DIY speaker stands and rack

Hi,
Anyone here made his/her own stands and racks?
I am thinking of getting one made.
What are the things that separate the good from the bad (apart from the looks).
Any tips, links would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Hi Dichkaun,
Yes i have made a teak wood rack myself and it has lasted for years. The idea is to use solid wood which i purchased from a timber mart in mumbai. The finish was not great but it was functional. Now the system has grown and i too am looking for a solid/stable rack.
Please do not make a ply wood cabinet. Cheap racks of MDF or similar look good but are average in every other aspect.
I am not telling u that a good solid rack will radically improve the sound but that all components will generally perform better when well ventilated and supported aptly.
Is this an AV rack or just a HIFI rack? Is it going to open from all sides?
Catch hold of a good fabricator or a carpenter and get one made to ur specifications. See pictures of good racks on standanddeliver.com and copy them as best u can, particularly the way each rack is isolated.
I am in the process of getting one made, am just looking for the right materials which is taking a while.
Regards

Hi dinyaar,
I was thinking of steel and toughened glass. Any advantage of wood over that? Glass and steel only because it gels in with rest of the decor.

What is the difference between an AV rack and a HIFI rack? My plan is to make one with 5 shelves (two players, Pre, power, one extra) keeping future expansion in mind. For now I will be placing only the player and a int. amp in the rack.
A few specific question:
* Do I need to use spikes for legs? (some online pics show that) What is teh advantage?
* What sort of damping needs to be there?

Thanks for the standanddeliver.com link. Got some good ideas there.

Thanks,
dish.

PS: For those who are wondering, I am getting some wood/masonry work done in or flat. So decided to get some work done for my music/movie needs too.

Hi
In general, if you can, avoid glass..

Thanks odyssey.
Are there any technical reasons? Glass surely looks good.

~dich.

Well Dichkaun wood has its obvious advantages but i have seen some (partington+ alphason etc) steel/glass racks which were superb. The glass was 12 mm and the steel pipes were really heavy and thick. If it matches the rest of the decor go for it.
AV rack accomodates a TV and is generally double the width of a HIFI rack. Materials/construction is the same.
U must use spikes if u can. Minimizes contact and isolates the entire set up from the ground. Its very easy to get steel feet if u cant find spikes that fit into the scheme of things.
On the site i mentioned see the soundstyle and alphason racks. (The 5 tier ones) If u can just print them out and show the fabricator am sure u will get a great rack for very reasonable money.
Good luck.

Dinyaar has already replied, but in general wood will provide that extra dampening compared to glass

Thank you guys.
Let's see what I come up with.

~dich