I'm sure a lot of dealers, in particular, on here will have experience of this. Where's the best place to get shelving for 45 racks. I want to go up to about 8" and have two gaps one 113 cms, one 190 cms. The shelves only need to be 5" wide and 8" deep (sorry about switching measuring scales)

The answer to the best shelving for records is to build them yourself if you have the time/suppliers to source the material from and the space required to actually do the job at home. The tools required are minimal provided you are able to get the timber perfectly cut to size at a trade timber merchants, not a domestic DIY centre. Try to avoid anywhere that charges "per cut" as this can rack up the expense considerably. Some merchants will just charge a flat amount for any reasonable number of cuts, although a bonus of a few quid to the cutter usually helps smooth out some of these issues. As with all the units I have ever built, of which we're talking approximately 50+ since 1990 including many for friends/record buying customers, the material used is 18mm MDF, with a 6 or 8mm MDF backing. I've attached photos of a typical 45's unit I have above my own decks. In a further posting I have quoted the measurements for this example.

 

 

Close up "Image" of clearances

Edited November 27, 20186 yr by Guest
Further info and fresh pics added

Here are the basic details to build the unit shown in the photographs. This was built to a specific measurement across the width of a chimney breast, and attached to another shelving unit at the far end. If you have no particular necessity to fill a space precisely, then I always advise designing your shelving to maximise what you can get out of an 8 x 4 sheet of MDF (2440 x 1220 mm). It's important to remember that if your backing sheet is 1220mm on one side and you wish to max this out, then the shelf length will need to take into account the 18mm sides at each end of the unit, therefore the shelf cut will be 1184mm (1220 minus 36). I cannot stress how important it is when you play with fine margins that you get the material cut by a good timber merchants if you want a professional finish to your build. A poorly maintained or worn blade on the cutting machinery will affect the product. What I've posted should give you some good ideas but don't hesitate to ask for any further details. Martin

Edit: A bit more info on the backing sheet, this can be MDF or plywood and for a 45's rack given that there will be only a light weight contained within the unit, 6 or 8mm thickness will be adequate. You should ask the supplier if they have any damaged-on-one-side stock going cheap, or any "top sheets," these are the sheets that go on top of a batch for shipping purposes. If they look tidy enough it saves money as most users are only going to see one side of the backing, or possibly neither if the unit is full. Note that hardboard is definitely not suitable for backing, it doesn't have the required strength, I know from early experimentation. Martin

Edited November 28, 20186 yr by Guest

Thanks Martin, I got sorted for my immediate needs but will refer to this in future. Ady