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Shelf Material

I have tried so many different shelf materials, and some are better than others, but I feel like I am just spraying bullets that always miss the bulls-eye. So far, I cannot live with the brightness of glass, the ringing of marble or granite, the sluggishness of acrylic, the muddiness of mdf etc. Light and rigid seems better than heavy and dense - in that I can live with the downsides more easily. I use heavily constructed welded steel racks - spiked to the floor and upward spikes supporting the shelves - and I reckon this is right. I like the way bladder products get rid of the resonances that plague shelves, but find that the way they slow down the pace of the music is hard to accept. Does anyone have some answers on this?
redkiwi

Showing 2 responses by albertporter

albertporter's avatar
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albertporter
4,949 posts
 
Hi Redkiwi. I just went through a similar situation in my own system. The sound that I found worked best for me was suggested by a turntable manufacturer. There is a food grade solid hard rock Maple butcher block shelf, that is factory fitted and glued. In the USA, McMaster Carr supplies this and is available in two and a half inch thick material. This comes in both 24" and 36" depth, and is available in a variety of lengths. I ordered mine in 6 foot, and had a local woodworker rip and sand this into the shelves for my system. I also had him laminate the front and top surfaces with gray Formica. The Formica seems to have no affect on the sound, it merely provided the finish I wanted. Please post your results, especially if you choose to try the suggestions provided by Caterham1700. I would like to know if it is worth considering starting over on my own project.
albertporter's avatar
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albertporter
4,949 posts
 
Redkiwi, Hard Maple butcher block is commonly used in the food industry in the USA, but I don't know availability in your native NZ. Maple, although relatively light (compared to MDF or particle board), is dense, and when large solid lumber strips are glued together, the combined grain structures, glue bonds and naturally occurring differences in density in the various pieces, makes for a unique shelf material. You can visit McMaster Carr via the internet to look for yourself. Go to: WWW:MCMASTER.COM. The shelf material to look up to begin with is #4882T52. It is two and a quarter inches thick, thirty inched deep, and six feet long. The price is $271.10 (US) and will make multiple shelves for that price. I had three six foot pieces of this material shipped to me, half way across the USA for about $75.00. It is also possible that they have distributors that deliver in NZ. Their site says "worldwide," so who knows? Long distance air shipment is not always out of the question, I once had Flying Tigers ship a four hundred pound, 8 foot long item from Holland (Amsterdam) to DFW Airport (Dallas) for only about $135.00. Granted it took almost two weeks, as I bought the most economical (stand by) service, but it certainly made it affordable. Obviously, if this or a similar item is available nearby, this would be ideal. In any case, I wish you the best, and hope that some of the information I have provided will give you alternatives.
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