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February 2013 Sweet DIY Audio Rack
Using The Ikea Lack Tables
If you are looking for an
inexpensive, yet sturdy audio/video rack or need a secondary one, the Ikea Lack
Audio Rack might be for you! Let me preface by saying I did not come up
with this clever idea. Like many DIY'ers, read a budget audio review and the
reviewer referenced another article with the Lack Rack. You can also search the web for images of "Lack Audio Rack"
and plenty of images will be returned. The Lack Rack is a budget rack. It
is not intended for ultra Hi-End enthusiasts with gear costing 10s of thousands
of dollars. The Lack is an end table available from Ikea. It costs
just under $10 each level and would advise against placing your mega-buck Walker Audio
turntable on a Lack Rack. Why take a chance? You could use your Lack Rack "as-is" or you could modify each
shelf to a specific size. If used "as-is", you won't get many shelves out
of it, with 4 shelves will be over 6 feet tall. Shortening the legs will
also give us access to the hallow cavity inside the legs so we can add sand to
give the rack more weight and vibration absorption. Cones or spikes can be
added to the legs. The red Lack tables are no longer available from Ikea.
Only Black, Black/brown and birch are available. I liked the racing red, but I
didn't get enough of them at the time of the build. Red was discontinued
shortly after I began the project. So, I added black/brown tablets as well. This misfortune actually worked out for the best.
Note that one year later the Ikea
website shows red as available, but didn't see red tables a few days before
the 2012 Christmas holiday in the Ikea store itself. The leg walls on the red tables were thicker than the other
tables, making the cavity inside the legs narrower. The replacement block needed to be sanded down to fit inside.
The black/brown table
fit the 1.25" square doweling perfectly. The doweling is available from
Home Depot or other lumber suppliers.
Parts List
Tools List
Construction Now cut the legs to the desired length. Make the lengths as even as possible for all four legs. You want to start with an even and solid foundation to build on. You will be removing the end without the pre-drilled hole. See pic below for the pre-drilled side is for connecting the threaded screw to the leg and table platform.
Test the end of the opening against the square dowel to make
sure it fits. "Just the tip" as they say.
Cut the dowel in 2" sections or enough to contain the cone
or spike threading without exiting the opposite side. See picture below. \
Mark and drill pilot hole for threaded insert as pictured above. Drill correct size hole for the threaded insert. The
hole should be snug for grip, but not too loose or tight to create
cross-threading. Install insert with a hex wrench until it is flush with
the dowel/block surface. See photos below.
It is a good idea to mount
the spike and cone threaded inserts before mounting the blocks in the leg. The
block could slide inside the leg and would be hard to retrieve without some way
to grab the block!Fill the legs with dry sand, leaving room for the blocks. Place wood glue around the sides of the blocks and gently insert the block into
the leg. Let dry over night or longer. Let completely dry before
mounting leg to platform.
Mounting Leg To Platform
There you go! This is a simple, inexpensive rack
requiring a just little effort. I have been using mine for over a year
with no problems, failure or tumbles.
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