Project: Home made equipment rack (pics)

[agrikk]

I finally got around to building a cabinet for all of my computer gear. I have a lot of PCs for various reasons and decided to get rackable cases for them and stack them all up to keep things organized and accessible. Plus racks are seksi.

I like woodworking, and am developing my skills there so I decided to build a basic rack from wood, thereby making it cool looking and keeping the cost down. 21U prebuilt racks are expensive.


I'd already built the rack when I decided to take pics for a project post. Here's the back of the rack already built without the top after a first base coat of stain.

The front of the rack.

The back after the second and final coat of stain.

Back to the front.

The wheels on the rack go 'round and 'round.

The rack rails, purchased from starcase.com. $63 for 21U.

The cabinet with the rails added.

With the top shelf added.

Finished, baby. Yeah. I used a 2x6 on the front so that the cabinet would extend past the fronts of the racked equipment enough that I can add a door to the cabinet should I chose.

Racking my computers.

More gear added.

All cabled up.

My workspace. Time to repaint the floor. Concrete paint sucks...

Some time I'll probably add a door and sides, but for now I'm keeping it open because I like looking at the gear inside.

The total cost of this project was around $100 for the rail kit and the lumber.

 

[Magik Smoke]

NICE!

What kind of castors did you use? How are they holding up to the weight?

 

[mike2323]

Very nice. Did you build your desktops out of wood too?! That's pretty [h]ard.

 

[goodcooper]

i like the look of the rack... don't share your enthusiasm for wooden comptuter cases, but the rack turned out great... plus you have good hardware to go on it

 

[Elledan]

Never thought that a simple wooden frame could look this good!

 

[DragonNOA1]

i likey

 

[auxout]

I like it, been looking to do something exactly like that. Didn't think simple wood could turn out that nice. Could you post measurments? I mean I know the obvious measurements but did you leave any gap for the rail width?

 

[agrikk]

I like it, been looking to do something exactly like that. Didn't think simple wood could turn out that nice. Could you post measurments? I mean I know the obvious measurements but did you leave any gap for the rail width?

Here:

I did leave a gap for the rail width, about 1/4" on either side.

I don't know where the castors came from. I had them in my hardware drawer and they ended up a perfect fit. I think they might have come from an old footrest or something, but I can't be sure. I am not sure if they're rated for this kind of weight, but they seem to be holding up so far and that's good enough for me. Heh.

I used ordinary construction lumber, the 2x4s are basic construction studs and the 2x6s are construction grade redwood, I think.

The trick was to dig through the pile for the best looking pieces (ones that were'nt really knotty or missing chunks). I took them home and let them dry for a few days and then sanded the hell out of them with a belt sander until they looked nice, smooth and ink-free.

 

[vapb400]

Pardon my ignorance about racks. But all racks don't have slide out rails do they?

Yours has to mount brackets that screw into the holes, and you unscrew them when you need to pull out the computer?

 

[tdg]

Very nice, not only much cheaper that a prebuilt rack, but blends in nicely.

Pardon my ignorance about racks. But all racks don't have slide out rails do they?

Racks themselves don't have slide out rails, you can buy sliding rails for cases and other rack options though.

 

[vapb400]

Ah cool, I did some more research after that post. How do the bottom to rackmounts with the handles mount?

Also does one typically have a mounting bracket in the back as well?

 

[agrikk]

Typically in a four post rack setup like this one, you mount the server rails by screwing the slide piece or shelf unit to both the front and back posts on either side so the server slides in and out on the shelf or slide.

Smaller, lighter gear like switches or routers typically require only two posts to anchor it. These guys are just screwed to the front two posts.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Pardon my ignorance about racks. But all racks don't have slide out rails do they?

Those come with the servers and battery backup units.

Agrikk....pretty darned sweet.

 

[Whatsisname]

depends on the device. Many devices can get by just being held on by the front, such as devices like switches. Other heavier devices, like a UPS, usually need the rear posts unless you are some kind of lunatic.

Also does one typically have a mounting bracket in the back as well?

 

[auxout]

The trick was to dig through the pile for the best looking pieces (ones that were'nt really knotty or missing chunks). I took them home and let them dry for a few days and then sanded the hell out of them with a belt sander until they looked nice, smooth and ink-free.

Thanks for the pic you rock.

QFT on that trick lmao, had some 2x4s delivered for a renovation recently they might as well have delivered the damn tree instead.

 

[Zecora]

Where did you get those rails from? Just any hardware store?

Thx,

 

[versello]

Ah cool, I did some more research after that post. How do the bottom to rackmounts with the handles mount?

Also does one typically have a mounting bracket in the back as well?

You don't always need brackets in the back. Many OEM servers require them (although you can buy expensive adapters), but many barebones servers / chasis can be mounted from the front. It really depends on the weight, which some 2-post racks specify the weight it can handle. I have two 4u servers mounted only on front posts with no probs.

 

[agrikk]

Where did you get those rails from? Just any hardware store?

Thx,

Right above the pic of the rails, I mentioned where I purchased them, but I got them from http://www.starcase.com. Surprisingly, they were really hard to find. Very few places, it seems, actually carry rack parts like this. I don't suppose there's a monster market for custom sized racks, inless you are a musician looking for a nice rack, or a gearhead with an affinity for wood like me.