DIY Audio / Visual Rack Build
1. Design Layout
A bought rack was out of the question, as I needed a stand for all of my AV kit, but it had to fit into a certain space. The maximum width that I could make it was 1300mm, and I plan to put a 36" TV on top, so it needed to be 600mm deep. Decided to make the stand solid, and use Vibrapods to isolate the CD player, Amp and DVD player from the stand (instead of isolating each shelf).
I measured all my AV components, and got the height and width of everything, then made a scale model in Powerpoint.
The rack has 5 levels, 4 are full width (1300x600mm), and one is 600x600mm (Amp), then 600x600mm for the speaker stand (2x, one top and one bottom). I decided to use 18mm MDF, which I got from B&Q (easiest to get them to cut it for you!). The MDF costs about £10 for a 8ft x 4ft sheet (I needed 2). You can get laminated MDF from some wood stockists, but it costs about £40 a sheet!!
The rack uses 5 uprights for support, one at each corner and one in the centre. I decided to use aluminium tubes for the uprights, and found some 2 inch, 10 gauge (about 3.2mm wall thickness) at a local aluminium stockists. Again, I gave them the lenghts I needed, and got them to cut it (didn't fancy cutting 23 lengths of aluminium tube!!).
One of the things I wanted to do was to isolate the centre speaker from the main rack, as I'm sure all the vibrations from the speaker will affect the sound/picture quality. I decided to make a separate (3 leg) speaker stand within the rack, and make cutouts in the main rack so that the speaker stand does not touch the main rack..
2. Wood Preparation
As I'd got B&Q to cut the MDF for me, I didn't need to cut the MDF to size, so the first job was to drill the holes for the uprights
. 
I was going to use M12 threaded bar to clamp the layers together, but I needed a captive Tee Nut in the centre and the biggest I could get was 10mm, so I used M12 for the 4 corners, and M10 bar for the centre and for the speaker stand, so I used a 12mm and 10mm drill bit for the relevant holes.
I started with the top shelf, and drilled 12mm holes in each corner (40mm x 40mm from the corner). For the 'centre' support I measured 300mm up and 560mm from the left hand edge and drilled a 10mm hole there (amp shelf is 600mm wide, so 600mm - 40mm = 560mm) .
I drilled each main shelf in turn with 12mm and 10mm holes, then the amp shelf, and speaker stand shelves.
I then clamped the 3 main shelves together (using my new 12mm holes and M12 bar and nuts) and sat the speaker stand shelf on top in the correct position, then used the speaker shelf to mark the centre points for the big main shelf cutouts.
I then used a small (5 or 6mm) drill bit to drill pilot holes for the cutouts (using the centre points created in the last step), making sure I went through all 3 layers.
I then bought a 56mm hole maker, which fits into a normal power drill. I unclamped the 3 main shelves and drilled out the 3 cutouts on each shelf in turn. This is quite an awkward job, as the teeth on the hole maker clog quite easily, so every 3 or 4 seconds I pulled it out and just touched the cutting edge with a wire brush (while still spinning), which easily flings off the clogged MDF. WEAR GOGGLES !!!!!
So now I had:
- Top shelf: 1300mm x 600mm with 4x 12mm + 1x 10mm holes
- Three main shelves: 1300mm x 600mm with 4x 12mm + 1 10mm holes + 3 xx mm cutouts
each
- Amp shelf: 600mm x 600mm with 2x 12mm + 1x 10mm holes
- Two speaker stand shelves: 600mm x 600mm with 3x 10mm holes.
I wanted to use captive Tee Nuts for the centre on the top shelf and on the upper speaker stand shelf, so that they were flush with the surface.
I bought some from B&Q, and measured the outer dimensions. Using these I used a 1 inch wood drill bit to countersink the 4 holes that needed the nuts. I then lightly hammered the Tee nuts into position, then removed them again. I could then see the small holes where the 'legs' had dug in, and used a 1.5mm drill bit to just prep the hole for the legs (hard to hammer into MDF, so thought I'd make it easier for the Tee Nut).
3. Wood Painting
I had thought about laminating the MDF, but decided to give Ronseal Paint and Grain a try, as it's only about £13 for the kit. First I had to paint the MDF with an MDF primer, then I bought the Antique Pine Paint and Grain, and after some light sanding of the primer, painted on two coats of the paint and grain basecoat (a much bigger job that it sounds, 2 coats, 2 sides, 7 shelves!), then once that had dried properly, painted on the 'grain' topcoat, ran the magic grainer across the wood, and 'hey presto', we've got pine :)
Once that had dried, it had 2 coats of Ronseal Clear Quick Drying Satin Varnish to protect the 'grain'.
Have to say that I am very happy with the effect, you can only tell it's not real wood from close to, plus it's covererd it kit anyway!!
4. Aluminium Tubes
I picked up my 23 aluminium tubes from the Aluminium stockists (29 actually... had 6x 5ft lengths for my rear speaker stands, they were fun getting into a Toyota MR2!!). After a bit of light de-burring with some emery paper and a file, I made a spray booth out of a big cardboard box. I gave the tubes 2 coats of Halfords Grey Primer, then later I sprayed them back to aluminim using Halfords Aluminium car paint. Gives a nice brushed aluminium finish.
The problem with using a 10 or 12mm threaded bar and a 2 inch aluminium upright is centering the tube on the threaded bar... the last thing you want is the uprights not lining up vertically!! So, I decided I needed a spacer. Basically I needed a disc with a 12mm hole in the middle, and a 43mm outer diameter. Couldn't find a washer to do the job, so decided I needed to make them. I bought another hole cutter from B&Q, one that makes 45mm holes. I then drilled loads of cutouts in an old piece of skirting board, picked up the bits it cutout, drilled the centre hole to 10 or 12mm and I'd made the perfect spacer!!
5. Assembley
Measured all the tubes, and MDF thickness, then calculated the length each threaded bar needed to be for the stand. The 4x corner bars on the main stand were 760mm, the centre 745mm (corners are longer as they poke though the top shelf by 10-15mm). The 3x 10mm bars for the speaker stand were all about 480mm. Cut up my threaded bars to the correct lengths.
Took all the parts into the house, and layed them out.... that's a lot of parts!!
As I had a captive nut in the centre of the top shelf, I had to start with the top shelf, so I assembled it upside down.
I rested the top shelf upsidedown on 3 stacks of magazines, so that I could get to the underside (top really). Inserted the M12 threaded bars through the holes in the corners, and fastened them with a nut and washer either side of the wood. Inserted the M10 bar into the middle, and screwed it in until it was flush with the top surface of the upper shelf. Locked it into place with a washer and nut on the underside.
Then put one of my wooden spacers onto each threaded bar, and put the first
aluminium tubes over the threaded bar.
Then I put the amp shelf on, clamped it with washers and nuts, then the next wooden spacers and aluminum bars.
I then bolted the M10 threaded bar into the tee nuts on the top speaker shelf stand, and got a cardboard box to support it in roughly the right place in thr stand. I again used the wooden spacers, and put the aluminium uprights over the bars.
I then put the next main shelf onto the rack (with the speaker stand 'legs' going though the cutouts in the stand), and again bolted it down with washers and nuts.
Same again for the next shelf.
And the last (bottom) shelf. I'd added two thicknesses of 18mm MDF strips along the edges and centre where the threaded bars come through, to raise the stand a little so that the bottom speaker stand shelf doesn't touch it, and also to give more strength. I had countersunk these, then fitted the shelf to the rack and bolted it down with washers and nuts.
I then attached the speaker stand bottom shelf to the speaker stand legs, and again, tightened them down with washers and nuts.
I then drilled holes for 5x 8mm Tee nuts on the base strips, and holes for 3x 6mm Tee nuts on the speaker stand base. Hammered in the tee nuts, and attaced the 6mm and 8mm spikes.
Turned it over, and removed the cardboard box!
6. Finishing up....
Moved the exceedingly substantial (about 40-50kg) AV rack into position, used some of the little dished supports that you put under the spikes to protect your floor (I've got a concrete floor, and the total weight of the stand + kit on 5 points, would probably crack the concrete). Of course the speaker stand spikes just go through the carpet directly onto the concrete.
Put all my kit in/on the stand, spent an hour wiring up (doh!!, my 0.6m Chord Siren is now too short!!), and it's complete. Click on the below pictures for a bigger version.
I've also saved my Powerpoint file on here, click here if you want to download it (182kb).
7. Sources / Materials
- Most of the parts came from B&Q, all the threaded bars, nuts, Tee Nuts, Dome Nuts, washers, MDF, hole cutters, wood paint etc..
- Paint for the Aluminium Tubes came from Halfords (Used 1 large can of primer, and 2 small cans of Colour)
- Aluminium came from Simmal in Preston, Lancashire http://www.simmal.co.uk/tube.htm
- Spikes and Vibrapods came from http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk
Usual disclaimers.... Always wear goggles when using power tools, you only get one pair of eyes!! Always wear a mask when cutting, drilling or sanding MDF. Don't eat the paint. When positioning the stand, don't put it down with one of the spikes on your foot... etc....
8. Update !!!
OK, forget the wooden spacers, they are a lot of hasle to make... a better option is to use pipe insulation. Just got a 1 metre length of grey foam pipe insulation from B&Q, 17mm inside diameter, 13mm wall thickness, and fits the inside of my tubes perfectly. Very cheap, only 38p a metre. Just cut them about 3mm shorter than the tube they are filling, then push them over the nut from the previous shelf, and you've got a perfect spacer. Plus it'll absorb any vibrations too :)
See the following link:
http://www.diy.com/bq/product/product.jhtml?PRODID=23896&CATID=172527
Any question or comments, please e-mail me at: j.leech22@blueyonder.co.uk