Wall mounted shelf for a TT - how to guide

Anthony

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I am in the process of moving into a new flat, and want to put a wall shelf up for my TT. I am not great at DIY due mostly to lack of opportunity in the past.

As i have previously done on my hifi voyage of discovery, I am asking for your help again.

What do i need to consider?

What are the best materials to use?

How do i ensure it is perfectly level?

Any other tips, comments, experiences, witty asides:p?

 

kennyk

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first - what type of wall are you fixing to?

I fitted my target wall shelf to a B&Q 'pine shelf' screwed directly into two wooden joists behind my gypsum/plasterboard wall.

if you have solid brick walls, its not asnecessary, but my rule of thumb is the less holes in the actual wall, the better for swmbo harmony
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that said, a number of exporatory holes were made to find the joists. behind the base board
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if you fix the base board to the wall, you can put one corner of the tt shelf up in the right position, and using a spirit level find the correct point for the opposite corner and mark it.

it's a bit difficult to explain the finer points, but ask if there's anything I've missed. you can see my wall mounting effort somewhere on the bits and bobs thread...

 

TIU

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This is what we are useful for, supposedly. So far every shelf I have put up has ended up not level, despite careful marking up beforehand with a spirit level. It must be my screwing skills fall short.
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If the wall is solid, i.e. brick, I have found the best fixings are those long screws with long grey collar thingies. You just drill big holes, hold the shelf in place (an assistant helps here) and hammer the screws in. I erected a large kitchen wall cupboard with these and it's still up. Maybe not level but still up.
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Anthony

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kenny - you mentioned the Target wall shelf. these are about £80 for the non-glass one. do you think this is any better than a couple of shelf brackets and a nice piece of wood on top with a rim to stop anything slipping off?

i will probably put it into a brick wall which is behind the speakers, rather than a plasterboard wall to the side of the speakers. should be a lot more secure and less likely to transmit vibrations from the floor or from the speakers.

 

kennyk

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you can pick them up for anything between 20-40 on hifi fora/eBay
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probably not much better, but with the spikes, the target does offer an extra level of sound insulation.

wall-gyro.jpg


 
G

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antony,

make one of these for about 50 quid. dead easy. put some battens up first. then get some shelf brackets with the guide rail.

get some glass cut. hey presto. what i have done is put some wood flooring furniture protectors between the glass and the brackets.

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G

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nice looking deck ken. you got the stand alone motor yet old boy?

artemiz is a good arm. what cartridge you using now?

 

kennyk

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not yet rudi. still on the goldring excel vx. great cart. still fancy something a bit higher up the chain. not enough shekels at the moment...
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One day...
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Anthony

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how about two of these (the 34cm version) with a specially cut to size matching piece of solid oak as the shelf?

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=68016&langId=-20&categoryId=15649&chosenPartNumber=20094903

I could screw the shelf into the brackets before mounting to make it secure. i'm not sure how much difference spikes will make if it's screwed into a brick/stone wall.

my TT is nowhere near as bling as yours though:D

any other suggestions welcomed, and thanks for the advice so far from kenny, rudi and mr turniput

 

kennyk

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if you want to go the diy route, theres some spikes here.

http://www.falcon-acoustics.co.uk/pl28p9.htm

the difference it makes will be the ability to level the tt plinth... very useful, as well as decoupling your tt from the wall somewhat.

personally I'd go for a s/h target, and maybe ask a nice glazier to replace the MDF shelf with two a la rudi design.

 

Leonard Smalls

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If you're going into a brick or stone wall and want to be sure the shelf will hold the weight of the TT use rawlbolts (not screws and plugs).

I use 8 M8 rawlbolts on my Target shelf, I think it's also a good idea to get rid of that piece of crap bit of black-ash veneered chipboard they laughingly call a shelf and replace it with a decent bit of oak or maple - just cut to the same size (use a decent electric saw or you'll be there all day if it's 2" maple!) and sand to a good finish (use an electric sander unless you want tennis elbow like I got!)

And as for levelling it, once you've drilled your first hole, put the bolt into the shelf and screw into wall (not too tight!). Then set your level over the back of the shelf and mark the wall for t'other holes.

Hope your wall is vertical, mine wasn't so I had to sand away a bit of the base of the maple to get enough range of adjustment with the isolating screws..

 

garyi

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When I had a lighter deck I attached it to the wall with a board which spiked to the wall and two runs of metal wire, I could bang up a diagram as its an excellent design provided the deck is not mega heavy.

 

JonR

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kennyk wrote:

you can pick them up for anything between 20-40 on hifi fora/eBay
wink.png
probably not much better, but with the spikes, the target does offer an extra level of sound insulation.

wall-gyro.jpg
A Roksan Artemiz on an Orbe...that looks like an unusual combination, Kenny....how did you arrive at this if you don't mind me asking?

 

kennyk

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got it cheap off a write-off xerxes from a (now) defunct hifi shop.

Its been rewired with cardas, and cardas plug on the bottom.

As its got a low effective mass, its quite choosy about cartridges... ideally would love an SME V.

 

Anthony

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thanks everyone. this may well be my first diy job in the new flat:D

I would prefer to use wood instead of metal brackets because it looks nicer and is more acceptable to my girlfriend. The TT isn't heavy. Would these do the job (the 34cm version)?

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=68016&langId=-20&categoryId=15649&chosenPartNumber=20094903

They also have the advantage of me being able to put adjustable spikes between bracket and plinth, whereassome metal brackets don't have a flat top surface. spikes could be the SPS-20 ones at http://www.falcon-acoustics.co.uk/pl28p9.htmas suggested by kenny. i know that no matter how level i get the holes in the wall, it still won't be absolutely level and i will need to fiddle with heights.

plinth also of oak or some other decent wood (or mdfas a temporary measure if funding dries up)

 

kennyk

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give it a try, anthony, and let us know how you get on.people have reported success with IKEA LACK tables so, why not? I'm the first to admit that that the target is ugly. functional, but ugly.

the other option is a glass one, AK knows which, could be a stands unique, but its not cheap.

tell you what, once you get it done, bring your TT over to mine and try it on my target wallshelf, see if you think it makes any difference... (you may need a phonostage, mines hard wired to MC 100 Ohms, balanced)

 

Anthony

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kennyk wrote:

give it a try, anthony, and let us know how you get on.people have reported success with IKEA LACK tables so, why not? I'm the first to admit that that the target is ugly. functional, but ugly. the other option is a glass one, AK knows which, could be a stands unique, but its not cheap.

tell you what, once you get it done, bring your TT over to mine and try it on my target wallshelf, see if you think it makes any difference... (you may need a phonostage, mines hard wired to MC 100 Ohms, balanced)
yep, it's worth a shot. as long as it supports the weight i don't see why the ikea brackets wouldn't work.

i've read a few comments about using glass shelves and that they 'ring' whereas wood is a better damper. think i'll stick to wood for the moment. just getting the damn thing off the floor and on the wall will be a drastic improvement i reckon, so materials etc. will probably play a much smaller part.

thanks for the offer to try with your target wallshelf, but not sure if i could ever say it sounded better or worse through a completely different system. shame you couldn't make the bake off. not sure when i will have the next one, new flat doesn't even have anywhere forus to sit at the moment:Not Sure:.

 

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