OT: Record Racks

**Steve Mac** · November 16th, 2010, 12:52 AM

Saw some expensive alternatives that worked and some cheap alternatives that looked bad or were weak. So I built my own. This rack can be built from between 100-200 dollars depending on aesthetic need.
http://www.superbadcat.com/images/recordrack1.jpg
http://www.superbadcat.com/images/recordrack2.jpg
http://www.superbadcat.com/images/recordrack3.jpg

The metal rack was around 70 bucks at home depot.
The plastic drop clips I found in the conduit area at home depot.
The wood...well use whatever your budget allows.
Maybe someone can use this info... enjoy!

**Panomaniac** · November 16th, 2010, 10:28 AM

Cool use of the wire rack. I've used those and like your addition of the wood.

Think it will take the weight of all that vinyl?

**Cal Weldon** · November 16th, 2010, 11:40 AM

Nice job Steve.

**gearfreak** · November 16th, 2010, 01:12 PM

Nice presentation!
I've used them, with pieces of 'dog cage grid' the thick wire from a discarded dog cage - easiest to cut with bolt-cutters fwiw. Secure with nye-ties. Of course it doesn't look as pretty as wood... but you can also angle the grid to allow some lean, and create sub-divisions within a shelf with them as needed.

I used to wait to buy them when they went on sale @ Tar-jay, typically for @ ~$30 /set for their largest ones. I think I've seen them comperable to that normally elsewhere since, but have not been in the market for a while.

They can also be modded fairly easily to be a rack unit - if you have extra rack rails laying about. The old 'studio' was one complete wall including the improvised rack unit approach - about 15ft long. With multiple sets, you can also get 1.5x the width out of each pair of units, by sharing of the supports - but you have to design for it first, as making changes after the fact requires complete tear down and rebuild of course.

I recommend a rubber mallet, or (probably better, but don't have one) a dead blow hammer for putting them together securely/disassy. The rubber mallet can/will bounce back on you of course. A pair of vice-grips can help to stabilize the position of the shims as needed (but you may want to pad w/cardboard lest they marr the support).

Also note that the thread on the little plastic feet used for these is typically a standard 1/4" SAE thread, so you can make use of the foot anchor inserts (bottom of pole) to either mount them (e.g. on a dolly, securely, using the feet or proper similar bolts) ...or insert casters which utilize the same thread - use of the casters is iffy though, as if they are too tall, with use, they will cause the anchor to pop out... leaving you with a several hundred pound leaning tower of vinyl - and no way to get the caster back on without risking catastrophe. If attempting that again, I'd drill then reinforce/stabilize the foot insert with 3 or 4 short sheet-metal screws/similar first (before assy of the shelves).

(Home depot carries the casters - spec'd/packaged for use on rolling tool benches or some such. Harbor Freight also typically has a selection)

Originally Posted by Panomaniac

Think it will take the weight of all that vinyl?

The shelves IIRC, are generally rated @ 300lbs per shelf on the black painted Chinese made ones... so I think they suffice on that spec, but check your own box to be sure. US made (IIRC) 'Metro' ones ($$$) should have higher ratings and generally stouter construction - and you should also be able to buy actual Metro spec'd casters for use with them.

GM · November 16th, 2010, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Mac

This rack can be built from between 100-200 dollars depending on aesthetic need.

Slick!

GM

**Altec Best** · November 16th, 2010, 04:34 PM

Nice Job Steve ! They look really nice! One other thing I like to do WRT vinyl LP's is to keep them in boxes.Plastic corrugated Boxes,no matter how clean ones home is vinyl is loaded with static.And therefore becomes a dust magnet ....

http://www.bagsunlimited.com/c-277-storage-boxes.aspx

I have since bought these boxes and I am quite pleased with them keeping the LP's cleaner and dust free as we all know how hard it is to listen to a crackling,popping,record.I also use the original Discwasher poly/rice-paper sleeves V.R.P. Valuable-Record-Protector

LP sleaves

Thanks Steve for some ideas ! :2thumbsup:

**Steve Mac** · November 16th, 2010, 06:55 PM

Thanks guys.
The shelves I'm pretty sure are rated for 250 lbs. but we'll see if some dividers are needed to prevent bowing. Gonna try it first without em...lazy guy I am.
The goal was to do it as cheaply as possible with the minimum amount of work.
...but did not want something that looked like it fell off the back of a truck...though I hear that's the latest fashion.

The records I'm putting here are pretty cool...they were my Dad's collection and he acquired a nice amount of interesting LPs around the late 50s/early 60s time frame which is just an awesome period of music...I'll probably take some pics to share soon. Cool!

**mah** · November 16th, 2010, 09:26 PM

A neat furniture-piece solution, Steve.:2thumbsup: If you put a back on it you will keep dust out of the albums.

Good equipment rack, also.

Aussies, this frame(or similar) is available at Officeworks in 2 widths for this depth and height.

My effort is not as elegant. A flat-pack ledger file "bookcase" from Officeworks-often on sale at a very much reduced price. Several heights available.

I added a 1"x3/4" pine strip to each panel to increase the carcase and shelf depth. Dividers are necessary for shelf support but not as many as I fitted.

Cheers, Marshall.

**Steve Schell** · November 17th, 2010, 02:03 AM

For LP storage I currently use a combination of surplus steel shelves and 2 by 4 vertical supports held together with 1/4" machine hardware, bolted to a bedroom wall and providing room for about thirty six feet of LPs. This has worked out fine, although I currently own way too many records to enjoy them all properly, and I find that viewing the spines only is a bit inconvenient.

I remember fondly the record storage units I built in the late 1970s. Armed with particle board, a Skill saw and spray paint I was dangerous! Two cabinets functioned as bookshelf speaker stands with record storage underneath, and another served as a stand for my 19" TV also with record storage underneath. The records were arranged as in a record store, i.e. you thumbed through them with the jacket fronts facing you. Funny, I think I enjoyed the relatively few LPs I had back then more than all the ones I have now. It seems to get harder and harder to "buy a thrill" as one gets older.