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DIY 'rack' made from dead tree brances ?

Sometimes we come across dead trees or just branches lying around.  I've been considering gathering some of these up and strapping them into a sort of 'rack'  -  more like an equipment 'tree'.  Have any of you heard of doing this ?  It seems like the various sizes of branches involved would make quite good damping of various vibrations and it gives even greater flexibility as far as placement of components and cables compared to a standard shelf rack  -  And if you need an extra space for something new, easy enough to expand this tree  -  and it would cause very minimal acoustical effect in the room, less interactions with loudspeakers, etc.
The branches of the tree could be bound together with glue and strong twine (would look better than cable ties, I think).  To further damp vibrations, one could even put in bungee cords between some of the branches and place components on these.  The branches could be polyethelyne coated or not, whatever floats your boat.  And maybe use a flame thrower to kill molds and parasites before building with them. 
Wanting to hear experiences, if any, or just your thoughts.  Thanks. 

One more thing.  I am new here (not on Audiogon, but on the forum) and am not sure how I will see any replies to this post.  Any pointers on that would be appreciated. 




choppi2003
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,617 posts
 
It would take a very long time to dry it out.Wood expands and contracts with humidy levels also,and will eventually develop some splits.It will move around and a component is likely to slide off at some point.If you take all of that into consideration and work with it,it would look pretty cool:-)
I knew a guy that made furniture out of branches.Looked great even though not perfectly level and plumb.
choppi2003 OP
7 posts
 
geoffkait16,219 posts07-12-2019 5:02am
A rickety, flexible rack will sound better than a rigid rack. That’s because when low frequency vibration tries to travel up through the rack from the floor the rickety rack will move and flex slightly as the vibration travels up through it, reducing the amplitude of the vibrations.
Yep.  I think 'green' wood would be best for this project, but one would have to watch that sap does not emerge and cause contamination to anything.  I'm liking the bungee cord idea, too.
Would be nice to find some attractive bungee cords. 


geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
choppi2003 OP
I’m liking the bungee cord idea, too.
Would be nice to find some attractive bungee cords.

>>>>>Bungee cords can be found in a variety of attractive colors and the only thing you would need to do is match the bungee cord spring rate to weight of the component being isolated/suspended. Plus you’ll need a rigid frame for the bungee cords. Use a maple board for a shelf and drill holes in the four corners of the board to attach the bungee cords. Voila! 🤗
mahlman
433 posts
 
I think potted small trees shaped through years of bending as they grow and doing the bonsai thing on them would be better. The grow lights can provide great ambient light conducive to the proper mindset for audio. The leaves will help organically balance any resonances in the room and give you more oxygen while purging the harmful CO2 you exhale.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
After reading all the brilliant advice in this thread I have decided to ditch everything I have learned over three decades of experience. For my new rack I have a rubber tree plant growing in a pot. Found one with a branch big enough to hang some bungee cords off it. The component needs to go on a shelf. For that I got one of those bamboo place mats. You know the kind you can roll up. Under that is some straw. Under the straw is an inner tube. The inner tube sits on some tennis balls. I cut holes in the tennis balls, string the bungee cords through the holes, back up to the branch. The pot is barely big enough to hold all this without tipping over. Now that I know a rickety rack is better, this is as solid as geoffkait reasoning, so it must be good.
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