*LOTS OF PICS* Flexy rack is done...finally! (1 Viewer)

Hello everyone,

I finished the flexy rack last night and took some pics. My camera has a hideously bright flash...nothing I can do about that. In person, you don't see any funny "look" to the edges.

Anyway, here are the pics...I'll post some construction notes at the end so that others may benefit. (I read about 50 "Flexy threads" before I started on mine...nice to be able to give back.)

No equipment on it yet...that's next week when the PJ comes in and the entertainment center goes buh-bye.

The rack is solid as a rock. No wiggle, jiggle, lean or anything. Shelves are dead level. Used a ruler and a bubble level. I can confidently say that you could put 50 pounds on every shelf and not have a problem. 3/4" shelves are more than enough for a rack of this size, no matter what you're going to put in there.


Here's where the rack will go, eventually.





Closeup of the top of the threaded rod. 5/8" acorn nuts are a bitch to find. If you squint, you can make out the rubber washer under the top metal washer.





One of the shelves.





Wider shelf view. (I hadn't dusted it off yet after construction :b I was too anxious to take pics!)






Wide view. Yes, I know the insides of the cable holes in the back are unpainted. Once the equipment is in and the rack in place, you won't be able to see the inside of the holes. :p





I really like this pic; it's pretty much what it looks like in person.





Cable management holes in the back! (Idea shamelessly stolen from RobertMc...thanks, Rob!!! ) Again...you wont' see the insides of the holes once they're against the wall and full of wires.





Pic is at angle, but the holes are perfectly aligned.





CONSTRUCTION NOTES: (this is what interested me most when I was searching for info.) All the parts/paint except the acorn nuts were purchased at Home Depot. Total cost for everything, including paint and brushes was about $125.



Rod: 5/8" threaded rod, 36" length (standard length as purchased from HD)
Nuts: 5/8" nuts (acorn nuts on top obtained from specialty fastener place...most cities have a few)
Washers: 5/8" "cut washers"
Rubber washers: 5/8" "hose washers" used in the end fitting of a garden hose! Who knew?
Feet: 5/8" rubber furniture tips, painted black by me
Size of shelves: 23 x 20
Material for shelf: 3/4" MDF
How to get rounded look on edges:Use 1/4 roundover bit on router.
Size and location of holes: For the rods, 5/8" hole, 1.25 inches in from corner. For cable management holes, 2" hole, 1 inch in from rear edge, evenly spaced
How to get the holes all evenly aligned: Two words: Drill Press. I measured four times and cut once. Really. I used a standard 5/8" spade bit for the rod holes and a 2" Forstner bit for the cable management holes. It is very possible to do this with a hand drill, but will take you 3x the time. Patience is key here.
Paint: Rustoleum Gloss Black...blue can...can't remember much more) Used a 3" foam brush to apply paint


Other notes: Though the rod holes were 5/8", the rod would not go in no matter how hard I tried. I had to go back with a drill w/the bit in and "wiggle it around in the hole" to enlarge it slightly. I took a nice little pile of sawdust out of each hole and the rods were STILL a tight fit. Expect this...it's a real PITA to work thru, but the end result, i.e. a rack that doesn't wiggle or lean, is worth your bloodied knuckles.


Well, that's it. I'd be happy to answer any questions you guys might have. More pics to follow once the equipment is installed. Thanks for all your help with this project!

Mike D

I bought a 15/16ths wrench for my flexy coolest tool that i own, also doubles up as a defense weapon

Mike,
Very nice, and timely for me too. I'm in the middle of building a rack and came back to find how big to make the holes to fit the rods. Saw it in a post once but can't find it in the archives. About how much would extra would you recommend based on your "wiggling"? 1/16 larger? 1/8?

Hi John,

Heh, I know my description of "wiggling" isn't exactly a precise measurement, now is it?

I'd say 1/16 and no more than that...

You WANT to have to "bang on the corners of the shelves" in order to get them to slide down the rods.

I.E. upper left *wham* lower right *wham* upper right *wham* lower left *wham*

Combine the tight fit of the shelves on the rods with the usage of rubber washer b/t the shelf and the metal washer AND really cranking down on the nuts w/a wrench and you've got shelves that will not move/wiggle AT ALL once done.

That said, if I ever decided to reconfigure the rack, it's going to be a bitch to get the shelves off. BUT, I made sure to measure correctly in order to get the spacing correct the first time.

One other note: If the shelf is a tight fit on the rods, you will experience some paint chipping/tearing around the holes. I did. However, the amount of paint that breaks off is much smaller than the diameter of the big metal washer, so you can't see it. Make sense?

Mike, yeah makes sense. Thanks. I actually have some MDF scrap leftover. Now that I think about it, I'll do some test holes & fits first. Uh-oh, I'm thinking ahead and making sense!

John,

Heh, it's a good thing you're planning ahead and doing test-fits with scrap wood; you'll save yourself a lot of time that way!

These DIY forums are the best resource for this type of stuff; you can directly ask folks that have done the project you have in mind for all the shortcuts!

Good luck and post pics when done!