Got parts for flexy, need details :) (1 Viewer)

[Joe Hsu]

So, I've decided that I will be very productive this week, and I did a bunch of stuff today, part of which, was buying a sheet of 3/4" MDF, and getting it cut to 23"*21" shelves for a flexy rack. Now, I was wondering, for those of you who have made a flexy, how far from the edge did you drill your holes? I left about 2-3" extra on each side of my largest piece of equipment (receiver), so that should be enough space so that I shouldn't have to worry about stress cracking the MDF, right?

Other than that, it's all pretty simple it seems, so my last concern is the finish...I decided to go with MDF still, due to monetary constraints...but I've never actually finished any wood, using a stain or just paint, so are there any suggestions as to what I should look for? I just want a traditional wood color, probably anything would look fine with the black of my components.

On a side note...just got off the phone with another local HTF guy, and I should also have my sonosub Tempest finished next week. SWEET.

 

[Allen Ross]

i left about 1.5 inches from the hole center to the edge.

a traditional look with MDF is going to be hard, you can try and staining it, or veneer it but that will set you back a ton of cash. My recommendation, invest 20 bucks in spray paint primer, and top coat and don't forget sand the primer nice and smooth.

 

[Joe Hsu]

Yeah, I went/am going the spraypaint route with my stands, and it's really annoying...I don't mind the priming, but anybody out there have a favorite paint that they use on MDF?

And with all the talk that there's been about laminates/vinyl/veneer, there isn't a cheap way to do it? The PE vinal sheets looked pretty good...would that be a good idea? And how do you apply laminate/vinyl...a roller, and a straight edge to get rid of bubbles...anything else?

For those suggesting anything, if you could include a link to a picture of the finish in action, that'd be great!

 

[Bob Kavanaugh]

I left my flexy plain MDF. I did round over the edges though. For the holes, I set a marking guage to 1-5/8" and scratched a mark from each edge on the corners so my holes would all be perfectly aligned. As far as stress, my stand is 42" x 24" with 6 allthread rods, and only 4 of those are used for feet. Look at my pictures at the link below, even with all of that crap on my rack, there is only 1/8" downward flex in the middle, which I raised back to level with some shims. Oh, and look for the rubber feet at home depot, they are great.

 

[Roly]

Joe:
Try the laminate from Parts Express.
Cost you $10.00 for a 2'x10' roll.
Easy to install and looks great.

Good Luck
Roly