LP shelving - dividers. Advice/thoughts?

[mjazzg]

I'm about to have an alcove shelved out to accommodate my LPs.  The shelves will be 1110mm (43.75'') wide.

I'm just wondering what folks' thoughts are for how regularly that width should be divided, if at all.

thanks in anticipation

[JSngry]

If the shelves are going to be full, sticking a support in about hallway of that length (but no more than that) won't hurt anything. It might not even be necessary, depending on how thick your shelves are. But, you know, even the best wood will warp eventually without support under the cumulative weight of buttloads upon buttloads of LPs. Plus, dividers break up the horizontal weight of the rows, which, unless you're going to be able to keep every single LP at a perfect 90-degree vertical angle every day for the rest of your life, you ARE going to have.

But for sure, use thick lumber (or whatever substance you're using), at least one inch thick, preferably thicker. Solid wood too, not particle board.

[mjazzg]

Thanks, for the thought on shelf thickness but hadn't thought of the dividers as weight-spreaders.

I was coming at it from a care for the LPs angle too. There's the weight of that many, almost inevitably not vertical LPs, leaning on the LPs at one end that can't be good for the covers if nothing else, so a divider or two lessens that.

 

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I agree with Jim about dividers. And the thinner your wood, the closer together your dividers need to be.

My main LP rack has half inch thick shelves and dividers every nine inches. It was made for me in 1980 and hasn't given a fraction.

MG

[JSngry]

And you don't want to have your LPs stuffed so tightly that they're in the shelving equivalent of a trash compactor either, because then, one inconsistency get transferred to all.

I try to have mine all with a little looseness, and walk by them every so often and wiggle them around, just to reset whatever distribution patters they've settled into.

But keep in mind too that I will buy absolute shit-condition LPs and put them right next to the most pristine pressings one could have ever gotten at the time. Of course, vinyl ticks aren't contagious, but cover weirdness can be, over time, warped cardboard, that kind of thing. It's really not a big deal, but I try to build potential imperfection into my maintenance routine, not unlike a gardener plans a plot. You want perfection, allow for imperfection, and then

Basically, this part of your collection needs to be based on sound basic physics and the carpentry techniques thereof.

[Big Beat Steve]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

And you don't want to have your LPs stuffed so tightly that they're in the shelving equivalent of a trash compactor either, because then, one inconsistency get transferred to all.

I try to have mine all with a little looseness, and walk by them every so often and wiggle them around, just to reset whatever distribution patters they've settled into.

But keep in mind too that I will buy absolute shit-condition LPs and put them right next to the most pristine pressings one could have ever gotten at the time. Of course, vinyl ticks aren't contagious, but cover weirdness can be, over time, warped cardboard, that kind of thing. It's really not a big deal, but I try to build potential imperfection into my maintenance routine, not unlike a gardener plans a plot. You want perfection, allow for imperfection, and then

Basically, this part of your collection needs to be based on sound basic physics and the carpentry techniques thereof.

Exactly my approach. Making sure they don't lean too much for too long, wiggle them every now and then, etc. For quite some time I had my 12in LPs stuffed way too tightly (having run out of space) but last winter I finally shifted my 78s to the room next door, shifted my 10" LPs into where the 78s were and now have quite a bit more looseness and hope this will last me for a while.
My shelves have a combination of 95, 75 and 45 cm width (chosen to be able to fill up one complete wall in my music room with the LP shelving and not waste any space).
No dividers (none suitable available with that shelving system bought from a specialist shop - not cheap) yet the boards have not warped significantly during the 18 years the LPs have sat there.
Board thickness is close to 20 mm, so not quite an inch as suggested above. But solid wood throughout.

BTW and FWIW, my 10-inchers and 78s sit on standard IKEA BILLY bookcase modules with 35 and 55cm wide shelves. Perfect as far as I am concerned (provided you assemble the elements carefully and make sure the pins that hold the shelves are a snug fit in the predrilled holes in the side walls) and they have not shifted one bit though. And visually they match my LP shelving very nicely.
I have used these much-sneered at BILLY bookcases in other instances where they really were crammed full with books or magazines and yet they haven't yielded under the (over)load. So these records should not be a big deal for them to hold. Though the 78 shelves are fairly full (and the records virtually upright throughout, without being squeezed) I still have to come up with some sort of solid dividers for the 55 cm wide 78rpm case, though (I've had two 78s - both Capitol, incidentally - warp significantly through upright loose storage in one of those 50s record wire racks - way outside sun or heat radiation - and would hate to see this happen again).

Edited August 22, 2018 by Big Beat Steve

[clifford_thornton]

yeah, using Ikea measurements -- Billy or Expedit or whatever -- as a rule of thumb is not a bad idea. They're really stable in theory (the material and the rigor of assembly can throw a wrench in). I will measure my custom shelving later and give you some ideas. 

[mikeweil]

21 hours ago, JSngry said:

But, you know, even the best wood will warp eventually without support under the cumulative weight of buttloads upon buttloads of LPs.

My LP shelves are made by Lundia (the company IKEA copied their shelf system Ivar from). I have them for 35 years now, fully loaded, one foot two inches deep, two feet 8 inches wide, and no warping whatsoever. Solid spruce, a little more than half an inch thick. No support. There are books on the selves, too, which are even heavier. If the wood is selected with some care, there should be no warping.

My girlfriend at the time alerted me to them. It can be assembled without drilling or screws (except for securing them with a wall attachment), can be taken apart and mounted differently in a room with different dimensions. When I moved the last time I took a list of all the parts I had and a sketch of the living room to the dealer, and he sat down with me and in one and a half hour we had a new design using all the parts and a minimum of extra shelves to be ordered. No idea if they have US distribution, but there should be something similar.

Edited August 23, 2018 by mikeweil

[JSngry]

I've had some of my shelves for about 35 years as well, and I noticed just the slightest bowing on them when I took them apart last month. Not a whole lot at all. But when I put them back together, I flipped the over anyway, so they can spend the next 35 slowly warping back.

[mikeweil]

 

5 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I've had some of my shelves for about 35 years as well, and I noticed just the slightest bowing on them when I took them apart last month. Not a whole lot at all. But when I put them back together, I flipped the over anyway, so they can spend the next 35 slowly warping back.

That's what I would have recommended ..... if their construction allows them to be flipped. 

[Upstateaudio]

Are you going to move sometime in the future and want to move them easily. Here is a modular solution. I am not in anyway affiliated with Tony. Just a customer who has bought from him repeatedly over 10 years:    tonyswoodshop.com

 

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

On 8/22/2018 at 7:43 AM, The Magnificent Goldberg said:

I agree with Jim about dividers. And the thinner your wood, the closer together your dividers need to be.

My main LP rack has half inch thick shelves and dividers every nine inches. It was made for me in 1980 and hasn't given a fraction.

MG

 

thats extra ballz u got the charles earland trip in the pic!

[mikeweil]

Yes, but the books on top need some support!

[sidewinder]

3 hours ago, chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez said:

 

thats extra ballz u got the charles earland trip in the pic!

along with Chef !

[JSngry]

extra chocolate salty ballz!

[sidewinder]

10 hours ago, JSngry said:

extra chocolate salty ballz!

[Dmitry]

Unless you have 78's, I would put a rigid divider every linear foot.

I tried custom, and nothing betters the Ikea LP shelving for convenience and price-point. 

[Big Beat Steve]

1 hour ago, Dmitry said:

I tried custom, and nothing betters the Ikea LP shelving for convenience and price-point. 

Which IKEA line exactly are you referring to?

[Daniel A]

Kallax, maybe? I'm using them. 

https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/collections/kallax/

[Big Beat Steve]

Thanks, Daniel. Is this a recent addition to their range? I cannot recall that name. I've bought a lot of shelving and storage furniture from IKEA through the years (their ubiquitous BILLY serves my needs well for my 78rpm and 10" racks). But in recent years my visits to IKEA have been very rare.

[Niko]

Kallax replaced Expedit a few years ago...

[Big Beat Steve]

Aah .... Expedit does sound familiar.

[Dmitry]

It's neither of those. I don't remember the name of the line, it's made of solid wood, not particle board. That's why it survived disassembly and two house moves.I'll take photos when I get home. The rest of my Ikea purchases were eventually either thrown into trash or I took them to the Salvation Army, but these wall units are well-made.

[Dmitry]

Here's my rig. Like I said , it's IKEA, but not the particle board, this is real wood, folks. I used small L-brackets to attach the top of both units to the wall behind...just in case. She's steady, no wobble, and the size is just right. 

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkNOrHeREqsGlFVlv6S98MtPiRtH

Edited February 24, 2019 by Dmitry