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Building an equipment rack from scratch

I need help/suggestions for building an equipment rack that will hold my cdp, int. amp, and down the road, a turntable. I'm sort of limited for space widthwise but the depth isn't a problem. I have a very large Krell kav300i (19"Wx15"D), the cdp is an Arcam CD72 wich is the standard 17" wide. I already have a design in mind but would like some help making it "better" sonically.
My idea is to use 2" thick maple for the shelves which would measure approx. 21"Wx17"D. I also want the system to be modular so each shelf unit will be made seperately. Each shelf will be supported by three aluminum/steel? legs. One at the back in the middle and one on either side close to the front. The legs will come up flush to the top of each shelf and then extend down about 6-8". The first shelf will have Mapleshade threaded carpet piercing brass feet. All the shelves will basically be identical apart from not having the carpet piercing feet, just the regular Heavyfeet. The tops of the legs, which will be either solid or hollow to allow for filling, will have little dimples that the above shelve and brass feet can align up with. The legs will be fastened to the maple shelves using steel? plates welded perpendicular to legs on which the malpe will sit. I will notch out the underside of the maple so that the plates are hidden an then they will be screwed up into the maple. I will also notch the sides of the shelves to receive half of the round legs. The legs will be about 1.5" in diameter.
I hope that I have described this well enough to get some suggestions. The reason I decided on this design is that I can "build on it", meaning I can build another unit down the road and simply sit on top of the current shelves. As I said above, the idea is to eventually get into vinyl. I don't yet know which turntable I will be getting but I am on a limited budget so it will be something like a rega p3. This will obviously make a difference on the size.
One other note. I am also considering making the first two shelves as one unit to save on having to buy three more brass feet.
Any suggestions, especially on materials to use, would be very welcome as I am relatively new to this whole HiFi thing but I want to make sure that all the equipment is properly seperated.
Thanks in advance!
pilotboy
bigjoe's avatar
bigjoe
680 posts
 
pilotboy,the VTI racks are ungodly sturdy,before i placed my mc2102 on the top shelf i climbed on top & stood with no problem,very stable.

ive had upwards of 1,000 lbs of gear on my rack before i changed systems & it held it all without so much as a wobble or a creak.

i think that vti way under rates the weight limits of their racks.
sean
6,229 posts
 
I've never seen or heard of the VTI racks before. They appear to be very cost effective for what you get. If you don't mind answering some questions Joe ( or anyone else that is familiar with them ), can you help us out here?

Are the shelves free floating or are they secured to the framework in some manner?

If free floating, are they sitting on upturned spikes, some type of mounting tabs that are spaced apart or is there an inner lip that runs along the entire frame that they drop down onto?

What material is the framework made out of?

The ad that i saw showed that the framework is sand or metal fillable/ Are they talking about just the vertical pillars or can the horizontal bracing also be accessed?

Any and all responses appreciated. Sean
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pilotboy OP
15 posts
 
I will be building the first part of this rack hopefully this weekend. I've decided on three inch thick maple for the bottom shelf which will hold my integrated amp. I ended up getting a pretty good deal on four Mapleshade carpet piercing footers here on A'gon so I might end up making the rack with four legs??? I'll post some pictures when it's done under "my system". Dylan
4yanx
1,576 posts
 
Good to hear regarding the VTI racks. They used to be very common on E-Bay and I almost bought one once. Sight unseen, I always questioned if they were junk trying to use a name that sounded like VPI.
yioryos's avatar
yioryos
723 posts
 
I made my own rack out of commercial grade heavy gauge aluminum tubing and angle line at 3/16" wall thickness.Fasteners and other accessories are all of stainless steel.It's sand or lead fillable however is very heavy unfilled.It still needs to be anodized in black or clear.All shelves are 1/2" glass to keep the look but considering other material options.All shelves are level udjustable.I had a thread detailing the construction techniques(under Misc Audio)back in Sep-Oct 2004 but can no longer find it.It was a challenge to make I must admit,more of a labor of love.
Regards
George
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