DIY Rack questions

[Rowdy S13]

Hey guys! As some of you may know I am in the process of planning my first "home theater" build right now. I have it mostly locked down, and just have a few details left to figure out. One of which is some kind of rack for all of my gear. I have done quite a bit of research on them already, and they are a bit too rich for my blood. Lucky for me, I can build my own I just have a few questions

1. How wide apart should the rails be? I am looking for something along the lines of center to center of the holes.
2. How deep should it be? I see that there are options for depth, but are they specific dimensions, or adjustable?

Basically I am going to make my own rack, but I want it to be able to take standard rack mount pieces. I am planning a 19" wide unit that is 4 or 5 feet tall. I have a max depth in the space of 25" though. The IT rack we have at work looks to be fully adjustable for depth of the rear rails, but it is hard to say if it locks at specific dimensions. Whatever help you guys can give me is greatly appreciated. If all else fails I will just order up a shelf and a blank so I can just assemble it before welding


Thanks,
Sean

 

[adk highlander]

Hi Sean. I built my racks with Middle atlantic rails but with a wooden frame. The one with the theater gear is in my front wall and the one in the back room is free standing. I did not have a welding machine so that was not an option for me. I know I went to the middle atlantic site and downloaded the specs for their slim 5 rack and used those measurements. For welding I'm sure it would be easier to just buy a couple of blanks and use them for sizing. I have used Middle Atlantic A/V Racks | 19" Audio/Video Rack, Home Theater, Cabinets, Shelves, Power Cords for all of my ordering both for my custom face plates as well as rails. Great customer service and best pricing I could find.

I can make measurements tonight if you would like. I would leave 1U between each piece of gear.

 

[TheWarrior]

This is one I made a couple years back and still use. You will notice the amps are given extra breathing room, which I recommend. Depth should be taken from you largest component, adding a few extra inches so that you ensure cables don't get crimped against the wall!

 

[Rowdy S13]

So adk, am I correct that you are just using two rails in the front? I see in your link that they sell shelves that are "Two Point" which looks to mean they only attach at the front. If that is the case, then this project got a lot easier If you wouldn't mind, a measurement from center of screw to center of screw would be very helpful.


Thank you,
Sean

 

[adk highlander]

Yes on the main theater rack is just front rails. The regular shelves and custom shelves all mount with just the front. They are designed for the specific gear or a weight rating. I do use front and rear rails on the other rack as I have two servers and a ton more wiring there which require front and rear. You may also want to have rear rails for wire management. You can use a variety of bars to zip tie or velcro your wires and make it look super neat. I am a bit OCD with my wiring. Will send the measurement when I get home.

 

[Rowdy S13]

Thank you for the help! Do you know the spacing you used from front to back? Are there standard sizes, or it is just another set of points to attach things to?

Sean

 

[adk highlander]

Hey Sean. The width measurement is 18 3/8 from center to center. According to the pdf I am linking you want your rough in to be 19 inches. The blanks and other mounts usually give you a bit of extra room but you still want to be plumb. the depth of my rack with front and back is 26 inches but that was to do with the depth of my server more than anything.

http://www.customavrack.com/images/file/96_033RRF.pdf

 

[Rowdy S13]

You're the MAN!!! Thank you very much for the help! I will draw up some rails tomorrow so I can get moving on making everything I will keep this post up to date.


Sean

 

[adk highlander]

Hey Sean, I want to make sure that you don't plan to make the actual rails. You can get the pre-drilled and ready to go the length you need very inexpensively. Due to the odd measurement that is 1u and to have them tapped for screws I would really recommend buying the rails and then getting metal and do the welding of the frame. Also re-reading it looks like the rough opening should be 19.125 inches.

Here is a link to the page that has all the available lengths: Middle Atlantic RRF Series Tapped/Threaded 10-32 Rack Rails

 

[crossedover]

This is the best rack advice I've seen on a forum in a long time. A Middle Atlantic she'll is a great DIY option. Ordering custom fit blanks for specific gear isn't that expensive. I've held 120+ gear without worry. Parts express offers a nice amount of accessories to start with.

 

[Rowdy S13]

I have to agree, this thread very quickly got to the point with helpful info. HUGE thanks to adk for that!

I am actually planning on making my own rails, but don't worry, I am not doing it by hand! At my work we have the proper equipment to do everything needed. I am still questioning tapping all the holes though, there is a LOT of them!! The plan is to punch all the holes, shear the blank, tap the holes with an auto tapper (when it goes through the dies retract so it can just come straight out), and then form. As you can see the tapping part is still pretty involved even though I will doing them in a mill. I may make a sample piece to see how the tapping goes before I dive in on making all 4 rails.

Thank you again for all the advice, I will be putting it all to good use one way or the other. I should be starting on this project pretty soon, and like I said I will update this thread when I do.



Thanks,
Sean

 

[panteragstk]

Hey Sean, I want to make sure that you don't plan to make the actual rails. You can get the pre-drilled and ready to go the length you need very inexpensively. Due to the odd measurement that is 1u and to have them tapped for screws I would really recommend buying the rails and then getting metal and do the welding of the frame. Also re-reading it looks like the rough opening should be 19.125 inches.

Here is a link to the page that has all the available lengths: Middle Atlantic RRF Series Tapped/Threaded 10-32 Rack Rails

FYI you can also get rack rails at Guitar Center. If the middle atlantic rails are similar in price I'd go that route though.

I had toyed with the idea of making a totally open rack out of angle iron. Found some plans online, but never got around to building it.

DIY ~20U server rack | Deadly Computer Blog

 

[slipperybidness]

FYI you can also get rack rails at Guitar Center. If the middle atlantic rails are similar in price I'd go that route though.

I had toyed with the idea of making a totally open rack out of angle iron. Found some plans online, but never got around to building it.

DIY ~20U server rack | Deadly Computer Blog

Yeah, back at my old job, we had a welder so he would make all our lab instrument racks. It's the same as the audio racks.

I think rack-mount is ideal, but only if you can hid it or make it look good. Won't happen in my current home, maybe next time.

And, I think the wood frame is a good idea and looks good, especially if you don't have welding skills or friends.

 

[Rowdy S13]

Thanks guys! I agree with pretty much everything said here I do have welding skills, as well as access to the machinery to make the pieces, which is nice. However, making it look real good is difficult, and building it into the wall is ideal. For me, it will be in a closet in an office adjacent to the main room. I will make it nice, because I am a bit OCD, but it still wont be show worthy like a real rack could be. I wish I could build it into a wall, but there is no place to do that

Thanks for the info about guitar center too! I have one near my house I could stop at. If they are cheap enough (and I am getting close) I will buy em and save the time. Being able to pick them up may be the last piece needed to push them into that cheap enough range



Sean

 

[slipperybidness]

Thanks guys! I agree with pretty much everything said here I do have welding skills, as well as access to the machinery to make the pieces, which is nice. However, making it look real good is difficult, and building it into the wall is ideal. For me, it will be in a closet in an office adjacent to the main room. I will make it nice, because I am a bit OCD, but it still wont be show worthy like a real rack could be. I wish I could build it into a wall, but there is no place to do that

Thanks for the info about guitar center too! I have one near my house I could stop at. If they are cheap enough (and I am getting close) I will buy em and save the time. Being able to pick them up may be the last piece needed to push them into that cheap enough range



Sean

One good thing about GC, they always have something on sale! Check the website too.

 

[Rowdy S13]

Alright, bringing this back from the dead! I finally built something, but I went a different route than I was thinking at the start. I kind of went back and forth about building a actual rack mount system, or more traditional shelving. I ended up going shelving just for the ease of it. I also thought it would be cheaper at the start, but that probably didn't end up being true. Oh well. I will just skip right to the pics

Here is all of the hardware laid out, and just a bit of each type of shelf I made

What you are looking at is some 18 gauge brushed stainless steel shelves (I made 4 with the holes, and 2 solid), four 6' long pieces of 1/2"-13 stainless steel threaded rod, 50 1/2"-13 stainless steel nuts, 50 1/2" stainless steel washer, 4 1/2"-13 stainless steel acorn nuts, 4 1/2"-13 X 1-1/4" stainless steel couplers, 2 1-1/4" x 3" swivel casters, and 1 1-1/4" x 3" swivel casters with brakes. The shelves are 22" x 25" with a 1" edge, and I welded all the corners. The holes are 1/2", and I wish I would have staggered the rows as soon as I saw them punched

Started at the bottom and worked up.

Then worked my way up! Yes, it took FOREVER to spin the nuts all the way down!!!! Probably should have planned that a bit better...

The spacing is a bit odd looking, but there is a plan. The bottom two are spaced for some larger amps (think Emotiva), then my receiver with room to breathe of course, then BluRay player, then it will probably be the server/HTPC computer I am building. This is going to be a small cube case, and I will probably also have my PS3/PS4 (when I get one) on there as well. The large space is undecided actually, so we will call it a surprise!

Anyway, that's really all there is to it. Sorry for the crappy pics, I was pretty excited to get started on it after waiting so long. I will probably update in here with a couple more pics of it in its home, and then also link to the larger build thread when I start it. Thank you guys for your help and advice!



Sean

 

[slipperybidness]

Looks good! How much $ did you end up spending on it?

 

[Nestor]

A good simple design using reasonably available parts. If I can offer one suggestion, it would be a couple of diagonally mounted straps to prevent racking.


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[Rowdy S13]

Looks good! How much $ did you end up spending on it?

Thanks! I probably ended up around $350 all said and done. For one, everything is stainless steel, which really adds up fast. The hardware order alone was just shy of $200. Also I ordered it all from McMaster Carr, I didn't bother shopping it around at all for better deals. The other problem I had was the limitation of our machinery at work. Without going into a TON of detail, I had to buy a sheet an a half of material. Technically I should have been able to make all of the shelves I have from a single sheet. If I would have known about the problem, and put some time in I could have changed the dimensions and used less material. The plus side is that I have a lot of material left over for other things

A good simple design using reasonably available parts. If I can offer one suggestion, it would be a couple of diagonally mounted straps to prevent racking.

I have thought about that. So far it seems pretty solid (I actually stood on the bottom shelf), but it would be very easy for me to make up some sheet metal strips to bolt or weld on. As I start getting it loaded up, and wire run I will see what I think and make a call on it. Thank you for the suggestion though!



Sean

 

[Rowdy S13]

Quick shot of the newest addition to the rack

I probably should have taken a picture of the bracket I made for this, but I didn't. TV is a a Samsung 28" LED (UN28H4000AFXZA) and will serve a few purposes. First, it will be the monitor for the HTPC/Server. It will also be used to make adjustments to the system without the need to fire up the projector. It's main purpose though will be to act as a TV for when someone is on the treadmill that will be in this room.


Sean