Network/IT cabinet for hall - random idea bounce

[Tim Watts]

Looking for something in the format of a kitchen wall cabinet, about

1.2-1.4m wide, 0.6m tall and 0.4m deep

Needs to be able to accept 19" rackmount on one half, shelves on the other half.

=============Ceiling===**========**=========== | ** ** | ----------------------------- | | || || Power Bar | | | || 19" stuff|| | | | || || C C | | | || || C C C C | | | || ||-----------| | | || || | | | || || | | | || || | | | || || C C C C| | ----------------------------- | | | | | Top of piano, about 5 ft off floor

C = computers - that sort of thing...

** Cables

To be mounted up against ceiling with cornice (net cables drop down) and be open backed so I can mount either a long run of 10 surface sockets or an equipment 13A 10 way bar into a fused spur on the brick wall.

Normal metal cabinets are banned - too deep and ugly. This should look more or less like a regular cupboard (wire mesh vents excepted) until you open it :)

I expect > 20 Cat5e/6a cables coming back here plus phone and a loop or spur to nearby ring main.

I'm thinking of a kitchen wall cabinet with a couple of 2x2" or 2x1" vertical struts drilled in the 19" hole pattern with nut-serts in in rear to take long machine screws.

Not heavy equipment - this will take 1 patch panel frame and some prosumer net switches with rack mounting "ears" on. Hence why it does not need to be deep.

The other side will have a small array of small computer - an HP Proliant mini server, miniITX unit and misc small things like DECT/VOIP phone base, home automation base and similar.

A cabinet in "shaker" style would be favoured by SWMBO and wood rather than chip preferred.

And we need big passive vents top and bottom covered with course mesh. Not a lot of heat but it must be allowed to convection cool easily.

Unless anyone spontaenously knows of a good cupboard to start with that would be adaptable, I was wondering if I might be able to quickly (couple of weeks sort of quickly) knock this up out of 12mm ply made into a box, ply doors and some 3x1/2" sort of sized trim glued on to give it the "shaker panelled look" - it's all going to be painted anyway.

The box would be open backed and some large holes could be cut in the top section to allow bundles of cables down.

Looking to buy a router so that could be used to perhaps add features.

[Andrew Mawson]

Why not buy a wall cupboard of the style that you already have / will have in the kitchen and butcher it to suit so that it matches

Andrew

[Tim Watts]

It's an option - but our kitchen is custom (cabinets made by a chap from Herstmonceaux).

I will run a design past him but I suspect a one off is going to be more than I want to pay for this job (the kitchen was worth it but it's taken a lump of budget).

For a single I'm quite close to real DIY if my plywood idea can be made simple enough that even I could do it :)

[Tricky Dicky]

Buy a cheap standard cabinet get your custom cabinet maker to supply a matching door to fit. Should save you some of the cost but still match the rest of the kitchen.

Richard

[Bill Wright]

You only need a door. While you're at it get some spare hinges, knobs, etc off him, because when you need them they'll be discontinued.

Bill

[John Rumm]

[snip]

There are also plastic wall mount cabs - 300 - 400mm deep - not quite as ugly but probably not what you want on show.

Alternatively just buy the plain struts for the rack mount stuff and put it in your own box.

250mm?

(some PABX boxen are about 300mm deep. Most switches these days are less though)

If you want posh, the you can get veneered ply or MDF, but if painting then it does not really matter - any ply with a real wood lipping on it will look fine painted.

That was what I used for:

Well a ply box is easy... ISTR you have a router (wood, not network!) so do a simply 4 sided ply box the shape and size of the overall cupboard. Just butt joint the board ends so that top and bottom meet the sides.

From the back route a 1/8" wide by 1/2" deep rebate all round the inside edge of the top bottom and sides. Now cut a well sized panel to fit in the rebate, glue and pin it. That will square it all up and make it strong.

Cut some thin strips of soft wood slightly wider than your ply and glue and pin to the front to hide the ply edges. Run a flush trim bit in the router over them to plane them level with the ply edges.

Cut holes in the back - but its worth having one since it makes the whole thing much stronger and keeps it in shape nicely.

Ah, thought you already had one... but yes.

If you want to get posher, then you could do rebated joints rather than butt joints.

Alternatively for quick box making, a pocket hole jig is hard to beat for speed.

Shaker style doors can be bought ready made easily:

or, again easy job with a router - just a wood frame round a ply or MDF panel. Let me know if you want details, I have phones for some I did.

[Tim Watts]

That's an option...

Haven't measured yet - obviously got to leave front space for cables and rear for switches that have rear entry mains IEC

Never heard of those - will research :)

Cheers John - lots of good ideas - Think I could manage something.

Does not need to be as nice as yours - basic but neat is OK.

Cheers,

Tim

[John Rumm]

Not pretty, but very fast and strong. Can quite often be hidden:

Easy for all kinds of jobs:

(Kreg and Trend both make jigs ranging from the very simple to the assembly line class)

I needed three doors for cabinets in the utility room - needless to say the others in there are no longer made MFI ones, so a quick shaker style frame and a bit of MDF made a quite credible job once painted:

Might get round to painting the inside one day:

All you need is a groove down the inside of the rails a stiles for the panel and then you can pocket hole the ends together.

[tony sayer]

In article , Tricky Dicky scribeth thus

And you can line the side with 19 inch rack strip and there you have more or less what you need. Bin there and made quite a bit of that over time...

Like this here..