change so a little flexibility is nice.
 
Nice wood.  You may think of sawing them in half width-wise and gluing together, opposite-wise, to make them resistant against bowing.

[jrebman]

Dave,

I think you shouldn't worry about it -- just give me the wood and I'll put it to good use and you can have the black MDF AV123 rack I have here .

Hey, our shop is finally getting to the usable point and we have a new 10" unisaw with a 3 hp 220v motor, a nice selection of Forest blades, and a bunch of jigs, etc.  It also has a built in router table.  We got a nice new jointer/planer too, but I haven't used that yet.  The table saw from hell is gone and this one is unbelievably nice.

Ira brought my zigmahornets over this weekend and I plan to get to them as soon as I finish the amp I'm building for my dad, and the upgrades on my Horns.

-- Jim

[DaveC113]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm thinking I need one more shelf, and just build the rack a little taller so I can put the amp on the bottom. I like the threaded rod because it looks really easy. With the 8020 I need to figure out the rack/shelf interface which it seems I'm too lazy to do. Also, 3/4" allthread and grade 8 nuts and washers (just for the gold coating) go for $106 at Ace Hardware, not too bad...  I might weld nuts to a round plate of steel and glue felt to the bottom of the plate for feet. I have 3/16" industrial felt around and don't want to put marks in my wood floor. Brass rod would be cool, but would cost around $600.

[rajacat]

Dave,
Here's one more suggestion for the frugal audiophile. I built this for ~$160 including the wood. I made washers out of mass loaded vinyl for damping. The rack feels solid after I really cranked down of the nuts.

The threaded rod could be covered with polished copper tubing for a bit more elegance but it would be more difficult to adjust the shelves.

-Roy

[Don_S]

Dave,

I think that walnut looks great.  Personally I think the aluminum channel toobluvr recommends or contrasting wood legs (solid maple) would set it off nicely.  I am not a fan of the all thread look and they eat up shelf space.

Actually I think matching legs would be best.  Is that an option? You did not provide any dimensions. Is it possible to rip four legs in addition to shelves out of the material you have?

I had a local wood builder make my shelves out of maple butcher block with solid maple legs.  The four corner legs and rear-center leg were half dadoed so they ended up being flush with the shelf ends.   My shelves are 4' wide so I voted for a rear-center leg.  It really helps with lateral stability and so do the interlocking dadoes.

[JoshK]

Any update?

[toobluvr]

Another idea for DIY rack....

Speed Rail

http://www.hollaender.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=EC24FDAE-CC9C-BA86-D8D542E83A8C403F

I've seen racks made with this stuff, and they actually look much better than one would expect from an industrial product.

I comes in various colors and with all the sizes and different fittings, the design possibilities are endless.  The frame goes together quickly, and is always rock solid stable, square, and straight.   Just assemble it and then lay on your favorite shelving.  I would use some nicely stained and finished butcher block, or some nice solid wood like the OP shows above.

I haven't priced it, but I'm told it's not expensive.

[DaveC113]

No progress, but I picked up material for a 4th shelf...  I have been recovering from a sports injury and it's taken a while. I'm good to go now, just need to make time for the project. Hopefully I'll post some pics of an audio rack soon