Need advice for best type of wood for AV rack

[Metaldude]

Hello all,

Going to make a rack using stainless steel threaded bar 20mm Dia? and wood, but not sure on what to use , Oak ,Cedar, pine ,etc, not to sure about MDF as rack will hold a fair amount of weight..
So I'm looking for advice from the loungers and those with the knowledge to point me in the right direction in reguards to which wood product to use, I have limited knowledge in this area..
Will probably use rubber washers in conjuntion with stainless washers and nuts to secure wood shelves, also thinking about heavy duty casters as well to make moving easier, what are your thoughts boys ?
Have made rough drawings and specs thus far , just unsure about type of wood

Thanks in advance for your help..

Metaldude

[novisnick]

Marine plywood is always a winner with me, Last forever, U need deep pockets though IMHO

[Darksky]

Hardwoods are best IMHO. Maple, cherry, oak, walnut are all good choices. Harri009 built a beautiful one. I like some of the laminated bamboo products. You might even consider looking at edge grain cutting boards for ideas...

[deltadube]

Hi Metaldude

I find it really ezzz to work with tongue and groove pine or cedar.. finishes up real nice with stain and varnish..

you need supporting cross sections tho and the threadbar would have to go though those..

3/4 in x 6 in x 6 ft..

cheers..

[Darksky]

Cedar is beautiful and great to work with. Just promise that if you use cedar, you can't seal it with a poly, cedar deserves oils and wax to preserve the odor. It is not cheap in thicker stock either.

I would consider looking for some reclaimed lumber, maybe some beams that have been ripped down to dimensional sizes. You are building furniture. Don't skimp on materials.

[emovac]

shop.mapleshadestore.com/departments.asp?dept=46

Think Maple!

[blkman0072]

Aug 5, 2013 23:53:36 GMT -5 Darksky said:

Hardwoods are best IMHO. Maple, cherry, oak, walnut are all good choices. Harri009 built a beautiful one. I like some of the laminated bamboo products. You might even consider looking at edge grain cutting boards for ideas...

Well I would say it all depends. If your shelves are going to be 3/4 of an inch thick you can use any wood or plywood. I would ask you what type of finish are you looking at having. The most sexy woods with clear finishes are going to be walnut, maple and cherry. Most people like maple because you can stain it to look like walnut or cherry. Its a dense hardwood also. Im not a fan of oak because even tho its a hardwood its softer than the others. If you want to use paint poplar is a good wood. My personal favs are birdseye and curly maple. I made a stand for my parents with curly maple. It was ok because I used particle board for shelves but the maple was sexy. I need to see if they still have it. I can reuse that maple! You can use plywood and for shelves its a lil cheaper depending on shelf size and length. You would just need to have edging. Edging can be some nice small molding on front and sides to make a lil lip or half round. That also works for wood. Use exterior wood glue and depending on finish use finish nails. With a dark stain or paint its easy to hide nails. Of course this is only my 2 cents as I have a love for wood even tho Im not a carpenter.

[thoff]

I used 3/4 inch baltic birch plywood for my salamander designs clone audio rack. The place I bought it at cut it in the sizes I wanted. I weigh 230lbs and I stood on the bottom shelf and there was very little give. Unlike other plywood that has 5 or 7 layers, this has 13 layers in it which make it super strong. Since I knew I wanted to paint it black, real hardwood was never considered.

[Metaldude]

Hello all,

Thanks for the replies thus far ,you have given me something to ponder on, maple does look the goods though ,will have to check costs and see..
Found these pics online , maple does look great, hope mine turns out half as nice as these


Anyway thanks for your help ,it is appreciated greatly

Metaldude

[kazoo]

If you are going to use 3/4" wood than anything will work. Plywood is good (if ply I would use Baltic birch) but you have to worry about covering the edge. Oak and Maple are nice and hard. Cherry and Cedar are softer so be careful about using spikes with them. For the best finish you want to use a lacquer or oil first to make the grain pop but them coat them with poly for a hard lasting finish. Just make sure you read up on the finish. I think with oil based you have to let them dry a week before top coating with poly. Now if you want to go thicker, lets say 1.25 to 1.5" thick, then Menards sells laminated oak counter tops for a good price. Cut them to size and you have a nice stand without too much work. Also if you are going to use a stain or paint it black, don't use hardwood. Use ply or pine for that. It drives me nuts when people kill the natural color and grain of hardwood.

[Darksky]

I did not realize you were considering painting it. Plywood is fine for something like that, you can face the edges with thin strips of material easily. You will be able to see the seam of that joint unless you spend a monumental amount of time prepping and sealing them. I would not try to hide the joint.

One thing you can do if you choose to face the edges of the shelves is to use edging that is wider (taller) than the shelf. Make it level on top and have the lip hang down. It is an easy way to make the shelves look thicker and more substantial.

Depending on how wide you are making the whole unit, you might consider going up slightly in thickness, the extra layers of ply make it exponentially stronger. 1 inch and even 5/4 is readily available.

MDF is inexpensive and easy to work, plus it is smooth so it will make a relatively easy job of finishing.

I still think that if you are going to take the time and expend the effort to build something, the extra cost for nicer materials is well worth the investment.

Look at this thread for a beautiful piece of work. You could use this shelf unit as a jack stand for a firetruck.

Harri009 DIY shelf unit

[blkman0072]

Man this got me thinking. Depending on where you live and the cost you want to spend calibamboo has bamboo plywood. I was actually thinking about doing a outside table with it but an audio stand sounds good too. Its not cheap but you don't see many bamboo audio stands. Also anyone though about like butcher block shelves? They make stuff for work tables again not cheap but would be really strong with theright thickness. Dang this is making me want to pull the lil table saw out and make something!

[ocezam]

The two pictures posted look great due to the thick wood and thick threaded rod. 3/4" wood and rod won't be in the same league.

[blkman0072]

Those stands are killer but I'm not sure they are that thick all the way or its just the corners. With them being that thick they would be heavy and a pain to move. They still are sexy tho. They have a lot of hours getting the finish perfect. That why I like curly maple. The ripples look so nice after some good sanding and a 600 grit wet sanding. Then get that clear coat and no bubbles-heaven! Takes me back to shop class and spending time making stuff with a good friend of mine. Man if I would have only kept half the stuff I made.

Really tho if you take the time and put the tlc into the project you will be happy. I know when I was making stuff, when I rushed it looked like I did. When I took the time to make it look right it was right. Metal just plan it all out. I would draw it out and look at your dimensions a few times b-4 you cut one board. You know the saying- measure 3x cut once and cut a lil long just so you have room. You can always make it shorter. Now how many of us have cut and made it short?!