Build Your Own Rack Furniture
- losthighway
- resurrected
- Posts: 2351
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:02 pm
- Contact:
Build Your Own Rack Furniture
I just did some measuring, but I wanted to check before I build something the wrong size.
What are the typical dimensions of a Rack Unit? I was thinking of buying 12U metal pieces and then doing the rest wood. Obviously, width is the most important dimension.
What are the typical dimensions of a Rack Unit? I was thinking of buying 12U metal pieces and then doing the rest wood. Obviously, width is the most important dimension.
-
- re-cappin' neve
- Posts: 699
- Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:00 pm
- Location: Allentown, PA
- Contact:
A standard Rack Unit is 1 3/4" high and 19" wide. As far as depth, I would make it AT LEAST 18" deep to accomodate most gear, plus cables coming out the back. Deeper if you have anything especially large like power amps.
That's basically what I did. I bought a pair of 20-space rack rails and a sheet of 3/4" cabinet grade oak plywood. Fortunately for me, my dad knew a furniture maker who cut the pieces for me according to my drawings. (You don't cut cabinet grade oak with a hand held circular saw!)
That's basically what I did. I bought a pair of 20-space rack rails and a sheet of 3/4" cabinet grade oak plywood. Fortunately for me, my dad knew a furniture maker who cut the pieces for me according to my drawings. (You don't cut cabinet grade oak with a hand held circular saw!)
"TEMPUS FUGIT" the Novel -- Now Available!!
http://www.curtyengst.com
http://www.curtyengst.com
- losthighway
- resurrected
- Posts: 2351
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:02 pm
- Contact:
Lucky for me I can't afford oak and will be buying delux plywood about a 1/2" thick. I think my electric jigsaw will make short work of it!
I get the feeling it would be better to make the width of the cabinet 19 1/8" just for a little extra budge room once the rails are on and the various screw designs line up.
I get the feeling it would be better to make the width of the cabinet 19 1/8" just for a little extra budge room once the rails are on and the various screw designs line up.
- RodC
- dead but not forgotten
- Posts: 2039
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 8:53 pm
- Location: Right outside the door
- Contact:
Most comercial ones are 19 1/8". I had to make one of mine 19 3/16" for some older equipment that was a tad oversized.
I used 1x12 (3/4 X 11 3/4 actual) to make most of my racks. I only have a few pieces that hang out an inch or 2.
Plywood would be OK, but aint as fun to work with as standard wood. Unless you buy the expensive stuff you will still run into voids in the middle of the wood.
Cutting streight with a jig saw is tough. I have a table saw, but in a pinch i guess you could use a circular saw.
I used 1x12 (3/4 X 11 3/4 actual) to make most of my racks. I only have a few pieces that hang out an inch or 2.
Plywood would be OK, but aint as fun to work with as standard wood. Unless you buy the expensive stuff you will still run into voids in the middle of the wood.
Cutting streight with a jig saw is tough. I have a table saw, but in a pinch i guess you could use a circular saw.
'Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones'
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
-
- re-cappin' neve
- Posts: 699
- Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:00 pm
- Location: Allentown, PA
- Contact:
Yeah, 19 1/8" is good. You can always make up any discrepancy with washers when you mount the rails. Better too wide than not wide enough.
If you don't have access to a table saw, at least make a cutting jig from a good straight piece of lumber for your circular saw to follow. You'll want this thing as square as you can get it.
Plain old pine plywood is fine, but I think 1/2" will be a bit flimsy, and joining the corners might be a bit of a pain. A half of an inch is less space than most people think.
Go at least 5/8".
If you don't have access to a table saw, at least make a cutting jig from a good straight piece of lumber for your circular saw to follow. You'll want this thing as square as you can get it.
Plain old pine plywood is fine, but I think 1/2" will be a bit flimsy, and joining the corners might be a bit of a pain. A half of an inch is less space than most people think.
Go at least 5/8".
"TEMPUS FUGIT" the Novel -- Now Available!!
http://www.curtyengst.com
http://www.curtyengst.com
- RodC
- dead but not forgotten
- Posts: 2039
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 8:53 pm
- Location: Right outside the door
- Contact:
Too bad your not near us, you would be more than welcome to drop by and cut them out. (that goes for any other tapOper as well)
I over looked the 1/2 size, that is a bit too thin. I would do a least 3/4.
I over looked the 1/2 size, that is a bit too thin. I would do a least 3/4.
'Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones'
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
- losthighway
- resurrected
- Posts: 2351
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:02 pm
- Contact:
- RodC
- dead but not forgotten
- Posts: 2039
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 8:53 pm
- Location: Right outside the door
- Contact:
losthighway wrote: I will just use the table saw at Home Depot.
Make those Home Depot guys work!
'Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones'
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
Remember that when you mount your rack ears, they are 1/8" thick themselves. So it sound be 19 1/4 " from side to side at a minimum.CurtZHP wrote:Yeah, 19 1/8" is good.
I get satisfaction of three kinds. One is creating something, one is being paid for it and one is the feeling that I haven?t just been sitting on my ass all afternoon.
- RodC
- dead but not forgotten
- Posts: 2039
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 8:53 pm
- Location: Right outside the door
- Contact:
What does the thickness of the ears have to do with it? Or do you mean the distance from the center of the holes to the outside edge? That varies quite a bit on my stuff.seeabove wrote:Remember that when you mount your rack ears, they are 1/8" thick themselves. So it sound be 19 1/4 " from side to side at a minimum.CurtZHP wrote:Yeah, 19 1/8" is good.
I have 3 comercial built racks (SKB) they are all 19 1/16" wide.
The screws are on 18 7/16" centers.
'Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones'
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
- RodC
- dead but not forgotten
- Posts: 2039
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 8:53 pm
- Location: Right outside the door
- Contact:
The ones I have used do not take up any room in front, they curve into the back. Thus the inside dimentions are not affected by the rails.CurtZHP wrote:He meant the rack rails.
'Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones'
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
http://www.beyondsanityproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/beyondsanity
-
- tinnitus
- Posts: 1094
- Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:52 am
- Location: Washington, DC
I used rails I got from Parts Express which I'm 99% sure are Penn-Elcom rails (formerly Penn Fabrication, a great hardware company IMHO). Anyway, the interior width of my rack is just a hair under 19 1/2". I think 19 1/8" is about the right interior dimension. I ended up making it too wide and inserting shims between the interior walls and the rails to get the close enough together.
Making it a little too wide is definitely better than too narrow. If you're not sure you could shoot for 19 1/4" and shim it if you make it too wide.
I made mine 18" deep, and I capped it with a 24x24" piece of plywood so I could put a printer on top. Mine is entirely 5/8" plywood with L-brackets and countersunk wood screws for the hardware, and I both glued and screwed all joints. I also faced all the plywood edges on the front with thin wood veneers that simply iron on, which was the part of the project that surprised me with how easy it was. I also finished it with a combined stain/poly which went on with only two coats but which is still outgassing a little. If I do it again (I have two extra rails here) then I'll probably go all water-based for the finish.
If you can scrape enough to get a Milwaukee circular saw and make yourself a straight cutting jig you'll get much better results than with a jigsaw.
Making it a little too wide is definitely better than too narrow. If you're not sure you could shoot for 19 1/4" and shim it if you make it too wide.
I made mine 18" deep, and I capped it with a 24x24" piece of plywood so I could put a printer on top. Mine is entirely 5/8" plywood with L-brackets and countersunk wood screws for the hardware, and I both glued and screwed all joints. I also faced all the plywood edges on the front with thin wood veneers that simply iron on, which was the part of the project that surprised me with how easy it was. I also finished it with a combined stain/poly which went on with only two coats but which is still outgassing a little. If I do it again (I have two extra rails here) then I'll probably go all water-based for the finish.
If you can scrape enough to get a Milwaukee circular saw and make yourself a straight cutting jig you'll get much better results than with a jigsaw.
- rhythm ranch
- mixes from purgatory
- Posts: 2793
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 8:45 pm
- Location: Corrales, NM
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 156 guests