The Best "How To"

By Candace Horgan
Racks for stereo equipment and home theater systems generally start in the $200 range and increase from there. However, if you don't need the latest cutting-edge look and don't want to spend all that money, it is quite easy to build your own.

1. Step 1

   While a rack with a door used to be considered the way to go, an open rack is better. Home theater and audio components give off a lot of heat, and giving the components adequate ventilation is crucial to their performance and longevity.

2. Step 2

   Decide how many shelves you will need. Let's plan for a rack for four components: a receiver, a DVD player, a cable box, and a CD changer. Most components are 17 inches wide; some high-end components can be 19 inches wide. The depth of each component can vary up to 17 inches. Many hardware stores will pre-cut plywood to your dimensions, and unless you have a power saw you'll get a better shelf that way, so have them cut four pieces of plywood that are 20 inches by 18 inches. If you want to put cable management holes in the rack, make each shelf 20x20 to give enough space to drill the holes for cables and power cords.

3. Step 3

   Plan out the height. Most audio components are about 7 inches high; to ensure adequate ventilation, leave 10 inches for each shelf. Including the height of each shelf, cut four 2x2s that are 40 inches high. Use a level to make sure that each 2x2 is level at the top and bottom.
   
   Sand all the wood so that it is smooth, and then apply the finisher of your choice to pieces of wood.

4. Step 4

   Brace the shelves. The simplest way to create braces is to saw triangle pieces of plywood. Given that a home theater receiver can weigh 40 or more pounds, and you want to minimize vibration to improve performance, four braces per shelf that are 3-inch triangles is the best solution.
   
   You can also choose metal L-type braces that you buy from a hardware store. If you want to use those, the best option is to saw out a 1-inch square at each corner of the plywood shelf, so that the corner will fit around a corner 2x2 and provide adequate bite for the L braces.

5. Step 5

   Screw the braces into the 2x2s. If you are using 3-inch triangle braces, make it so the bottom of each triangle is 3 inches from the bottom of the 2x2. That will put the height of the first shelf 6 inches off the ground. Each piece of plywood is 1 inch thick, so measure a total of 8 inches from the top of the first triangle to the start of the next triangle. This will put 10 inches of space between each shelf.
   
   If you are using the metal braces, screw them in, one on each corner, so that the top of the metal brace is 6 inches from the bottom. For each additional shelf, measure so that the top of the brace is 11 inches above the previous brace.

Finish by screwing the plywood shelves into each brace.