I spent most of the weekend working on a new set of racks. I'm trying out a new design that allows a lot of flexibility - I'm pretty happy with the way that it turned out. To start, all of the materials - it took me about 3 weeks to get everything cut.
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Here are a few of the racks put together with their ends.
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I got all of my end panels, 8 ten shot racks, and 1 six shot rack built this weekend. I still have 7 more six shots to put together but I ran out of screws before the day was done. (Went through 6 lbs of screws, will probably need another 2-3.)
For end panels, I built:
1 set - 3 rack straight
1 set - 3 rack angle (15-0-15 degrees)
1 set - 5 rack angle (20-10-0-10-20 degrees)
6 sets - single rack
Here's a closeup of how the racks sit in and interlock with the end panels.
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The racks just drop into the panels from the top.
Here are all of the single rack ends.
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And the 3 rack straight ends.
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There were a few reasons I came up with this design for the end boards:
Flexibility - I can use any 6 or 10 shot rack with any end board to get whatever combination I need.
No power tools needed - I could basically get the same flexibility by screwing on end boards to a set of racks as many others do, but I'd rather not have to rely on power tools to get set up. (Especially since my batteries always seem to be dead when I need them most...)
Transportation - it's a whole lot easier to carry 5 individual racks of 10 and two end boards than the back breaker it would be if they were already assembled.
Storage - as seen below, the footprint is pretty small once you stack the end panels and the racks.
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As far as the racks go, it's a pretty standard design. The bottom rail only goes 1/2 inch above the plug so shouldn't be affected if I have a blowout. Spacers to protect adjacent tubes from blowout, etc.
There were a couple of things that I was concerned about before I got started on these but now that they are done I don't have any worries at all. The first was the sturdiness of the single rack setup - after a few kicks though they are very resistant to tipping. The second was the strength of the "tabs" for lack of a better term on both the ends of the racks and end panels and whether or not they could take a bit of twisting/lateral force. A couple of kicks on the ends of the single rack end panels show that they are plenty strong as well. (5/8" and 3/4" ply)
Now I just have to make another run to Home Depot to pick up some more exterior screws to finish the last 7 six shot racks...
fashionheadhunter
March 29th, 2009, 11:36 PM
Great idea. They look really nice. My first reaction was wondering about the "tabs" as you say, but if they are sturdy, then good. Perhaps over time the sleeves might need to be changed out to hardwood instead of plywood as that can chip away sometimes, but time will tell.
Georgie-Tiger
March 30th, 2009, 12:39 AM
JSNYDER>. :lolbash::lolbash::lolbash:
i just spent all day racking. . .
you f*ck.
these are awesome. just looking at them . . .
you did a lot of res=eaarch . .
.i see the pyroBoom Sticker on one tube also. you bast@rd.
ERIC .. !! these might be better than mine. i alrady know it . . . . gotta rerack 500 tubes. . . .this f**ing sucks, , !
i bow to you snyder.
:party::party::party:
'
well mine are still badd ass.. bite me and the horse you rode in on,
gt
blurr95
March 30th, 2009, 03:54 AM
Those are some great looking racks. Lovin the modular design.
Jason
dustons
March 30th, 2009, 05:28 AM
Nice design!
goldbergpyro
March 30th, 2009, 05:58 AM
nice racks. very impresive.
Rocket J. Squirrel
March 30th, 2009, 06:20 AM
Now you need to figure out storing your modular racks on a modular skid design that can be stacked.
Very nice work.
russell
March 30th, 2009, 06:26 AM
Awesome Jeff. Puts mine to shame
UnkleSAM
March 30th, 2009, 06:59 AM
Very nice Jeff. They look a lot like my racks (only much cleaner and prettier). As I look at your pictures again, I see that yours are not reversible. too late now, but if you build more in the future you can do that.
Maybe I'll dig one of mine out of storage and show you what I mean.
epyro
March 30th, 2009, 07:35 AM
Sweet racks. I love the idea you have here. Excellent work! Thanks for sharing.
QMAN
March 30th, 2009, 08:01 AM
Now you need to make an adjustable angle modular rack. That would be interesting to see if somebody could pull it off. I like your design though. That's a great idea.
QMAN
psquared
March 30th, 2009, 08:16 AM
Great job Snyder! Those look awesome.
Matt B
March 30th, 2009, 08:19 AM
Great work there....Impressive! :party:
UnkleSAM
March 30th, 2009, 09:00 AM
Now you need to make an adjustable angle modular rack. That would be interesting to see if somebody could pull it off. I like your design though. That's a great idea.
QMAN
Adjustable might not be feasible, but it's easy enough to make different ends with a variety of angles to suit any need.
I have two sets. One with straight on one side, and \|/ at about 15° on the back. The other is a 4-wide with about -30°, -10°, 10°, 30° on one side and 5-straight on the other. It took upwards of 10 minutes to build the second set which is good because I only ever used them once.
ben
March 30th, 2009, 01:15 PM
would you mind taking end shots at a level you could put dimension on the picture in paint? I will draw it up in 2D cad and post it to Pyro U since this is something I will be doing from now on. It uses a little more wood than 2x3 and 1x4 with rebar but the benefits are great. And I can convert the 10, 10 shot racks i already have
Ben
Georgie-Tiger
March 30th, 2009, 01:48 PM
would you mind taking end shots at a level you could put dimension on the picture in paint? I will draw it up in 2D cad and post it to Pyro U since this is something I will be doing from now on. It uses a little more wood than 2x3 and 1x4 with rebar but the benefits are great. And I can convert the 10, 10 shot racks i already have
Ben
LOL. he may already have it in CAD.
jsnyder
March 30th, 2009, 02:11 PM
LOL. he may already have it in CAD.
That I do. I just need to clean up a few things and dig up a good disclaimer and I'll get them posted.
ben
March 30th, 2009, 02:30 PM
That I do. I just need to clean up a few things and dig up a good disclaimer and I'll get them posted.
Sweet!! I get to be a user and do no work!!! :party:
Ben
FatGuy-N-aCigar
March 30th, 2009, 04:20 PM
All I can saw is SWEET and I want one!!!
pyro4fun74
March 30th, 2009, 05:16 PM
These are awsome racks. I love the design!
p40whk
March 30th, 2009, 05:39 PM
They are very impressive and damn good looking, great job! Something that came to mind remembering how rainy last 4th was is there enough space in the joint to account for the wood swelling if they get wet? You could always coat it with something to prevent that but if the fit is already tight then it may be tough getting things apart if you get caught out in the rain.
hvac_superman
March 31st, 2009, 06:25 PM
What a great idea. I like it.
ilovefireworks
March 31st, 2009, 10:25 PM
Man those modular racks are absolutely awesome. Someday I hope to see them in person and of course see shells fired out of them.
smoke bomb
April 1st, 2009, 11:14 PM
Excellent
pyrohusband
April 2nd, 2009, 08:28 AM
I love the design and ease of setup and tear down.
Tennespeedy
April 2nd, 2009, 09:04 AM
I hope to have the chance to blow one of them up one day :D
Seriously, good job.....
You may want to roll on some sealer (or paint) at the bottom of any piece that touches the ground or it WILL wick up water from grass and such. Thompsons deck seal maybe a few coats??? I dont know how dew is in Michigan but down here it's like getting a steamer sometimes.
gerber1725
April 2nd, 2009, 09:43 AM
Awesome design! Great work. I've thinking about something similar with just some racks and plywood slapped on the end to hold them together. I like the modular design concept.
UnkleSAM
April 2nd, 2009, 10:11 AM
They are very impressive and damn good looking, great job! Something that came to mind remembering how rainy last 4th was is there enough space in the joint to account for the wood swelling if they get wet? You could always coat it with something to prevent that but if the fit is already tight then it may be tough getting things apart if you get caught out in the rain.
That's a good point. I noticed I had some trouble with mine after one shoot last year. No rain, but apparently enough dew to cause a problem. I never put two and two together though. Maybe it's time to dig out the belt sander. Thanks.
jsnyder
April 2nd, 2009, 10:49 AM
Thanks for all of the feedback and comments.
The moisture concern is a good one. Not only for dew and rain, but many of us in the north can't wait 3 months for the snow to pass between shoots. :D I was originally planning on priming an painting black, but just sealing would probably be a lot easier, quicker, and better for protection - thanks for the suggestion.
I'm hoping to wrap up the 6 shot racks tonight and they will be getting broken in this weekend. :party:
Pat1mn
April 2nd, 2009, 12:47 PM
Where's the Bluprints! Those are awesome.
jsnyder
April 2nd, 2009, 02:23 PM
Just uploaded the drawings - disclaimer blatantly reused with permission :):
DISCLAIMER: This drawing is presented for general information only. There is no claim, directly or suggested, that the construction indicated is safe. You may view this drawing as an example of how someone else (me) builds their racks but you may not use this drawing to build a rack for your own or others use. Bottom line, this is how I do it but I'm no expert in the design or construction of ANYTHING related to fireworks and therefore "doing as I do" is not suggested or recommended.
10 Shot Rack w/ Interlocking Ends: link (http://www.pyrouniverse.com/gallery2/data/511/10_shot_rack.pdf)
3 Rack Straight: link (http://www.pyrouniverse.com/gallery2/data/511/3_rack_straight.pdf)
3 Rack Angle: link (http://www.pyrouniverse.com/gallery2/data/511/3_rack_angle.pdf)
5 Rack Angle: link (http://www.pyrouniverse.com/gallery2/data/511/5_rack_angle.pdf)
The dimensions for the angled ends are such that if the racks are built to the dimensions/design that I've posted, the bottom rail of all of the angled racks should sit flush with the bottom of the end panels (firmly on the ground). Adjustments may need to be made for different sized racks.
Brantrock Bandit
April 2nd, 2009, 05:54 PM
I think you should have wrote that Disclaimer in real small writing.Down near the bottom of the page. LOL
Nice job otherwise.
Bandit
Thumper
April 7th, 2009, 12:14 PM
Where's the Bluprints! Those are awesome.
I agree with Pat1mn, I am going to reverse engineer those badboys and see if I can't come up with something similar this weekend.
Looks like I'm off to the lumber yard.
Oops, guess I should have checked the rest of the thread... :oops:
blurr95
April 7th, 2009, 01:23 PM
It is entirely possible that I will steal this idea and use it to modify my existing racks that I have now, and the ones I am building. :D J, this has got to be the best rack setup ever, thanks for thinking of it and thanks for posting the plans as well. After I get done building my racks that I am working on, I will have 42 8 shot racks.:party: This will make setup so much easier.