Built a Flexi-type rack?

Thanks, Palasr!

I'm about convinved to give it a whirl.

How did you do the jig? Just a perfectly square piece with a hole to line up the pilot?

Best,

John

PS: "Measure twice and cut once," indeed. If you've got reservations now, you'll be making 'em later. ;-)

The aluminum (or whatever material) jig doesn't have to be square - simply consistent - though being square certainly helps align to the corners of your workpiece. Mark the jig as to what the top outside corner should always "key" to -- in other words, if you use a square jig, and don't mark it for consistency in alignment, there will always be some margin of "play" in the way the workpiece is marked/drilled since you may inadvertently rotate the jig during workpiece marking. I used a 3" x 3" piece of aluminum with a thickness of around .0625" (1/16") , and cut a hole to size that matched (and some) the diameter at the tip of the forstner pilot arbor. This ensures that ALL the holes will line up consistently, since the pilot on a forstner extends perhaps a quarter inch below the actual cutting head. Be sure to mark (with tape et al) which side of your workpiece is your top, and then mark the edges (front or back). I tend to pick the best finish on any given workpiece, and then go from there. Since no piece of material is ever truly square in all dimensions, it helps to start at one corner, and "jig" around the workpiece clockwise so that each shelf is consistently marked and drilled. As long as everything is marked and well-planned, you'll have no problems.

-Richard

If you have a drillpress, great, but you really don't need one. I built my flexitable with a only a circular saw and a hand drill(used a clamped, metal level to serve as a guide for the saw to insure straight cuts). Make sure to start all measurements from the same corner (left front, say). That way if your shelves aren't exactly the same dimensions, it won't matter. Also, the holes you'll be drilling will be slightly larger in diameter than the support rods; thus your holes don't need to be perfectly perpendicular. As far as far as footer go, I brought my threaded rods to a machine shop and had them grind the ends down to a point. Cheap and looks good. You can protect your floor with expensive disks or do what I do--use quarters (cost? twenty-five cents, and free if I steal from girlfriend's change jar).

This is a fun project. The combo of wood (especially the maple you're considering), industrial size hardware, and shiny electronics is quite fetching (imo). My modest, oak-trimmed, mdf shelved flexitable garners a lot of compliments.

Hey guys

I'm getting close to ordering up the stuff I need for one of these racks.

Does anyone have a source for 4' threaded rods? I would even consider steel rods (a la Mapleshade's 1.25").

The problem is finding anything in 4' length.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Jim

John and others -

I did one of these [two actually] and am about to start a much more elaborate [and expensive] rack project.

I used solid 2" and 4" cherry shelves though [the 4" are just two 2" glued together] and simple 5/8” steel rod because this size rod would easily thread into the salamander spikes you can get from just about anywhere - like Audio Adviser. Cherry is also a super hard wood like maple...just try to sand it and you'll see.

As for drilling the holes, I used a forstner bit too because it is nice, clean, and more precise. But I made a full sized drilling jig from 1/4" hardboard and simply drilled small holes, like about 1/8", to mark the four hole centers – the forstner pilot was easily aligned with this hole. This assured that all the rods would line up perfectly even if the cherry boards where slightly different in size.

I also built steel pieces that would be placed just under two shelves [the bottom and the top ones] that carried mounts for attaching cables. The cables would then very tightly "X" on the two sides and the back for stiffening triangulation.

John, are you in PA…I am in W. Chester, PA, and might have some extra cherry boards when I complete my new rack…whenever that will be.