Part 2 of the build – The enclosure. As mentioned in the design and planning post, the LackRack looks like a good option being cheap and easy to build/assemble.
Normally a LackRack is built using the Lack Table (55cm x 55cm). This is perfect for 1/2 length (~35cm) equipment. However, I will be using full-length servers in the lab so the Lack Coffee Table (55cm x 90cm) gave me the extra length required to completely enclose the equipment.
Reference: LackRack
Part and equipment list
- 2 x Lack Coffee tables – white (Ikea – £14 each)
- 2 x 44mm by 44mm by 2400mm timber (B&Q – £5 each)
- Chisel
- Hammer
- Screwdriver
- Wood saw
- Tape measure
- Marker pen
Construction steps
At a high level the steps where:
- Assemble 1 x Lack Coffee table without the shelf (bottom)
- Assemble 1 x Lack Coffee table without the shelf (top)
- Use the chisel and hammer to remove the stoppers from the bottom of each leg.
- When this doesn’t work.. apply saw to the offending leg.
- Cut 4 x 80cm posts.
- Insert one post into each of the legs of the bottom table.
- Hammer down each post to make sure it is fully inserted.
- Fit top table into the top of the posts.
- Pull down on the top table to make ensure each post is completely inserted into each leg.
- Add the shelf to the top table.
And as a special “treat” I recorded the process: Video (sorry about the overexposure).
Final result
Overal, I am happy with the final result. Assembly was straightforward and resulted in a cheap enclosure for the lab equipment.
Lessons learnt
Below is a list of things I learnt from the project or would do differently if I repeated the project:
- Wear gloves!
- The thickness of the plywood stopper in each leg varied a lot. Of the 8 legs I “opened”, 6 had a 1cm stoppers and were easily removed with the chisel and hammer. 2 had a 4cm stoppers. For the 4cm stoppers, I had to cut off the bottom of the legs to remove them.
- Each leg had a 2nd big stopper about 1/2 way up the leg. I didn’t remove these so the support posts wouldn’t fit totally inside the legs and where visible in the final product. Not a huge deal for me and luckily meant the top of the rack was at the ideal height for a monitor and keyboard. The rack ended up standing 135cm tall.
- Add the shelf to the top tables. I hadn’t initially planned to do this but it ended up being really useful for storing cables and boxes.
- If you cut the posts to 35cm (rather than 80cm) the posts should be fully enclosed in the legs and look a bit nicer.
So there you have it, one LackRack assembled and installed.
Next: Racking the kit and cabling.