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  1. #26
    test the blind blindly emorphien's Avatar
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    I didn't need any Loc-tite, even when moving the thing mine stayed solid.

    Good luck though!

  2. #27
    nightflier
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    Wow, I didn't know this thread was still active. A couple of notes:

    - Have you considered putting spikes on the bottom, instead of having the whole shelf rest on the carpet?

    - Also, when I made my shelf unit, I went a bit wider with my shelves. While this affected stability, I'm sure, it also gave it a more squat and stately appearance. And I could fit my Aragon components on it, which don't fit on standard-width shelves.

    - For those contemplating 3 posts instead of 4, make sure the posts are on the side-edges, even if that doesn't look symmetrical. I currently have a "trendy" shelf unit that has 3 posts, but the 3rd, thickest, post is in the rear which is a pain for cabling.

    - If you have thick shelves, I saw online that someone had attached these to the back of each shelf: http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/s...productID=2157. They allow one to run the cable along the width of the shelf, thus making it less visible. Adding two conduits behind the rear vertical posts, will also hide the cables going down & up.

    I'm not really a big fan of running cables together in a conduit because it affects the sound and picture, but for some people the aesthetic benefits are worth it. Then again, I've put wheels on the bottom of racks to move them from room to room, so I guess that defeats many sound-isolating benefits. Maybe if someone designed feet that could change from spikes & back to wheels at the push of a lever... Hmmmmm, maybe I should market that....

  3. #28
    test the blind blindly emorphien's Avatar
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    I use the cable routing on my surround system in the other room, but only for the power cables and digital audio cables (optical and coax) because it's a short run. I also run the video cable from the older DVD player through the bundle, for some reason. Everything else roams free, same with the stereo rack (I don't have enough wires on my stereo to care about management)

  4. #29
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    Finally done and extremely happy with the results appart from the color of the shelves. Used 3/4 MDF with oak veneers with natural stain. Probably going to change to cherry at a later date, not interested in taking it appart anytime soon. All said and done it probably cost around $75 in materials/supplies but I searched a long long time to find a rack with shelving placed like this and could never find anything. Going to be making another at a later date for cds but with thiner cherry shelves and brass hardware/posts. I'll keep this thread updated with it!

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  5. #30
    Forum Regular O'Shag's Avatar
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    I have two racks by Bello.

  6. #31
    test the blind blindly emorphien's Avatar
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    And I have Target overpriced speaker stands... good for you then?

  7. #32
    Forum Regular O'Shag's Avatar
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    I have two Bello Rack as pictured below. Never one to leave well enough alone, I thought the shelving could be made better. As it turns out the solution as is so often the case was to be found at Ikea. I picked up Lamplig hardwood beech kitchen blocks for each shelf. these blocks are great because they have a large surface area and one side has a lip which acts to anchor each block to the shelf edge and prevent sliding. It also looks real perdy. Beech is a really good choice for components and I've noticed differences when placing components on these blocks. Anyhow here is the picture of the base shelf, of which I have one on each side (audio 2-channel left and HT right)..


  8. #33
    Forum Regular O'Shag's Avatar
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    Emorphien,

    seem to have struck a chord. No offence meant. The last Bello stand I bought as pictured above I paid only $103.00 for. That puts me out of pocket $50.00 over your stand so I lose out. I could have bought a CD or two with the money saved. Bravo for your effort to tackle the problem yourself, but I wanted to start with a rack I thought looked good according to my personal tastes and could house several components. As I mentioned above I tweaked the unit with Beech harwood blocks, so I guess you could say that puts me out $100 over your stand. All money saved counts....

  9. #34
    test the blind blindly emorphien's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by O'Shag
    Emorphien,

    seem to have struck a chord. No offence meant. The last Bello stand I bought as pictured above I paid only $103.00 for. That puts me out of pocket $50.00 over your stand so I lose out. I could have bought a CD or two with the money saved. Bravo for your effort to tackle the problem yourself, but I wanted to start with a rack I thought looked good according to my personal tastes and could house several components. As I mentioned above I tweaked the unit with Beech harwood blocks, so I guess you could say that puts me out $100 over your stand. All money saved counts....
    It didn't strike a chord, your post just had no context and made no sense!

  10. #35
    Forum Regular O'Shag's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by emorphien
    And I have Target overpriced speaker stands... good for you then?


    Oh really? I got the impression that the comment above was designed to insinuate I'm some fool with more money than sense, and perhaps you said this because you may have felt I 'rained on your parade' - which I didn't. Of course I may be wrong..

    I just wanted to share what I have, as you have done. In the context of tweaks, I said I purchased some beech blocks from Ikea that work well with the units I have (I did post a link to a picture). As this thread is with respect to tweaks; what I wrote should make sense, but perhaps I should have elaborated a bit more.

  11. #36
    test the blind blindly emorphien's Avatar
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    You just said you had Bello racks, nothing about about mods so it was out of place. Enough already though, you're clogging up the thread, let the DIYers come and post their creations if they like!

  12. #37
    Forum Regular O'Shag's Avatar
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    Emorphien,

    I'm always pleased to find such warm welcoming folks such as yourself on forums. You are sure encouraging to others. Judging from your extensive audio system I can tell you are in a position to criticize others who may have been stupid enough to buy components costing over $600.00. Also, judging from the 'tweaks' you have, I can see why you feel justified in telling me to get lost. Your 'power conditioning' and cable management system look great. Despite building and tweaking A/V systems for myself and my friend for years, and despite the fact I've gone through what must be twenty times more gear than you, I felt humbled by your DIY 'rack'.

    And speaking of your masterpiece. I've seen this design on positive-feedbacks site. Its a very simple design that I could put together in two hours or less, but functional and acceptable when finished to a good standard. If you can stand the criticism - after all you did display it and request comments - your attempt looks, well a bit rickety. I'm sorry - I know your as proud as punch. Perhaps next time you'll do better - when you save up another $49.00.

    By the way, I'm by nature not given to criticism, but I can give as good as I get.

  13. #38
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    RE: DIY Rack

    I wish I were that talented. I tried to DIY my rack but butchered it so badly. I ended up buying a rack from 2postrack.com. Not nearly as awesome as a DIY cause I love it. Someone should sell the DIY rack.

    Very nice work.

  14. #39
    Phila combat zone JoeE SP9's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MicahZ
    I wish I were that talented. I tried to DIY my rack but butchered it so badly. I ended up buying a rack from 2postrack.com. Not nearly as awesome as a DIY cause I love it. Someone should sell the DIY rack.

    Very nice work.
    Did you check out the Flexy at tnt-audio.com? It's really very easy to build.
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  15. #40
    Forum Regular hermanv's Avatar
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    When I bought truly first class materials and made my own cables, they were cheaper than commercial cables, but not by that much.

    When I bought Cardas connectors, Vishay resistors and Shalco switches my passive pre-amp was cheaper than a quality commercial unit (i.e. Placette) but not by much.

    And when I helped a friend build a quality equipment rack (3/4 all thread, maple shelves) it was cheaper that a commercial unit, but again not by much.

    My point is that quality costs money and that the myth that high end is seriously overpriced is just that, a myth. Sure you can spend more that it's worth (buyer beware) but a quality part of a sound reproduction chain just wont be cheap.

    There is a great deal of satisfaction and pride in DIY. But anyone who thinks they can copy a $500 item for $50 is deluding themselves.
    Herman;

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  16. #41
    nightflier
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    Here is one I worked on recently, actually I should say "we" since I used my friend's generous collection of wood-working tools. We used Salamander posts & bolts, but we used custom-purchased, pre-drilled shelves (these were actually from a wood-shop on the East coast that makes kitchen cooking boards, of all things). We also switched out the rubber washers for some that I just happened to find at an industrial shop that where of a much higher quality rubber (and we could have them completely free). We went with the Salamander spikes instead of the casters and used custom machined floor-protecting disks, with hard damping plastic under them.

    All-in-all it was extremely solidly built and stable, but that's what we were going for. I don't now if it would be appropriate for a record player. Actually, I've always wondered whether a rack should be coupled to the ground that way or not. Yes, everything is more taught, but then it also has to absorb the bass from the speakers & subs.

    If I have more time, I'm going to repeat the above experiment with a few tweaks. I also want it to have a more artistic / fancy look, so here are some thoughts:

    - It will be pyramid shaped, with wider, thicker (perhaps glued together) shelves at the bottom. I'm thinking two of the largest shelves on the bottom, two middle sized ones in the middle, and two small light-jobbies on the top. Since I can get them custom-made, it shouldn't be too hard to do.

    - The posts will not be Salamander because I need them to be more substantial (there go the savings). I do want them to be exactly vertical, even with the pyramid shape of the whole thing. This will also mean that the components on the bottom shelves will have to be slid in from the side since the posts will be narrower on the front than the actual component. It will still have three posts, with one in the back and two in the front.

    - Finally, I would not tighten the shelves to the posts, having them rest on the bolts and washers instead. If I use the right kind of vibration absorbing washers, that should provide considerable damping with the weight of the component pressing down on the shelves enough, I'm guessing.

    - For the feet, I will likely stay with spikes and floor-protecting disks.

    Anyhow, just some thoughts...

  17. #42
    Forum Regular frahengeo's Avatar
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    I built mine back in May this year. I used 11/16" maple plywood with solid wood edging. With the exception of two joints, all joints were dado/glue joints. For the exception, I added 4 "L" brackets for added strength to support my rather heavy Amp. About half of the shelves are adjustable, and the other half, permanent. Thought about installing doors, but decided that an "open" design would be better for heat dissipation.
    Since it was designed to house 12~14 components, it was going to be big. I opted to build three separated and stackable pieces to better manage the weight during installation. From an aesthetics point of view, it is rather dull like a plain bookshelf, but extremely sturdy and functional. Didn't bother staining, but applied three coats of polyurethane for protection.
    All in all, it was a fun project and this was the first time that I had enough space to consolidate all components for the first time.
    Last edited by frahengeo; 08-25-2009 at 04:43 AM.
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  18. #43
    nightflier
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    Very nice

    Very clean look. but how is the lateral support, does it wobble when you push on the side of it? Also, what are you using for feet?

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