Ready to tackle the Flexy rack project. Last minute confirmation stage (1 Viewer)

[Justin Ward]

I thought I'd run these numbers by you guys to make sure my soon to be flexy will turn out ok.

I am building a flexy with 4 double wide racks. The bottom 3 will house components and the top on will hold my TV and a Paradigm CC-170.

I will be using 3/4 MDF shelves 40" wide and 18" deep. Total height will be about 28". The rods will be 1/2 inch threaded.

Do these specs seem correct?



Another semi-related question: My CC-170 will now be about 8 inches about ear height, will this affect imaging? I have heard that MTM speakers have excellent vertical dispersion so I am not sure if it will have an effect.

 

[Allen Ross]

if you can get 5/8ths rod i would for the added support seeing that you are going to have a lot of weight on it. Also what's your spacing? between rods?

 

[Justin Ward]

Also what's your spacing? between rods?

That was pretty much going to be my next question. WOuld 4 rods do the job? Should I maybe do 5 rods(corners plus one in the center)?

 

[Allen Ross]

i was thinking more along the lines of 6 three along the front 3 on the back, also i am guessing you are stacking the double wide racks right? so you will need mondo support

 

[Mike Boniferro]

what type of TV?
I have (well had) a 5 5/8" rod system with my old 32" Sony Trinitron... I just put one in the centre, back a little further, just to hold the shelf the tv sat on. Since most of the weight in the TV's is in the front, I didn't see much of a point adding one to the rear and it worked beautifully.
I used pre-veneered particle board as well.

 

[Justin Ward]

I am currently using an ancient 22" GE tv. But I am buying a 24" Samsung Flatscreen fairly soon.

 

[Mike Boniferro]

In that case I'd say 5 rods is plenty, also a really nice look

 

[Justin Ward]

Does the position of the 5th rod matter? I think it would look best in the very middle of the shelves but can move it to the front if nescessary.

 

[Justin Ward]

I just got back from Central Supplies to get some prices. I think I am going to buy some pre-made 3/4 particle board shelves. They come rounded on the front and they have a size that looks good for what I want to do. 48wide(might cut them a little shorter), 15 1/2 inches deep(plenty deep for my equipment) and 3/4 inch thick.

They are only $3.88 a piece before taxes. The threaded rods are going to be more expensive than the shelves!
And it wouldn't be a DIY project without some PVC . I am using 1" PVC to cover the threaded rods. This will prevent me from changing the shelf heights but it should make it look nicer.

I am going to use the same paint scheme I used on the stands. Grey-stone shelves with the PVC painted with black textured finish. I think the rack will look great especially next to my stands.

Any more advice before I buy all this stuff?

 

[Mike Boniferro]

sounds like you're well on your way!!

With that size of TV, I would think a rod in the centre would be just fine... just as the TV gets heavier at the front you want to move the rod closer to the front....

 

[Arthur_King]

Just be sure that the particle board can handle the weight. Granted you're putting a rod in the middle, but particle board is definitely not as strong as MDF. Make sure that anything you put on there isnt too heavy as to cause possible problems. Better safe than sorry.

Daffy Arthur King

 

[Justin Ward]

Bought the parts I need. 4 shelves, 5 1/2" rods, nuts, washers. Decided to go with 2" PVC. Looked like it would match better and I have plenty of width to work with.

Gonna start tomorrow before work and hopefully finish it the next day.

I was also thinking about something to hang my headphones on(Grado SR-80s). Any ideas for that?

 

[Justin Ward]

Rack is mostly done now. Painting done, holes drilled, PVC cut. Basically all that is left is the assembly. I will be doing that tomorrow. I hope to get a digital camera to take some pics of the finished product. I must say that it looks like the rack will look very nice, especcially next to my Titans on the (matching) speaker stands.

Thanks for answering all my questions.

 

[Bob Kavanaugh]

I'm lost on how you will tighten your shelves with pvc sleeves on the allthread. Do you plan to use nuts only at the top and bottom, and compress the shelves onto the pvc? If so, I would worry about stability.

 

[Justin Ward]

I'm lost on how you will tighten your shelves with pvc sleeves on the allthread. Do you plan to use nuts only at the top and bottom, and compress the shelves onto the pvc? If so, I would worry about stability.

We actually put the thing together tonight. We actually managed to put nuts/washers on both sides of all shelves. Wasn't very difficult either. The whole thing is amazingly stable. It looks great I've deciced to go ahead with a top section to store my CC-170 and DVD/CDs. The stone paint looks excellent and hoperfuly will look even better next to my stands. I'll post some pics as soon as I can.

 

[Bob Kavanaugh]

Cool, right after I asked that question, I looked at my flexy and said "ah", I figured out that it wouldn't be too difficult to do. Looking forward to pics!

 

[Justin Ward]

I've got some pics of it half done. I am having some troubles with my geocities account though:frowning: . I will be finishing the project tomorrow night anyway. So I will probably just wait until then to post them. Total project cost was cheap too:

6 shelves ($4 each)
threaded rods About $30 total
paint $18
PVC $15
Nuts/washers (had them already).

Total cost was only about $90(Canadian). This rack is at least as nice as ones I've seen costing a few times more. I'm really happy with the project.

 

[Justin Ward]

Had too much homework to do tonight, so I didn't have time. My webpage has been updated with some pics though. Check it out.

 

[Bob Kavanaugh]

Very nice. I wish I could have "cheated" and found ready finished shelves. The PVC is a nice touch, i'm glad it all worked out for you.

 

[Justin Ward]

Thanks, just wait until I get the top section on. BTW feel free to add the new link(in my sig)to your DIY web page.