Free woodworking plans for an open frame or enclosed 20U Server Rack for home or small office.
I have a few rack mount servers that I use for testing and development. These days home servers are becoming more popular. Everything from storage servers, home theater servers, home automation and more are making their way into peoples homes and having a rack mount enclosure helps fit all those servers neatly in one spot.
Every so often I look into purchasing a rack to put them in but even used theyre not cheap. A new half height, no frills open rack cabinet (like this Tripp Lite SR4POST25 25U 4-Post Open Frame Rack Cabinet
5 8 2x4 studs 4 6 1x4 boards that match plywood (poplar) 1 4x8 sheet of 3/4" plywood (birch) 25 of plywood edge banding 4 8 lengths of door stop moulding 1 17 package of D shaped weather strip 2 Pairs Heavy-Duty 5 in. Swivel Casters
You can save a lot of time by prefinishing the wood before putting everything together.
The rails will have holes on each side of the angle. The side that has the variations will be where the equipment gets mounted. The side with the more standard spacing screws into the stud. Space screws ever 2-3" with 1" wood screws. A typical 1U server weights about 10-15lbs. You probably wont fill the whole rack with servers but its still a good idea to make sure the rails are securely attached.
Make sure the 2 sides are square. Might be a good idea to make sure some of your rack mount equipment fits too just in case the blanks are off. Once you have everything adjusted and square. Mark the length for the top and bottom 2x4 pieces. Cut to size and secure with wood glue and pocket hole screws for 1-1/2" material as shown.
You should have 2 of these rail frames. One for the front and one for the back.
Once youve determined the depth of your cabinet, calculate the desired rack depth, subtract the width of 2 2x4s (7") and cut 4 lengths of 2x4 for the verticals. Secure with wood glue and pocket hole joints as shown.
Make sure your box is square. If you have some sliding rack rails for your servers you can attach them to the front and back rails to help line everything up.
Depending how much you plan to load up the rack you may also want to consider adding additional support such as metal L brackets at corners.
If you dont care about having an enclosed rack cabinet you can stop here.
Just securely screw the casters to the bottom of the server rack frame you just built and youre good to go.
Place the rack where youd like and start adding your servers.
An enclosed rack however does have some benefits such as the ability to keep dust and other debris out. Things like bugs. For some reason house centipedes seem to love electricity. Ive found them in computer cases as well as electrical panels.
Dust can build up on the internal components of your servers making cooling less effective. Well go with that reason instead of being creeped out about having to vacuum up dead bugs. :)
Measure and cut the sides as well. The depth of the sides will be the same as the depth of the top and bottom. The height of the sides will be the height of the open rack plus 2x the thickness of your plywood.
Dont secure anything yet. Just get it ready. Apply edgebanding to the front and back of the top and bottom and to the top, front and back of the sides.
Now place the upside down open frame rack in the partial cabinet centering it. There should be 5" of plywood overhanging the front and back. Secure the plywood top and sides to the 2x4 frame from the outside using 1-1/2" flat top wood screws. Drill pilot holes and countersinks deep enough to fill the holes with wood filler before finishing. You may want to measure and mark the locations of the screws for a more uniform look.
Cut the 1x4 boards to the appropriate length, drill pocket holes, glue and screw together as shown after making sure everything is the right size in the opening.
For a more finished look you can cut and screw some screen molding around the edges of the screen.
Cut the foam filter material so its larger than the aluminum screen already installed on the door. Cut a piece of hardware cloth about 1/2"- 1" wider and longer than the piece of filter foam.
Lay the filter foam on the back of the door over the aluminum screen. Lay the hardware cloth over the filter foam and screw the hardware cloth into the door around the edges using 3/8" or 1/2" small wood screws.
The hardware cloth will keep the filter foam from sagging or otherwise losing its shape. When the filter gets full of dust simply unscrew the hardware cloth then rinse and dry the filter foam then reinstall.
The doors are inset meaning the front of the door is flush with the front of the cabinet.
After adjusting the hinges install the door handles.
On the front of the door stop molding (the side that faces the door) apply the self-adhesive D-shaped weather strip.
Do this for both doors.
Every so often I look into purchasing a rack to put them in but even used theyre not cheap. A new half height, no frills open rack cabinet (like this Tripp Lite SR4POST25 25U 4-Post Open Frame Rack Cabinet
Tools
- Drill
- Circular saw and guide or table saw for cutting plywood
- Miterbox or power miter saw for making square cuts in boards
- Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
- Square
- Pilot hole bits
- Clamps
- Tape measure
- pencil
- Finishing tools
Preface
These plans can be customized to suit your needs. Instead of coming up with a cut list and cut plans Im writing these steps in a way that should make it easy for you to build the rack to your specifications by measuring and marking as you go.You can save a lot of time by prefinishing the wood before putting everything together.
Step 1: Attach Rack Rails to Side Supports
Measure and cut 4 pieces of 2x4 to the exact height of your rack rails. Drill pilot holes and screw them to the side of the stud as shown.The rails will have holes on each side of the angle. The side that has the variations will be where the equipment gets mounted. The side with the more standard spacing screws into the stud. Space screws ever 2-3" with 1" wood screws. A typical 1U server weights about 10-15lbs. You probably wont fill the whole rack with servers but its still a good idea to make sure the rails are securely attached.Step 2: Attach Horizontal Width Boards
According to the specs, the rails should be mounted 19 1/8" apart. This might vary if youre using different types of rails. An easy way to get the exact spacing you need is to install a 2U blank to the top and bottom so you can know the exact spacing you need.Make sure the 2 sides are square. Might be a good idea to make sure some of your rack mount equipment fits too just in case the blanks are off. Once you have everything adjusted and square. Mark the length for the top and bottom 2x4 pieces. Cut to size and secure with wood glue and pocket hole screws for 1-1/2" material as shown.You should have 2 of these rail frames. One for the front and one for the back. Step 4: Attach Boards For Rack Server Depth
There is no standard rack mounting depth (distance from front of front rail to back of back rail) and racks can be anywhere from 19" to 30". Different manufacturers use different rack mounting depth.- Dell 28 7/8"
- HP 29 1/8"
- IBM 28 1/2"
- Sun up to 32" (if I remember correctly)
Once youve determined the depth of your cabinet, calculate the desired rack depth, subtract the width of 2 2x4s (7") and cut 4 lengths of 2x4 for the verticals. Secure with wood glue and pocket hole joints as shown.
Step 5: Cut and Attach Additional Support Boards
For additional strength, mark and cut, then glue and screw additional 2x4 boards to the sides, top and bottom as shown.Depending how much you plan to load up the rack you may also want to consider adding additional support such as metal L brackets at corners.Step 6: Completed Open Rack
Just securely screw the casters to the bottom of the server rack frame you just built and youre good to go.
Place the rack where youd like and start adding your servers.
An enclosed rack however does have some benefits such as the ability to keep dust and other debris out. Things like bugs. For some reason house centipedes seem to love electricity. Ive found them in computer cases as well as electrical panels.
Dust can build up on the internal components of your servers making cooling less effective. Well go with that reason instead of being creeped out about having to vacuum up dead bugs. :)
Step 7: Cut Cabinet Panels
Measure and cut the top and bottom for the server rack enclosure. The sides will be flush with the width of the open rack. The front and back overhangs 5" so add 10" to the depth of your open rack.Measure and cut the sides as well. The depth of the sides will be the same as the depth of the top and bottom. The height of the sides will be the height of the open rack plus 2x the thickness of your plywood.Dont secure anything yet. Just get it ready. Apply edgebanding to the front and back of the top and bottom and to the top, front and back of the sides.
Step 8: Attach Cabinet Top and Sides
Drill the appropriate pocket holes for 3/4" material into the underside of the cabinet top spacing the holes every 6-8". Attach the sides to the top as shown.Now place the upside down open frame rack in the partial cabinet centering it. There should be 5" of plywood overhanging the front and back. Secure the plywood top and sides to the 2x4 frame from the outside using 1-1/2" flat top wood screws. Drill pilot holes and countersinks deep enough to fill the holes with wood filler before finishing. You may want to measure and mark the locations of the screws for a more uniform look.Step 9: Attach Cabinet Bottom
Drill holes for pocket screws on the underside of the cabinet bottom spacing them every 6" and attach the bottom to the cabinet sides. Also drill and countersink 1-1/2" wood screws into the 2x4s.Step 10: Attach Casters
With the server rack cabinet already upside down its a good time to install the casters. Position the casters so that they are over 2x4s, drill pilot holes and secure them with 1-1/2" to 2" wood screws.Optional: Insulation
At this point you might want to consider adding some 1" or 1-1/2" foil backed rigid insulation to the spaces between the 2x4s in the open rack (not in the 5" in front or behind it). Rack servers are loud (especially 1U servers) and it may help muffle some of the fan noise. Not much since the front and back will be open. If you plan on keeping this where noise is an issue consider larger form factor servers that can accommodate 80mm or 120mm fans which dont make as much noise.Step 11: Build Door Frames
Measure the front and back openings and subtract 1/4" from the width and height. This will give you the right size for the width and height of your door with a 1/8" gap all the way around.Cut the 1x4 boards to the appropriate length, drill pocket holes, glue and screw together as shown after making sure everything is the right size in the opening.
Step 12: Attach Screen
Good ventilation is important so the center of the door will be aluminum window screen. Stretch and staple the aluminum screen on the inside of each door and trim away the excess.For a more finished look you can cut and screw some screen molding around the edges of the screen.Step 12: Add Filter Foam To Font Door
Dust can be a real problem for computers so were going to add a removable foam filter to the front door to help catch some of the dust. A filter isnt necessary on the back door because air flows from front to back through servers.Cut the foam filter material so its larger than the aluminum screen already installed on the door. Cut a piece of hardware cloth about 1/2"- 1" wider and longer than the piece of filter foam.
Lay the filter foam on the back of the door over the aluminum screen. Lay the hardware cloth over the filter foam and screw the hardware cloth into the door around the edges using 3/8" or 1/2" small wood screws.
The hardware cloth will keep the filter foam from sagging or otherwise losing its shape. When the filter gets full of dust simply unscrew the hardware cloth then rinse and dry the filter foam then reinstall.
Step 13: Attach Doors To Cabinet
Follow the instructions for the hinges to attach the doors the cabinet. Be mindful of which way you want them to swing out and make sure you have an even 1/8" gap between the door and the cabinet.The doors are inset meaning the front of the door is flush with the front of the cabinet.
After adjusting the hinges install the door handles.
Step 14: Door Stops and Weather Strip
To prevent dust (and nasty house centipedes) from entering the cabinet through the gap around the door, door stop molding gets installed 7/8" back from the opening. It will need to be cut to accommodate the hinges and door latch hardware.On the front of the door stop molding (the side that faces the door) apply the self-adhesive D-shaped weather strip.
Do this for both doors.
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