• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Expedit Owners - Should this be stable?

Mark W. said:
As a somewhat experienced shelf builder and DIY home remodeller that has done woodwork for 40 years I would strongly suggest that you cover the back of your shelves with either a 1/4" plywood or 1/4" tampered hard board (if you don't like the color then cut the material to size and then paint it before attaching it. Use 1.25" long drywall screws to hold it on I would put one screw into each piece so if you had a 5x5 cube you would end up with a screw in the center of each shelf between each upright and a screw in each up right between each shelf.

The I would find the studs in your wall and either use a spacer board or if possible remove the bottom molding so the shelf fits flat against the wall put at least 4) 2" long screws into the wall. At the top of the shelf.

Just because it feels stable does not mean that it will always be stable. MDF/Particle board will sag slowly with weight on it. And this sagging can change how well the joints are in the pieces.

For the little bit of cost and time being safe beats the hell out of coming home and finding all your LP's in a heap on the floor. And any collateral damage
Click to expand...

I'm starting to think this might be a better way to go. I've got it about half full and I've noticed a little bit of sag in the shelves. I'd feel a lot better if the supplied brackets lined up with a stud in the wall. They didn't so it's just attached to the gyprock with splayed screws. Same for the R/H wall.

Although it does feel solid I am concerned about what old man time could do over the years. It's on a joisted timber floor on concrete stumps. Then again with 14kg in each shelf it's only 350kg of records.

Someone mentioned that theirs had metal pins. Mine has wooden pins holding it together. Got the Nervous Neddys with each pile of records I add to this.
 

Attachments

  • Expedit Half Loaded 001.jpg
    Expedit Half Loaded 001.jpg
    49.5 KB · Views: 34
  • Expedit Half Loaded 006.jpg
    Expedit Half Loaded 006.jpg
    69.8 KB · Views: 53
I've had my two Expedite 5x5's for over 5 years now and have experienced no sag. As you can see, my bed is right beneath one of them and I was certainly a bit concerned in the beginning that I would "wake up dead" one night with it on top of me.

I secured it to the wall with screws and drywall plugs but it pulled away after a single day; there was simply way more weight than two screws were going to hold. While that was scary at first, it's now been 5 years and it hasn't moved again.

Here's my thinking: sure there's a lot of weight in these units, but unless your floors tilt away from the wall, all that weight is going straight down. I've tried pulling my Expedit forward and I can't get it to move more than a fraction of an inch.

3799025393_9e96d4e5a0_b.jpg
 
Thanks! I had a lot of fun building it. I still plan to build a matching bottom cabinet for it one of these days.

Installed a dimmer switch and two reading lamps shortly afterwards. Since then the mixer has grown into a Bozak and I've added a power conditioner.:D

3799024561_2153430bef.jpg
 
Yup, the "disco phone" is my headphone monitor. Saw a picture of some DJ from the 70's using a single headphone on a stick and decided to try and make my own. Pulled a driver from some headphones I had lying around and soldered it into the old handset.

Works well, gets me lots of smiles when I play gigs with it, and is without a doubt the most indestructible headphone I've ever owned!
 
Loaded

Well yesterday I just kept going. Here it is with my entire collection less a few hundred that I had already culled. Decided to keep the weight at the bottom so that's why the top row is almost empty. The records at top left are double-ups that I found while sorting. The next three rows are A-Z. Bottom left is classical followed by DG classical, soundtracks, world music and curios and lastly box sets. It's good to see the floor again!

Next I'll be slowly going through these washing, playing and culling ones that are not sonically perfect. Once I get through the collection and have them all in new inners and outers it should look quite good. Probably could have gotten away with a 4x4 but at least I shouldn't have piles of records down the hallway again.
 

Attachments

  • Expedit Full 001.jpg
    Expedit Full 001.jpg
    87.4 KB · Views: 57
Just a piece of advice for ALL Ikea furniture.

Buy GOOD wood glue and use it at every joint.
Buy Wood Decking screws, use them where ever possible IN ADDITION to Ikea's hardware.

If you do this you will have a rock solid foundation.
 
OK I hate to argue but just because you haven't had your shelf fall or fall apart yet does not mean it won't. I have had Particle board and MDF shelves up with Thousands of Model airplane and National Geographic for 10-15 years and the material will move. I am in the process of remodelling my home office with new music shelves and I found that the old shelves while looking just fine and not showing any signs of sag had shoved the floor down almost 1/2" 30" away from a load bearing support. I figure that starting out with them installed as safe as possible has to be better then 5-10 years down the road finding out you screwed up and the whole mess hax just lande don the dog or your TT or the new flat screen.

The amount of work it takes to put a good back on these shelves and to properly anchor them to the wall (in some places it's almost manidorty with earthquake risk) before filling them up with 1100 pounds (over 1/2 ton) of records (80 per cube X 25 X .57lbs per on average) On a foot print of just 15" X 72". Is nothing compared to cleaning up the mess if they fall etc.

But I only give free advise take it and do what you think best.
 
Mark W. said:
OK I hate to argue but just because you haven't had your shelf fall or fall apart yet does not mean it won't. I have had Particle board and MDF shelves up with Thousands of Model airplane and National Geographic for 10-15 years and the material will move. I am in the process of remodelling my home office with new music shelves and I found that the old shelves while looking just fine and not showing any signs of sag had shoved the floor down almost 1/2" 30" away from a load bearing support. I figure that starting out with them installed as safe as possible has to be better then 5-10 years down the road finding out you screwed up and the whole mess hax just lande don the dog or your TT or the new flat screen.

The amount of work it takes to put a good back on these shelves and to properly anchor them to the wall (in some places it's almost manidorty with earthquake risk) before filling them up with 1100 pounds (over 1/2 ton) of records (80 per cube X 25 X .57lbs per on average) On a foot print of just 15" X 72". Is nothing compared to cleaning up the mess if they fall etc.

But I only give free advise take it and do what you think best.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the sensible advice Mark. I will put a back on and fix it as you suggest. Hopefully all will be ok for a week till I get around to it. I'm a big believer in "if you're going to do something, do it right" motto. I appreciate you passing on your knowledge and advice.
 
bhundu said:
Thank you for the sensible advice Mark. I will put a back on and fix it as you suggest. Hopefully all will be ok for a week till I get around to it. I'm a big believer in "if you're going to do something, do it right" motto. I appreciate you passing on your knowledge and advice.
Click to expand...

Glad to be of service.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom