best 12u rack case make? | UAD, Apollo, and LUNA Forums

Sorry Aesthete, but I must disagree about buying ply, screws and having Home Depot cut it for you.

1. Home Depot plywood cuts will not be square. Their panel saws are meant to do courtesy cuts so people can transport smaller than 4 x 8 plywood sheets. Their saws are not calibrated each time which means cuts will be inaccurate.

Before I cut anything on my table saw, I check and adjust the fence if necessary. Even with a quality Jet saw, this is a step that is required to maintain square cuts.

Without square panels, the cabinet will have gaps between the sides, top and bottom. Use a guide rail with a circular saw, and cut your own. Get a good Freud plywood blade for the saw, and put some scrap below the cut line to prevent tear out.

2. Plywood edges are rough and can cause splinters. You need to cover them. I have gone this route before I learned to make properly built cabinets. You can cover edges with iron on banding. But trimming the banding is harder than it looks. And banding will come off after a while. To do it right, you need to cover plywood edges with a face frame made of solid wood.

3. Cabinet makers consider screws to be temporary fasteners. Can they be used to hold a cabinet together? Yes, but over time they will loosen and the structure will become unsound. Gluing with proper clamping is a far better solution. Gluing will also not be visible, whereas screws are unsightly. If you must have the ability to easily disassemble the cabinet, I suggest using threaded inserts. They are stronger than screws.

4. The rack rails will add to the structural integrity at the front of the cabinet. I suggest a frame inset into the back of the cabinet made of 3 inch wide by 3.4 inch thick wood. Glue it into the top, bottom and sides to add some strength.

5. If you want to be able to use shorter cables to patch between rack cases, you can use a hole cutter in a corded drill to create a port(s) in the case sides. You can find plastic grommets at good hardware stores that fit to cover the rough edges of the holes.

6. The easiest way to invisibly attach a face frame is by using a biscuit joiner. A new one will run you about $150 to $200. I see decent biscuit joiners from Porter Cable, Bosch and Makita from about half that on eBay. Remember, this is a tool. Don't waste your money on a cheap tool that won't do a good job. You can see many on line videos that show how they are used. Biscuits can also be used to connect panels on the base cabinet.

7. mamm7215 said he used pine panels from Home Depot. Pine panels are going to be a bit more expensive than plywood but they have a few big advantages over ply.

First off, they are square from the store. So if you buy an 18 inch wide panel for your top and sides, you only need to cross cut them to length. I have seen some nice 18 inch wide panels that are pretty knot free in that width at Home Depot and Lowes.

Start by cutting two 19 inch long panels, out of one big 18 inch wide one. These will be your top and bottom of the cabinet. It is really important that they are both 19 long because that is the exact width of a standard rack. Next cut the two sides to length. Do not forget to add a little length to leave at least a half inch space above and below the rack rails for ventilation.

Note that by buying these panels at a fixed width, you don't need to make any rip cuts. To get a top, two sides and a bottom, you only need to make 4 cuts.

Second, being solid wood, you do not need to make a face frame. You can simply sand the boards' edges smooth. Another advantage is that with solid wood edges, you can round over the edges of the face with sandpaper.

Third, you can use scraps from the panels to make an inset frame for added strength at the back of the cabinet. And the wood will match, as it is all pine.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.

 

I have been using a 4u rack mount case that was probably designed in the 90’s and built in 2008. Given my success in creating an aluminum SFF for my youngest I have decided that I am foolish enough to build a case for myself.

My goal is to fit a full ATX with room for full sized (or stupid oversized) graphics card, water cooling, redundant power supply and fit in a 3RU form factor.

Why 3RU? because my rack is running out of room and 3 RU looks better than 4 RU IMO. Density is sexy.

So where did this start, and where is it going…

This was the case I started with, a yellow 4u short depth ATX Workstation case. It came with a hard-drive cage but no hotswap.

This was the case I started with, a yellow 4u short depth ATX Workstation case. It came with a hard-drive cage but no hotswap.

Rdekono are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

Related links:
Who makes the best shredders?
First was a paint job, because Yellow just contrasted too much.
7 Things to Know Before You Buy a Used Excavator
Pallet Calculator

First was a paint job, because Yellow just contrasted too much.

Next I modified it to fit a 240mm Radiator into it, but it was very tight in space. This pic was just prior to cutting out the old HD cage to shove my radiator into it.

Next I modified it to fit a 240mm Radiator into it, but it was very tight in space. This pic was just prior to cutting out the old HD cage to shove my radiator into it.

So, the plan, and step one…

Sketch it out!

Sketch it out!

Part 2:

Test “fit” the layout

Test “fit” the layout

Cut and assemble the case!
/* WIP */

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Custom Rack Mount Case. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.