This is a really neat trick I just read about. LackRack is the ultimate, low-cost, high shininess solution for your modular datacenter-in-the-living-room. Its low-cost and perfect fit are great for mounting up to 8 U of 19″ hardware, such as switches (see below), or perhaps other 19″ gear. Featuring the LACK (side table) from Ikea, the LackRack is an easy-to-implement, exact-fit datacenter building block. Installing hardware in your LackRack is easy! Screw all the screws that fit in the rack mount in the left and right leg. The table legs have just right dimensions for almost 9U of rack space for 19″ hardware.
Earlier some hifi people have built hi-fi stand made out of IKEA Lack side tables, but now the world is ready for 19″ networking equipment racks. Check LackRack home page for more information on how to build your own very cheap 19″ rack system. The page also tells that also Ikea LACK coffee table and Ikea ODDA night table have right dimensions and can be easily converted to cheap 19″ racks.
Image source: http://wiki.eth-0.nl/index.php/LackRack
21 Comments
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Jon Brink says:
I read AV Guide’s opinion about this very thing. Couldn’t agree more with you and less with them.
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Josh Channer says:
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Rack mounted car stereo
http://hackaday.com/2005/09/25/rack-mounted-car-stereo/
built a rack mount stereo
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here is another rack mounting idea:
Workshop and Workbench Update
http://blog.rhysgoodwin.com/home-diy/workshop-and-workbench-update/
My favourite part…What would a workshop be without a server……tool drawer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A do-it-yourself instrument cart
http://www.edn.com/design/test-and-measurement/4421703/A-do-it-yourself-instrument-cart
When I want to use an oscilloscope, signal generator, and other instruments, I must rearrange the “clutter” on my lab table to make space. I’d rather put my instruments on a cart and place them near the table only when I need them. eBay listed several used Tektronix scope carts, but most cost several hundred dollars, and shipping would have cost about the same.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IKEA LED Table Mod Doesn’t LACK Awesome
http://hackaday.com/2014/02/03/ikea-led-table-mod-doesnt-lack-awesome/
[Klaas] has turned a LACK Side table into an interactive LED table featuring 144 RGB LEDs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Other IKEA modification ideas:
http://www.ikeahackers.net/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why use standard data center racks in your home, when you can house gear in a stylish side table from IKEA?
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2014/08/27/the-home-data-center-mancave-for-the-internet-age/2/
Tomi Engdahl says:
19″ racks have no dimensions that are actually 19″. Also 2x4s aren’t 2 inches by four inches. Somehow, a 2×4 server rack works.
Ultra Simple 2×4 Server Rack
http://hackaday.io/project/318-ultra-simple-2×4-server-rack
It doesn’t get any easier or cheaper than this. Build a 4ft tall server rack from 2×4 BigBox hardware lumber.
This project uses four cheaply available 2×4 boards and assembles them into a 4-foot-tall rack mount frame, suitable for housing generic 19″ rack hardware. Wood is great: it’s abundant, light, and strong. Heck, it even grows on trees!
Probably the biggest selling point of this setup is that it can be assembled for under $20.
Define: 19″ Rack
http://www.server-racks.com/19-rack.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Other use for Lack:
IKEA Table 3D Printer
http://hackaday.com/2016/12/22/ikea-table-3d-printer/
In this Instructable, [Wayne Mason-Drust] shares the step by step guide on how to make a cool, good-looking, 3D printer based on the Ikea LACK table. From an Ikea lantern weather station to a fully printed CNC based on an Ikea table, it’s almost safe to say that a 3D printer Ikea hack was overdue.
The idea to use a Ikea table as a base for a 3D printer first came to [Wayne] as he used this table to support other 3D printer he had working in his business.
PRINTTABLE the Affordable, Attractive IKEA Lack Table Hack to create a 3D Printer
http://www.instructables.com/id/PRINTTABLE-the-Affordable-Attractive-IKEA-Lack-Tab/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lack Rack: Ikea’s cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers
https://boingboing.net/2020/08/14/lack-rack-ikeas-cheapest-ta.html?utm_content=bufferfaf43&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dude, go in style; try this half cab that actually looks nice https://www.ikeahackers.net/2018/06/server-cabinet-diy-ikeahack.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack
Tomi Engdahl says:
Does anybody know what a rack screw actually is? Size?
The standard (EIA-310-D) sets it as 10-32 or 6mm if tapped or square for inserts. But I imagine there may be stuff out there not set to the standards …
10-32 is most common in AV applications. But 12-24 is common in data applications.
But the heads can be Phillips, Robertson, torx, security torx, even flathead.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rackmount Hardware Placement Issues? IKEA LACK To The Rescue!
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/29/rackmount-hardware-placement-issues-ikea-lack-to-the-rescue/
You can buy a whole lot of cheap hardware in 19″, and arguably, that’s where you can get the best hardware for your dollar. Many a hackerspace has used these tables for makeshift infrastructure, permanent in all but intent. So, in case some of us missed the memo, now you are aware of yet another, underappreciated solution for mounting all these servers we get for cheap when yet another company replaces its equipment – or undergoes a liquidation. If LackRack hasn’t been on your radar – what have you been using for housing your rackmount hardware collection?
https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack