DIY Stereo Cabinet - Stand

Recently I purchased a second stereo setup, this one being valves, older system is solid-state.

Solid-state system was rack mounted, this fit great in the space I had between 2 - 8' sliding glass doors in 21' x 16" room at previous house.
Here's a pic of rack setup, now residing in spare bedroom, turntable and Monster 2500 power center went to valve stereo, 1 of the amps my daughter has borrowed.


Originally I setup the valve system on and under a glass top coffee table while I decided on a cabinet design.
Cabinet is built from ¾" roll cut veneer red oak plywood, edges faced with ¼" solid red oak. (feared veneer on edges wouldn't take much use)
Here's a pic, ignore the white hairy thing, he's photogenic, always getting into my pics.


That cabinet is tall and boxy, too restrictive of air flow and it's solid sides require the speakers to be pulled out in front a lot otherwise the cabinet interferes with high and mid range imaging.

New design is more an open stand, shorter in height as well, top of stand comes to bottom of trim under window behind.
Horizontals are 2 layers of ¾" quarter sawed red oak plywood faced with ¼" solid red oak.
Verticals are 1¾" turned red oak with hole through center to accommodate fasteners, see attachment detail in top right.
This diameter allows a sleeve of several different types of thin wall metal to be slid over as a cover.
Aluminum, stainless, brass, nickel, chrome are some of the options readily available. I'm leaning towards stainless or nickel.
Here's a drawing of new stereo stand


More to come as progress is made.

Mark B

 

Red Oak shelves and turned supports. assembled, sanded, ready for staining.

 

Fasteners ordered, should be here early next week.

14 - 3/8-16 x 25mm Zinc Hex Drive Flanged Thread Insert for Wood
Fastenal Part No. (SKU) 0161593

14 - 3/8" x 0.812" OD Low Carbon Zinc Finish Steel SAE General Purpose Flat Washer
Fastenal Part No. (SKU) 33082

8 - 3/8"-16 x 10" ASTM A307 Grade A Zinc Finish Hex Bolt
Fastenal Part No. (SKU) 11133

3 - 3/8"-16 x 3 ft ASTM A307 Gr A Zinc Plated Low Carbon Steel Threaded Rod
Fastenal Part No. (SKU) 47061

14 - 3/8-16 Case Hardened Zinc Plated Serrated Large Hex Flange Nut
Fastenal Part No. (SKU) 0160518

 

Looks like a fun project, looking forward to the finished stand/rack.

 

Need to do some stain tests today, would like it to match the woodwork here if possible. Previous cabinet is Spanish Oak, it's too dark for sure.
I've done some touch up on the trim here, there was some Minwax Early American left here when I bought the house.
Not sure oak and mahogany will take the stain the same.
Wood Stain Colors - Minwax Stain Colors & Wood Finish Guide | Minwax

 

I used the Minwax Early American on several Oak projects, its a good, rich color without being too dark. I always use the Stain only and apply Finish Coats separately. Don't care for the 'All in one' formula.

 

I always use the oil stain first, then finish with a good oil varnish. (old school method)

I don't like the All-in-one either, never on new wood. I did use the AIO formula once to darken a fiberglass entry door that was already finished. Matches the garage door better now.

Have the Early American, Special Walnut and Golden Oak, will try both dark colors first. If not happy, mix and match until I get what I want.

 

I'd laminate 2 sheets of 3/4 plywood together using wood glue, for extra strength and a bit more mass or better yet 1 sheet of ply and 1 sheet of MDF glued up together. You can always using edging to make it look like 1 piece of whatever wood you like. I'd also ditch the wheels and use sliders for what type of flooring you have - wheels move too much especially if you're trying to get at a piece of equipment.

I built furniture and refinished many things using Tung Oil as the final coat and it is super easy to use and comes out great with the grain of the wood still highly visible.

 

Horizontal shelves already are 2 layers of ¾" plywood laminated using wood glue and edged/faced with hardwood. 132lbs for the 4 shelves. Considered 3 layers laminated but it got very heavy, 195lbs for the 4 shelves and would have required 3 - 4x8 sheets instead of 2.
Weight of components that will be on this stand is 210lbs making total weight of cabinet with components 332lbs
Sliders would make it next to if not impossible to move and cause a lot of stress on the stand if moved on this 3/8" thick Persian wool rug, current single layer cabinet with wheels pictured at top is very difficult to move on this rug now once the equipment on it.
Current cabinet at top doesn't move at all when placing and positioning the 50lb amplifier on it.
Finish I'm using is Epifanes Clear Varnish it's based on tung oil, phenolic-modified alkyd resins and maximum U.V. absorbers, considered to be the world's best spar varnish.

 

Here's the sheet layouts for the shelves, remaining pieces at bottom left will be used to make drawers in 5" bottom section of stand.

 

Stainless Steel tubing to sleeve uprights is ordered
Quantity 3 - 2" OD x 0.065" Wall T304 Welded Stainless Tube - 48"
https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=484&step=4&showunits=inches&id=19&top_cat=1

 

Your rack is going to resemble a couple of my DIY projects.

 

Interesting, that's a nice looking setup you have there. My earlier design is even more similar to what you have.

 

That is similar to what I designed. I built it from 1-1/2" Baltic birch. (Two sheets of 3/4" glued and nailed together) It had to be strong enough to handle the weight of the two turntables that total 150#.

 

I like your stand, narrow at bottom for amps,. room for 3 pieces of gear on both upper levels, looks good. Those are some heavy turntables you have there, my 2 only weigh 56lbs, Yamaha YP 800 & Pioneer PLX-1000

 

I'm curious, do you mind if I ask how you fastened them together and what the vertical pieces are?

 

I'll send you a p.m.

 

Repost of Red Oak shelves and turned supports. assembled, sanded, ready for staining. Not sure why images show as missing in first post.

 

Stainless Steel tubing and all the fasteners have arrived, got half the stainless pieces cut today using a tubing cutter for copper pipe, nice straight cuts just have to go at it slow.

 

Ya know, as much as I like the plans so far...I'm a little suspicious of drawers that either don't fit everything they were intended for, or just exist to cram whatever else is laying around, inside. As if some designer looked at empty space, and said to himself, "well, that'd be a good place for the drawer".

I'm an ergonomics-kind-of-guy. I tend to start with what needs a shelf or storage, and determine how to make the most useful solution.

(That's why, to this day, I have never found any use for a coffee table...but somehow, plenty of uses for the coffee while I'm thinking this throough... )

 

I agree 100%, so far I haven't built the drawers shown in drawing, but do have enough materials remaining to do so. I need a close place for cartridges mounted in head shells, record cleaners, stylus pressure scale, cartridge mounting screws etc and don't want them out in the open collecting dust and big white furry dog hair. All the end tables I have are open underneath, so no room for storage there. Always open for suggestions and critique!

BTW: no coffee table here, see second pic from top

 

Any chance of designing a simple "utility belt" that could mount inside a dust cover, and use velcro to attach the items in their holders or packs or whatever you hold a little teeny thing...?

FWIW, I've always had a larger size of TV tray at the sides of my sofas, that of course move in an instant when needed. Heeeey...what a great place to mount your excess equipment remotes: velcro, on the underside of the TV tray...!
I have also used velcro on a clipboard to hold superfluous remotes...until Mom started using it to work in her Sudoku magazines...

 

Haven't had a TV for 20 years, don't remember the last time I saw or used a TV tray, it likely was more than 40 years ago.
My remotes are quite heavy @ ½lb each, think I'll keep using gravity to hold them down on the table beside my chair.
Good thoughts though.

 

This pic shows current finish on stainless parts better

 

You guys have some skill! From a design standpoint I'd hide the casters but that's just me.