Massif Audio Design racks incoming, and......

[T Boost]

Good ole Titebond will do the trick and reverse grain orientation is tried and true. Good technique. I like the Festool mortise and floating tenon tool to further enhance the joint, but also to help with board alignment during the glue up. Kind of like biscuit joinery but with massive biscuits. I don't have a wide belt sander, so good alignment really saves a lot of work. I also agree on the likelihood of solid slab warpage over time. One thing I've found, though, is that both plywood shelves and butcher block shelves sound pretty bad. And the way I look at it is that laminated slabs start to approach what plywood is while the edge joined boards start to approach butcher block. I'd go with the edge joined approach and try to use no more than three boards to obtain the final shelf width. This creates a dimensionally stable platform and minimizes glue joint surface area (which I suspect is key to avoiding dead sounding shelves) vs the laminated plank construction. So, I like the Massif build.

Mike, when do these go in? I don't envy the work that will be involved in swapping racks but the end result ought to be quite satisfying.

PS Bubinga is one of my favorite woods. Gorgeous!

Actually I’ve almost abandoned Tite Bond now. If you can believe it, gorilla glue is my fave. It’s strong as hell, and not overly expensive.
I don’t need the Festool domino maker for shelves really. I have a huge jointer and planer so my shelves are always 100% flat before I glue them up. But yeah many people don’t have that luxury. I’ll tell what I do have that is a life saver, a Festool track saw. It’s maybe the finest single tool on the market. Take care

 

[bazelio]

Actually I’ve almost abandoned Tite Bond now. If you can believe it, gorilla glue is my fave. It’s strong as hell, and not overly expensive.
I don’t need the Festool domino maker for shelves really. I have a huge jointer and planer so my shelves are always 100% flat before I glue them up. But yeah many people don’t have that luxury. I’ll tell what I do have that is a life saver, a Festool track saw. It’s maybe the finest single tool on the market. Take care

I've never tried Gorilla glue. Do you need to wet the mating surface? I just stick with what has always worked. I only deviate when I need a longer working time.
I also joint and plane. My point was more that I normally get slight movement during clamping of edge joined pieces which then need to dealt with after the glue dries. Even if I clamp down on the joints from above and below. A belt sander would be a luxurious way to deal with the final surface flattening. My planer is only 14". The domino trick just about solves that though.

 

[T Boost]

I've never tried Gorilla glue. Do you need to wet the mating surface? I just stick with what has always worked. I only deviate when I need a longer working time.
I also joint and plane. My point was more that I normally get slight movement during clamping of edge joined pieces which then need to dealt with after the glue dries. Even if I clamp down on the joints from above and below. A belt sander would be a luxurious way to deal with the final surface flattening. My planer is only 14". The domino trick just about solves that though.

I use gorilla glue without wetting any surface. It’s a really good and incredibly strong glue, and it’s great on oily woods like ebony , rosewoods, Lignum Vitae etc

I haven’t had any warranty issues with joins moving so I don’t use biscuits or dominos, but the first angry email I get and I’ll be buying one.

 

[bazelio]

I use gorilla glue without wetting any surface. It’s a really good and incredibly strong glue, and it’s great on oily woods like ebony , rosewoods, Lignum Vitae etc

I haven’t had any warranty issues with joins moving so I don’t use biscuits or dominos, but the first angry email I get and I’ll be buying one.

Nah you won't get email. I was talking about slippage during glue up. Despite applying downward pressure on the joint using cauls, I always experience some shifting to where the joints are never absolutely flush. Across the top/bottom surface. You may have a better jig or technique.

 

[T Boost]

Nah you won't get email. I was talking about slippage during glue up. Despite applying downward pressure on the joint using cauls, I always experience some shifting. You may have a better jig or technique.

I do have secrets. I’ve built a few thousand pool tables, and several hundred racks.

 

[Tangram]

Congratulations Mike on your new racks and congratulations Trevor for getting a nice shout-out on WBF. I own a Massif five-tier rack made of the same woods but just use chunky spikes instead of fancier footers, as the rack sits on concrete. The rack is quite tall but its weight and spiking/levelling on concrete creates a very stable platform. That said, my turntable sits on another Massif slab that sits on Isoacoustics Orbea pucks.

I love when a small business gets support from the audiophile community. Trevor makes stunning, heirloom-quality racks.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Congratulations Mike on your new racks and congratulations Trevor for getting a nice shout-out on WBF. I own a Massif five-tier rack made of the same woods but just use chunky spikes instead of fancier footers, as the rack sits on concrete. The rack is quite tall but its weight and spiking/levelling on concrete creates a very stable platform. That said, my turntable sits on another Massif slab that sits on Isoacoustics Orbea pucks.

I love when a small business gets support from the audiophile community. Trevor makes stunning, heirloom-quality racks.

thanks Tangram. great to get that feedback. seems like Massif is getting some love here.

my floor in the rack areas is carpet over 6 inches of concrete. might cut a hole in the carpet and pad for the Nordost footers. the pointed Adona footers penetrated the carpet; but for optimal effect with the footers i'll need to see how that goes. need to make sure i get my money's worth from those spendy bits.

your turntable shelf sounds like a good approach. and looks great too!

 

[Agent86]

Long-time customer here and I just scrolled through Maasif's IG site just to pick a few of the more noteworthy racks and platforms that Trev crafts out of exotic woods.

 

[T Boost]

Long-time customer here and I just scrolled through Maasif's IG site just to pick a few of the more noteworthy racks and platforms that Trev crafts out of exotic woods. View attachment 119560 View attachment 119561 View attachment 119563 View attachment 119559

Wowzers.

 

[matakana]

Nah you won't get email. I was talking about slippage during glue up. Despite applying downward pressure on the joint using cauls, I always experience some shifting to where the joints are never absolutely flush. Across the top/bottom surface. You may have a better jig or technique.

gorilla do polyurethane ( where you can wet one surface for faster drying) and PVA , maybe T Boost means the PVA as he does not require to wet one surface. If using dowels then slippage would not occur, since the two pieces would be locked together when clamped together, this saves faffing around trying to get the two pieces aligned if you don’t dowel and can get rather frustrating. IMHO and only my two cents worth or pence in my case.

 

[ScottK]

Man do I love these wood racks! Beautiful and I bet will perform as well as the metal. Maybe better! What a great idea Mike! Please post pics after install.

 

[Tangram]

Man do I love these wood racks! Beautiful and I bet will perform as well as the metal. Maybe better! What a great idea Mike! Please post pics after install.

Given that Massif isn’t far from where I live, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing these racks in-person over the years. Some of the high-end dealers use them in their showrooms and they’re often represented at the Toronto Audio Fest. I can honestly say that they look better in person than in photos. The finishing is absolutely gorgeous.

 

[T Boost]

Given that Massif isn’t far from where I live, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing these racks in-person over the years. Some of the high-end dealers use them in their showrooms and they’re often represented at the Toronto Audio Fest. I can honestly say that they look better in person than in photos. The finishing is absolutely gorgeous.

Thanks a lot. Im going to assume you've seen Massif racks in the Sonic Artistry rooms as well as Audio by Mark Jones.
It always a pleasure to be involved in their rooms, as they both use such great gear. I broke my foot a few weeks ago and wasn't able to go to TAF this year. Here's a pic from Marks room in 2015 -my first time at TAF. I can't find a pic on my computer of the rack he used last month. Edit: found it

 

[Amir]

when you have as much gear as i have it's daunting to consider (the $$$'s for) beautiful high end audio racks. for over a decade i've been very satisfied with my cost effective and solid performing Adona Zero GXT racks; i have 4 of them. and this past year i added a used Finite Element Pagoda rack for my Ampex MR-70 tape preamps.

i'm excited to say i've found a rack builder in Canada who has completed and should ship to me in about a week, a set of three racks for me to replace all my current racks. while not exactly cheap, it's not too crazy after i sell my still current model Adona Zero GXT racks. i'm getting one four shelf single (22" x 19") rack for my MR-70 tape pre's, and twin three shelf double (42" x 19") racks for the rest of my source gear. these racks are solid hardwood and absolutely beautiful. i think in my all-hardwood maple paneled listening room the look should be stunning.

the racks are from Massif Audio Design in Ontario, Canada. i'm also auditioning one of their record weights, this one is solid Lignum. i've been using it now for over a month and love it everywhere i try it. more on that later.

the solid hardwood shelves are about 1.75 inches thick maple, and the 3" thick legs are solid Bubinga. all clear stained. footers will be Nordost Sort Fut w/Sort locks. 3 sets of 4 of these gems (not cheap...ouch!!!). with the (1) high mass and (2) solid build, along with (3) the Nordost footer system, i expect my rack performance to improve, and the aesthetics to be much more enjoyable to live with.

so far i only have pictures of the single rack assembled.......i choose the clear maple stain to allow my gear which is mostly dark or black to stand out on the shelves. right now with my black granite shelving the gear blends in and you hardly see some of it.

View attachment 119438 View attachment 119439 View attachment 119440 View attachment 119441

Congratulation!

nice rack

 

[Rumpole]

I’ve used them twice in the past for small pieces and both times ended up in the garbage due to warping and glue joint break.

For this project I went to an old local mill and had the shelves made.

Massif would have been nice since I could have driven there for pick up but the timeline didn’t work out.

That is disappointing - which of their racks had the problems? I was considering the Timbernation Stack Rack. I want something modular so that I can move shelves and components between different rooms.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

That is disappointing - which of their racks had the problems? I was considering the Timbernation Stack Rack. I want something modular so that I can move shelves and components between different rooms.

some wood racks are more like bookcases. as solid as needed, but not high end hifi solid.

modularity and wood racks is not a reasonable expectation. wood racks rely on mass and heft, shelf heights and spacing is fixed. if you are taking them apart and back together much each time solidity is reduced. the joints get loose.

not all wood racks are really solid the first time. there are degrees of solid. when i observed my friends Massif rack it was extremely solid.

horses for courses.

what you want is like the Adona Zero GXT; where the pieces are all interchangeable, mix and match. solid metal legs and adjustable shelf spaces. almost indestructible. or more expensive HRS or that type.

you put them together the 5th time and it's like the first time.

just my 2 cents.

 

[djsina2]

That is disappointing - which of their racks had the problems? I was considering the Timbernation Stack Rack. I want something modular so that I can move shelves and components between different rooms.

Not a rack, maple amp stand and speaker platforms. 2” amp stand warped. 1” speaker platform cracked on glue joint.

 

[PeterA]

These Massif Audio racks looks very well made. I have always liked wood racks even though I had a negative experience with Zoethecus. Those were flimsy and had over damped shelves. Here are two photos of my racks. I designed both, but only built the first one. The second one was built by a local furniture maker. Both are extremely solid and heavy but are modified from what is being discussed here by the addition of stainless steel platforms under the components to add even more mass.

Mike's racks will look great in his room. Nice thread.

 

[Rumpole]

modularity and wood racks is not a reasonable expectation. wood racks rely on mass and heft, shelf heights and spacing is fixed. if you are taking them apart and back together much each time solidity is reduced. the joints get loose.

The Timbernation Stack Racks are stackable, so I think I should be able to move individual shelves easily between rooms. Curious if anyone else has tried these and had problems with warping or cracks?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

The Timbernation Stack Racks are stackable, so I think I should be able to move individual shelves easily between rooms. Curious if anyone else has tried these and had problems with warping or cracks?


View attachment 119630

stackable seems like a reasonable thing for wood racks, since there is not joining and unjoining going on to cause any looseness. but to me these are amp stands, not a rack. and there is no adjustability. the spaces are fixed. i do see you could view it as modular. solid? a different question. hard to know from the picture. clearly only gravity is keeping them stacked, nothing is attached.