Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler OT: DIY building my own dvd rack.

im trying to build a dvd rack and had a question about type of wood. i am goning to be painting it so it does not matter so mush how the wood looks. so if i use 1x6's for the whole thing will that be stron enough? its going to be 4'h x 3'w 4 shelves each holding 50-60 dvd's. let me know if you need more info to answer thanks.
Jake

unless you have some geometrically sound building technique, i just dont see 1x6's being able to hold up to 3-4 shelves with 50-60 discs on each shelf...i would think it would end up bending/buckling under the weight.

as far as wood, i am no expert, but any solid stuff at the hardware store should do? right?? i think most of that is pine, but i could be wrong.

i just think you may need a more sturdy piece that 1x6. let us know how the project goes, i am very curious as to how it will turn out!!

bigjohn

thnx i have not yet checked out what the 1x6's feels like at home depot yet it was just a guess as to how thick i would need it. it probably will turn out terrible.i always shy away from carpentry projects but i cant find a dvd rack i like so we will see what happens. wish me luck.

Jake, stop beating me to the answer to your own questions!! Or whatever I said!!!

I was going to suggest you take your drawings to Home Depot and talk to one of their experts. I love going in there - they use alot of contractors/carpenters/plumbers/etc. that know what they are talking about.

Also, based on personal experience, Build this thing 2-3 times larger than you think you'll need. You wil be amazed at how fast the collection increases.

Have you posted any pictures recently?

If you can live with the cost Oak and Maple are the strongest. Home Depot usually has those in 1x6. Other alternative is to glue & screw a brace under the bottom of each shelf and use it as a stop for the DVDs, then any shelving material would be fine :

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If you are going to paint it, why not use MDF? Nice and strong (mainly because it is part wood and part glue). It has a nice smooth finish that paints well. This is what most people make paintable cabinets and shelves out of anymore. Just be carefull cutting it as the dust is more toxic that just regular wood dust.

I really enjoyed working with white oak. I can be had for a reasonable price from dedicated wood stores (not Home Depot necessarily, and definitley not Woodcraft!), it's hard, it takes stain well (even when you really screw it up...), looks really nice, and it's quite supportive. On the other hand, my entertainment center is not solid oak; there's a bunch of 3/4" oak plywood in there, too.

i thought about mdf too i guess i just have to get to home depot and find out. do you think mdf comes in 1x6 or similar? also about making it bigger im actually going to make 2 each one is going to hold approx 230 dvd's and i have about 300 or so already so 2 will be sufficient.thanks

My 2 cents: Not a huge fan of MDF construction. The cuts never seem to be as smooth as I'd prefer. In this application, I'd personally prefer the smooth precut wood profile.

You could consider using the smail square dowel rods tacked to the back to give middle support. It's not the cleanest, but it could solve the support issue w/out the expense of the better hardwood. If cost is not an issue, then go the hardwood route.....as long as you stain it and not paint it.

Oh yeah, I forgot to emphasize that. Painting hardwood is CRIMINAL.

The following assumes you want this open-ended, with no back or sides, just shelves. If your open to other designs, we can address those later.

Shelving is going to depend on what tools you own. If all you have is a hammer, circular saw and drill, you're going to be limited on the design. If that is the case, and this is ONLY a DVD/CD rack, then you could use MDF or a pine with extra vertical support columns. That covers the support issues, it's cheap and easy to put together. Remember, if using those two choices for building material, always prime first, and the paint will look much better.

If you don't want any extra support columns, and this might be used as an equipment rack, then I would use a hardwood(oak, braz.cherry, or a maple). Not saying that the other two mentioned materials won't work if no extra support is used, but why even take the chance. You don't want to be limited on weight if you're taking the time to custom build this unit. Also, if you use the hardwoods, you can stain the unit to match your current decor(I'm a fan of the hardwoods and nice stains).

Like anything, and what was mentioned before, if you cut exotic hardwoods or MDF, use a mask and glasses. That stuff isn't good for your lungs or eyes, but that's just part of the game.

1x6 boards should be plenty strong, up to about 5' wide. A better bet might be 3/4" ply (get a nice hardwood finish on one side), and rip it into 5-6" shelves. You can cover the cut end with a veneer or hardwood trim of the same wood species.