In-wall equipment rack... (1 Viewer)

[Jason Price]

I'm going to be recessing my equipment into shelves/rack in one of my walls. I've never done anything like this, so I'm looking for some input. What's the best way to do this? Just build wooden shelves into the wall, or buy some sort of 3rd party product?
If anyone has any info or links on this kind of thing, I would appreciate it.
Thanks.
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-Jason
If at first you don't succeed, see if the loser gets anything...

 

[SamRoza]

Well, I just used an older server rack for my audio equipment. About a month ago, I got tired of it's unwieldy size(8ft!), and chopped 3 feet out of it.
I paid $75 for the rack, and invested 5 hours of cutting and welding it to get it the right size.
Otherwise, go for the 3rd part products. Middle Atlantic is the way to go, although they are a bit pricey.
I'd build a closet that will support all of your equipment and racks(400 lbs, give or take) and build it to the spec of whatever rack you decide to use. Middle Atlantic sells a kit for their racks that will allow it to be slid out so you can access the rear of the rack without crawling into your closet. Very nice, really!
Sam

 

[Jason Price]

Sam-
Turns out, I might be able to get a server rack for free through work (HP server, most likely). They mentioned that the rack is very deep - is your rack the same? How deep is it? How difficult was it to size to your liking?
How does it look? Did you do anything to it to change the appearance?
I have no idea what size rack I might be able to get at this point. Hopefully, I'll find out soon...
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-Jason
If at first you don't succeed, see if the loser gets anything...

 

[Wes]

I just did this same thing you are looking at doing. I will be posting pics soon of the completion of my dedicated HT and the rack. I had an equipment area of 28"x22"x6', so I bought at Home Depot the 6' adjustable metal shelf holder strips along with 3/4" 24"x10' particle shelving (the stuff with the front rounded corner). I screwed the metal strips to the wall were I had preplanned studs and then cut the shelves to fit. Painted all the shelves flat black to match the theater decor and installed the equipment starting from the bottom. I think it looks great and am very pleased with the results. I figure it cost around $35. to build.
Wes

 

[SamRoza]

Jason, my server rack was just a generic rack, so it's not nearly as big as the HP or Compaq racks. Front to back, mine is 25.5"
It's thankfully only 5' tall now
I don't think the HP rack would be any more deep than 35" or so, so it's manageable.
I like it, and I didn't waste too much money on it. Also, it's indestructible!
Sam

 

[Mike LS]

Jason,
I have my equipment shelves recessed into my HT wall. Granted, mine is a very simple 2 shelf rack....all work done myself.
I don't know what kind of equipment you have, so I don't know how much room you'll need for your gear. Myself....I only have about 5 pieces of equipment, so I didn't need much room.
If you're interested in seeing what I wound up with, email me and I'll send or post some pics for you. The rack wasn't that difficult to do and probably took about a day to complete.

 

[Jason Price]

Well, it looks like I'm going to get a server rack for free from my work. I'm not exactly sure of the dimensions yet, but I believe it's going to be 19" wide and about 30" deep. It's definitely deeper than I would prefer, but hey, it's free, so I can't complain.
Does anyone have advice on how best to mount the rack into the wall?
Also, where can I get shelves?
Mike-
I send you an email for pics of your rack...
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-Jason
If at first you don't succeed, see if the loser gets anything...
[Edited last by Jason Price on October 02, 2001 at 10:07 PM]

 

[SamRoza]

Jason,
Go to www.smarthome.com for the rack shelving. 19x30 is about right for a server rack.
Can you weld? If not, maybe investing $50-100 at your local metalshop wouldn't be a bad idea since the rack is 6'-8' tall.
Sam

 

[Jason Price]

No, I can't weld a lick. But, it's a moot point, anyway. I went to pick up the rack today and discovered that the only racks they had were from HP E55 servers - only about 3 1/2 ft tall. I went ahead and took the rack, but don't think I can use it for my A/V equipment. I was really hoping for 5' or so for the rack. So, looks like I might be back to looking at the Slim-5 again...

 

[SamRoza]

That's a helluva bummer Jason, and I don't think I could put all of my equipment in that either.
Sam

 

[Derek Waldroop]

You might want to try checking out some telecom companies and the like for some cheap floor mount racks, either 19" or 23" whichever you prefer. I normally buy them to install cisco equipment in data centers, Ive been planning on using some for my data equipment as well. Just chop the top , paint and away you go. Might try www.graybar.com or something similar. One vendor I had been using was Chatsworth 19" Racks. I normally get them for around $150 wholesale around town.
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Derek Waldroop
[email protected]

 

[Dan_Myers]

Well, if you don't have a use for that little rack and are looking to get rid of it - I will take it off your hands.
- Dan