Denver and Front Range furniture maker -- just did my audio rack!

Looks like we’ll made furniture,for sure. Congratulations. 

Congrats on the audio rack! I've always said if you can't afford a good audio stand form the usual suspects, seeking out a local carpenter is the way to go. It will be made to your specs with the looks you want for a comparable, if not cheaper price.

It's how I did mine.

All the best,
Nonoise

Looking forward to pictures when it's done hilde45. That guy seems to make beautiful pieces.

Would love to see it OP ... post a couple pics!

Thanks! So many of us live near good carpenters; it seemed like a no-brainer to stay local on this. Plus, custom design!

Simple but stunning and it looks rock solid. The shelves look like maple. What are the legs made of?

Great design, you'll be able to use that for many many years. 

Great looking rack!  

That rack rivals anything I've seen form Timbernation. 
It's beautiful.

All the best,
Nonoise

Looks really nice. Congrats!

Thanks! Not sure what legs are. 2" top shelf, 3" bottom, both maple. I wanted it about 4' across, 18" deep, and as close to the floor as possible, since I do not want to spend on long interconnects and I don't have balanced gear -- in other words, stuff has to be at the front. Mono blocks will go on platforms to the left and right of the rack, if all goes to plan, and my Pass XA 25 will go on the rack.  

What still amazes me is to be sent a local real estate listing and to see a $5,000 entertainment cabinet with a 65" TV with no speakers to listen to the sound.  How anyone would listen to their TV speakers is beyond me.  Then to scroll through the pictures and not see a single pair of speakers in the house.  Are people allergic to music?  When is the last time you saw an ad from an electronics manufacturer showing off a pair of speakers, amplifiers, turntables?  Then everyone complains about how manufacturers are suffering from lack of sales, or they simply go out of business?  I think a number of manufactures could team up together to produce advertisements.  Perhaps, direct mail utilizing sophisticated data to create mailing lists to make sure mailing pieces are being sent to the right consumer.

What was the rough price for that HIlde45?

@hilde45 

Excellent rack should last you a lifetime.  Are the amp stands going to match?

Warm Regards,

barts

Very nice!  I'm building my own out of dark walnut.  A bit longer in my case to accommodate both analogue and digital front ends and mono blocks.  The wife insists on 5 inches clearance from the floor for cleaning.

That is a beautiful rack! Lovely work!

@acmaier3 Roughly $1.2k. Would have been less if I had gone with 1.5" or 2" for all shelves, but I wanted it to be super dead.

@barts Not sure about amp stands yet. Need to see how it all looks. 

@hilde45 

Lovely, its so important to support small independent craftsmen 👍 

hilde, Wood is expensive. The material IS the finished product. You were smart and correct not to scrimp. The Maple is beautiful and designed in a plain Craftsman. style. Just tell your wife now you have to spent multi-thousands on new components to match ... 😄 (Quicksilver gear is great:)

1.2K is NOT a lot. It Is certainly a beautiful piece!!

That looks fantastic. Also, great decision to use local craftsmen. 

My side of town...

Might have to check them out - thanks for posting!

Thanks, all. @elrod Nat is a super nice person -- he was a gentle, kind, and very supportive teacher to both my children. I hope he flourishes doing something he loves just as much.

Yes, can't scrimp on materials! Good call!

Nicely done, and you entitled to be proud of it, @hilde45.  I'm envisioning a future revision of my current 'support system' ( 1" granite on 2x6 horizontals, 4x6 posts, 2 levels...all from scraps...) into something more 'room friendly', but it can wait for the while...*S*

Enjoy!  And +1 for going local.... ;)

I am sure your system will look great on that rack. Maybe get your woodworker to cut you some of the 2" maple as platforms for the mono amps, attach threaded sockets underneath for leveling spikes or feet.

You did good. You would not have been able to purchase such a rack from any of the high end boutique rack makers for that $$. I paid more for my Butcher Block Acoustics rack and it is very similar to yours in looks and size.

@hilde45 

beautiful! I messaged him just now for a quote. One question. Why did you choose a 2 inch thick piece for the top and 3 inch for the bottom. My integrated will go on top and the 3 inch thickness seems better for the top. Please give me your thoughts on my logic. Thank you 

Ron 

Nice buy, professor! Will make note of the vendor.

You're all set now. Put on some tunes and crack a cold one. As Beckett wrote: "Nothing to be done."

@denverfred I just learned (from a fellow audiophile) that Nobsound springs, Townshend podiums, and Synergistic Hfts are huge. Heaven help me.

@ronboco 

I did 2" on top because I believe lighter gear will be up there -- streamer, DAC, Preamp. Lower shelf may have a very heavy Pass Labs amp.

I don't even know if the above makes sense from a vibration point of view, I just thought, "thicker, heavier on the bottom" might look better, too. 

I bet 2" on each shelf would be fine and would look good, too. 

@hilde45 

that makes perfect sense to me. My amp will be on top so the thicker one on top is the way I will go. I asked for some threaded inserts on the bottom of each leg in case I want to put some spikes or footers under everything.  Hopefully it looks ok! 😂 Thanks for the reply. 
 

Regards 

@hilde45 very nice and great find!

Wow, great deal at 1.2K. If was audio marketed, it would be 5 times that.

Thanks all.

For anyone wondering, legs are maple, too.

OK, @hilde45 ....is it filled in yet? *Innocent S attempt a Fail*

Lovely as it is, 'it's time to go to work', even if a plethora of 'options' beckon.... ;)

Go 'minimalist' for awhile while waiting for USPS, UPS, FedEx, or the pigeons....

Wonderful, I had my rack build from maple as well. Very solid investment 

@asvjerry Is it filled in yet? It's still at his shop! I have to go pick it up, then...fill it! (I do have the gear...but will that gear look right on the table. "Hmmm. That amp doesn't look right on that nice table. Better upgrade the amp!"

@mesch Yes, I'll think about some nice amp stands!

1200 is a damn good price for this. And if you go to his site he shows the joinery used to hold this together, not just notched like Timber nation. 

It might be a bit north of 1.2k, so please don't quote me, but it's really in that neighborhood. Since it's custom (and based on the current prices for materials) all actual information needs to be part of specific conversations. 

Just mentioning this so I don't accidentally set expectations that I should be setting.

*Stare*  " It's still at his shop...." 

* . *  *sigh*

Why does P. Simons' "Slip Slidin' Away" come to mind.....?!

*L*  No, I'm jealous in some degrees....virgin lumber, unsullied by nasty audio spikes, rubbers....all that audiophilia kink clutter.... 🤨😜

Too aware re lumber pricing, big part of our trade here....

Enjoy when you get one of those round to-its'. ;) J

Nice Rack! 🤣

hilde45

Just installed Gaia speaker footers. WOW! Will review in more detail after more listening. Repeat: WOW!

@denverfred They're on my used watch list. Can't pay full price...just can't. 

Thanks for the custom woodworking shelf/amp stand tip. Usually custom means significantly more $$$.  Fantastic idea to get custom fitted furniture to fit specific needs without breaking the bank.

Congrats on your new audio shelf.

Thanks, @kennyc 

He doesn't usually do audio stuff, so his prices reflect...reality.

Rack in place! Thanks to Nat at Clay Street Woodworks! 

That is simply clean and handsome. Timeless!