Reply from Max: Yes, I have - not before I created this article though. It seems that both ways have their merits - but I have focused more on building the actual box & joints etc... (going into much more detail than you have) but omitting the finishing touches such as doors, painting, wooden frames, mounting, etc... basically, I am expanding on the sentence "building the case was easy". :D
Max, Very nice construction. But a cautionary note: Heat is the enemy of all electronics. It’s a bit difficult to tell from the graphics, but if the back of the rack is closed, heat dissipation will be a problem and shorten the life of any rack-mounted equipment therein.
73 de Mike, K6MKF
Reply from Max: Heat dissipation was indeed one of my main concerns when building this rack; if I were housing four power-hungry Pentium 4 computers in there I would definitely have built it out of metal; and even though the only real heat generating equipment I will be housing in there are a PII computer and a 400W amplifier, I did build two ventilation strips along the sides (as you can probably see from the 'photo)
Max – Nice article. One comment – the “box joint” you describe is usually called a “rabbet” (USA) or “rebate” (UK) (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbet).
A “box joint” is usually taken to mean an interlocking set of ‘fingers’ – see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_joint. (The latter looks like a lot of work, but is very strong and actually quite simple to make with a simple jig.)
The face frame (‘cuboid rods’) is a nice touch – typical in kitchen cabinetry to conceal a plywood edge.
One other neat suggestion – paint the case with a “hammered” spray paint, available (over here, anyway) at any hardware store in steel- or dark blue, grey, copper, sea-green, and other colors. Looks like hammered metal – very sharp. Or, for another very neat “WWII” look, many auto shops and some paint shops sell a “wrinkle-finish” paint that looks like the finish on old binoculars or cameras.
There’s an example of the hammered blue finish on my website (url attached), where I detail the lathe I’m casting and building from scratch, which one can build using only hand- and a few basic common power tools. Enjoy!)
Cheers!
Andrew
Reply from Max: Did I say box joint? I mustn't have been thinking then. :P Thanks for pointing that out! I've seen the 'hammered metal paint' around and (judging by your photos anyway) it looks pretty nice! I might go down and buy a can to see what it looks like. Oh, and how much is that lathe costing you in materials?
Will most probably use this design if I ever get my hands on some rackmount equipment. At the moment I’ve just got servers with different sized cases :x
Is there a reason you closed off the back? I’d think with something like this it’d be better to have easy access to the back ports without too much fuss.
Reply from Max: Yeah, I've actually removed the back now both for better heat dissipation and for better access to cables as it is standing up against a wall - though if you had it on a desk facing a door (as I'd originally planned it to be), for example, you might want a back on it for aesthetical reasons.
I saw your rack and want to build one. I like the rack rail you used in yours. You mentioned that Maplin sold rack rail but I could not find any rail at Maplin that looked like yours. Where did you get your rail?
Thanks,
John
Reply from Max: Hi, John. Maplin's rackrail is order code N84AA, (here's a link). At first glance, the page may look like it's selling a set of nuts and bolts, but you need to hover your mouse over the small thumbnail of the rackstrip to the left of the photo to get a clearer view.
I have made many racks using ‘rack strips’ for radio studio equipment, I setup the items I need installed and build the box custom, usually painted black. It works very well, though it does take time and time is money, sometimes its cheaper to buy it. Shipping kills us here in Hawaii so building is often better. By the way great score by being on Wikipedia, its a real resource.
All I can say is… Nice rack! ;) I would like to build one eventually, and organize some of my network gear… The rack rail was my main concern, but you had some other nice ideas! Thanks!
thanks – looking forwards to the pics
— mark in canada Dec 31, 01:35 am #
Have you seen this site? (link below)
Reply from Max:
Yes, I have - not before I created this article though. It seems that both ways have their merits - but I have focused more on building the actual box & joints etc... (going into much more detail than you have) but omitting the finishing touches such as doors, painting, wooden frames, mounting, etc... basically, I am expanding on the sentence "building the case was easy". :D
— http://rack.modzone.dk/index.htm Jan 6, 09:06 am #
Max, Very nice construction. But a cautionary note: Heat is the enemy of all electronics. It’s a bit difficult to tell from the graphics, but if the back of the rack is closed, heat dissipation will be a problem and shorten the life of any rack-mounted equipment therein.
73 de Mike, K6MKF
Reply from Max:
Heat dissipation was indeed one of my main concerns when building this rack; if I were housing four power-hungry Pentium 4 computers in there I would definitely have built it out of metal; and even though the only real heat generating equipment I will be housing in there are a PII computer and a 400W amplifier, I did build two ventilation strips along the sides (as you can probably see from the 'photo)
— Mike Flowers Mar 2, 01:12 am #
that’s amazing man!
Reply from Max:
Thanks! Glad to know you enjoy it ;)
— bary May 3, 03:14 pm #
Very, very helpful article, thanks for the guidance! gonna try building this straight away :D
— Kevin in the UK May 21, 12:50 pm #
Max – Nice article. One comment – the “box joint” you describe is usually called a “rabbet” (USA) or “rebate” (UK) (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbet).
A “box joint” is usually taken to mean an interlocking set of ‘fingers’ – see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_joint. (The latter looks like a lot of work, but is very strong and actually quite simple to make with a simple jig.)
The face frame (‘cuboid rods’) is a nice touch – typical in kitchen cabinetry to conceal a plywood edge.
One other neat suggestion – paint the case with a “hammered” spray paint, available (over here, anyway) at any hardware store in steel- or dark blue, grey, copper, sea-green, and other colors. Looks like hammered metal – very sharp. Or, for another very neat “WWII” look, many auto shops and some paint shops sell a “wrinkle-finish” paint that looks like the finish on old binoculars or cameras.
There’s an example of the hammered blue finish on my website (url attached), where I detail the lathe I’m casting and building from scratch, which one can build using only hand- and a few basic common power tools. Enjoy!)
Cheers!
Andrew
Reply from Max:
Did I say box joint? I mustn't have been thinking then. :P Thanks for pointing that out! I've seen the 'hammered metal paint' around and (judging by your photos anyway) it looks pretty nice! I might go down and buy a can to see what it looks like. Oh, and how much is that lathe costing you in materials?
— Andrew in Silicon Valley Jun 19, 03:39 pm #
Very nice :)
Will most probably use this design if I ever get my hands on some rackmount equipment. At the moment I’ve just got servers with different sized cases :x
— pepolez Jul 1, 02:44 am #
Is there a reason you closed off the back? I’d think with something like this it’d be better to have easy access to the back ports without too much fuss.
Reply from Max:
Yeah, I've actually removed the back now both for better heat dissipation and for better access to cables as it is standing up against a wall - though if you had it on a desk facing a door (as I'd originally planned it to be), for example, you might want a back on it for aesthetical reasons.
— Jon Jul 31, 10:28 am #
Hi Max,
I saw your rack and want to build one. I like the rack rail you used in yours. You mentioned that Maplin sold rack rail but I could not find any rail at Maplin that looked like yours. Where did you get your rail?
Thanks,
John
Reply from Max:
Hi, John. Maplin's rackrail is order code N84AA, (here's a link). At first glance, the page may look like it's selling a set of nuts and bolts, but you need to hover your mouse over the small thumbnail of the rackstrip to the left of the photo to get a clearer view.
Hope this helps,
-M
— John Nov 11, 03:38 am #
built my own rack using your guide, turned out great! thanks
Reply from Max:
Great! Do you have any photos of your rack? Email them to me, and I'll be more than happy to post them here...
— Lukas from Vancouver Canada Dec 6, 06:41 am #
out of wood? are you nuts?
— j Feb 11, 08:22 pm #
I have made many racks using ‘rack strips’ for radio studio equipment, I setup the items I need installed and build the box custom, usually painted black. It works very well, though it does take time and time is money, sometimes its cheaper to buy it. Shipping kills us here in Hawaii so building is often better. By the way great score by being on Wikipedia, its a real resource.
— john bruce Jun 11, 06:36 am #
All I can say is… Nice rack! ;) I would like to build one eventually, and organize some of my network gear… The rack rail was my main concern, but you had some other nice ideas! Thanks!
— Don McMorris Jul 3, 06:40 am #
I built a rack using the rail from Maplin-It was very good quality, although a little dusty!!! This site is worth a look:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjw333/29627416/
— David Weight Aug 22, 12:16 am #
Just a problem when we say 19’’ of large : is it the width of the machines ? or internal width of the box ?
Anyway, your explaination is great and your boxes too ! Good work man ! Greatings from france !
— Charlotte Oct 17, 12:25 pm #