Homemade Rack

I've made a homemade 19" rack for my servers, routers, and computer equipment. It's currently under construction, but the pictures are at http://www.timmins.net/~pault/homemade_rack/ .
Tomorrow I disconnect everything and move everything out of the way and install it on this rack on wooden shelves. If it can support my weight, and 's weight, it can support my servers. :->

4 thoughts on “Homemade Rack”

  1. You frighten me sir. You spend entirely too much time at Home Depot.
    I have 2 recomendations:

    1. Put the rack exactally where you want it before unplugging a thing. It looks to weigh about 100 lbs empty.

    2. Try using wire shelving if possible. It goes a long way toward cooling.

    1. ment

      dan (dankaye) wrote,

      1. Put the rack exactally where you want it before unplugging a thing. It looks to weigh about 100 lbs empty.

      Of course, that was the plan. It weighs probably around 50-75 pounds empty, if even that, but I use the servers that go in it, so low downtime is a must. :->

      2. Try using wire shelving if possible. It goes a long way toward cooling.

      I did one better. Rather than install full shelving, I made a frame around the inside, giving it support around the edges, and then installed a plank from left to right at dead center to give it support in the middle. Heat shouldn't be a problem with this setup. The nice part about wood is that most of my tiny things, such as my wireless AP, hubs, and my ISDN routers have a way to hang them vertically on a properly spaced set of screws, so I dropped in screws with the right spacing and put the equipment on the side of the structure. This is a godsend for things like my power strips, and UPSs, and whatever.

      I'm about to put in my last machine and the rack seems to be holding up well to the weight. w00!

      1. I made the basic assumption that you'd place it before loading it, but sometimes we forget things in the excitement of "holy shit! This is working!!"
        You've put way more effort than I would have. Not that that's a difficult mark to pass, but you passed it. I'm more of a "yeah, piled up is fine" sort of guy in my personal life. Guess I get tired of being so anal-compulsive at work that I completely embrace a half-ass job.

        1. I had them stacked for over a year, but I was tired of not getting to be able to work on equipment that needs it, like upgrades, or whatever, and everything I own is rackmount, so I figured i'd just build a rack. :->

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