DIY Flexy AV Rack

I’ve had a few discussions lately about stereo/AV racks, and I always bring up the Flexy rack. Most folks I talk to don’t know what I mean, so I thought a post was in order.

The original design and details for a Flexy are here.

I love the Flexy concept as its very easy to tailor to your own needs. You can make it almost any size, and shape, or out of almost any material you want, the shelves are infinitely adjustable, and best of all, it’s inexpensive to build. Depending on the materials and size, you can easily build a simple shelf for around $30.

Salamander makes a commercial version. But beware, they’re expensive. For example, AudioAdvisor has a basic 3 shelf model for $180. Yikes!

I’ve made two of them.

The first one was a 4 shelf version made from MDF that I painted black, and I left the hardware its natural silver color. I used rubber feet on the bottom of the rods. I bought all the hardware at Home Depot. As I no longer needed this rack, I sold it.

 

The second one is currently in use today in my family room. The wood is poplar, and I stained it a rosewood color. I painted all of the hardware a gloss black. It has ball casters (see the pic below), so it’s easy to move. For this one, you’ll notice that the two middle rods don’t go through the top shelf. I drilled half way through the top shelf, so the rods go into the shelf, not through. This way, there are no center acorn nuts to interfere with the TV. I bought all of the hardware from McMaster-Carr. I’m very pleased with the look of it, and it works great.

 

 

Ball Caster:

 

 

When building a flexy, I found it helpful to drill all your shelves at one time, if possible. Clamp all the shelves together, and drill a hole through all the shelves at once. A drill press is really helpful here, as you’ll be sure the drill bit is truly straight up and down. It’s a little tougher with a handheld drill, but that works as well.

Other people have built some very creative flexy racks.

• A double flexy rack
• Side rack and TV stand
• A very slick looking acrylic rack
• Good idea of drilling wiring holes

There are a ton of threads on building Flexy racks on the HomeTheaterForum, if you want to a good place for more ideas.