Members Coaster Posted September 25, 2009 Members Share Posted September 25, 2009 last night i was asked to look at a larger size wood rack that i was using to do FOH for a band that owned the PA. rack was a grundorf and was larger, hard to tell in the dark (empty portion at bottom) but was 14 or 16 space, with 4 catches on each door. one door will not engage correctly; three of four catches will engage but the fourth will not - and depending on which catch you start with will determine which catch will not engage - the door is no longer true. from a quick look at this (in low light) it appears the door has taken an approx 3/8" warp diagonally. door has no compliance to hand pressure, its very stiff. you can engage the catch mechanism by pushing very hard at the door corner but attempts at turning the draw mechanism are impossible when in contact with the door. rack is in otherwise reasonable shape (catches function as original, no damage to hardware). seems a waste to toss an otherwise viable rack due to a warped door. this would be an area where extruded box style would function better. these boxes are subject to storage conditions ranging from -39F to 105+F and all kinds of incredibly humid/complete lack of humidity conditions. the guy asked me because he knows i build a lot of my own boxes and wondered if there was anything he could do but i have no good ideas that do not compromise the strength of the door. box is 3/4" low ply pine, typical grundorf construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unalaska Posted September 25, 2009 Members Share Posted September 25, 2009 Larger racks especially those made only of wood can have this problem. I find that taking the rack and placing it on it's back then loosening all of the rack screws will help the rack move back into it's wanted position. tighten them up and the lid should fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jerry007 Posted September 25, 2009 Members Share Posted September 25, 2009 ...loosening all of the rack screws will help the rack move back into it's wanted position. tighten them up and the lid should fit. +1 With screws loosened, there should be a fair amount play where you can maybe bend to unit to where you want it. The opposite worked for me: bought a new cheapo rack that wasn't perfectly square to begin with, but after some pushing an pulling while installing the gear, the doors go on great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 25, 2009 Members Share Posted September 25, 2009 Larger racks especially those made only of wood can have this problem. I find that taking the rack and placing it on it's back then loosening all of the rack screws will help the rack move back into it's wanted position. tighten them up and the lid should fit. Correct. And a plastic rack of this size would be far more damage prone IME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted September 25, 2009 Members Share Posted September 25, 2009 If the rack is empty I always put the back lid on it then I lock down the rack units. When they're empty they tend to flex as it is not a rigid structure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted September 26, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 26, 2009 i think i may not have been as clear on the issue as i could have. it is not the rack itself that is the wrong shape, it is one of the doors. the door has a curve to it causing one corner to bow outward, kind of like a banana or a football - push one side of the football down and the other pops back up. i highly suspect that the large flat piece of the door has warped badly taking the edges along for the ride. when i packed up the rack i ended up fastening three of the four catches on the door and leaving the fourth unfastened as it was too far away from the rack to engage. if it were mine, i would sell it as i cannot lift the rack by myself. i use 8 space racks and just add more small racks if i need more. maybe this is just a consequence of using 3/4" ply for racks instead of thinner, more pliable material along with extrusions/laminates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 26, 2009 Members Share Posted September 26, 2009 Plastic covers tweak just as badly but for different reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted September 26, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 26, 2009 i'm talking about marks boxes and others like them, they have some give to them when apart. i hate plastic racks. 2 of my racks are plastic and they are junk, they have been on the 'replace' list since i got them (free). i have a lead on some anvils that would come in handy, or i may make some more as a winter 'fun' project. i am having difficulty with the depth vs weight issue so nothing has progressed till i figure that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dogoth Posted September 26, 2009 Members Share Posted September 26, 2009 It sound a bit bizzar but could you immerse the lid in water (or even better take into a steam room for a while) and then force it back onto the rack while it's wet & allow it to dry in place? I realize this might mess with some of the laminate layers but it also migh work OK (I believe that steam is how they bend wood for boat hulls). Just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldschooler Posted September 26, 2009 Members Share Posted September 26, 2009 How about cutting a new door out of 3/8 ply? I losted a door once and just cut a new one out. Had to buy a new latch and some carpet that didn't match but close enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unalaska Posted September 26, 2009 Members Share Posted September 26, 2009 Years ago I lost a lid to a really nice grundorf rack. For some amount of $ I sent the remaining lid to grundorf and they made a new one that fit perfectly. Call them and get an RA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gordon Sound Posted September 26, 2009 Members Share Posted September 26, 2009 Is it just me or does it seem like if there was that much variation in humidity and tempature to cause a case lid to warp that possibly the band needs a new storage spot? I would be concerned with condensation,etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted September 26, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 26, 2009 the weather is a serious concern here but since this is one box out of around 25 i would chalk it up to a bad piece of plywood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JohnnyGraphic Posted September 27, 2009 Members Share Posted September 27, 2009 I second the suggestion on using steam. It's also how they curve guitar bodies. Another option would be to see if there is a way to shim the catch on the rack to meet up with the latch on the door. Johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bugzie Posted September 27, 2009 Members Share Posted September 27, 2009 Another old boater trick is to " kerf " the wood and epoxy it. "Kerf" ing is cutting slits with as thin a circular saw blade as possible into wood. Then fill with the epoxy and place weight on it on a hard flat surface,Slits up. Most of the time a cheap epoxy is stronger than the glue used to make the plywood and its easily as strong as it was originally. I seen it done where the original finish would be hard if not impossible to replicate, with very good results. Steaming or soaking wood only works well with solid wood products. Most Plywoods don't do very well with moisture.....like the box mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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