Could do with some advise about this as I'm struggling a bit. I have to make a server rack cabinet, for a boat, which can slide in and out so the wiring can be changed in the back frequently. The wheelhouse of the boat is incredibly small and weight is also an issue. Another factor is that the boat is going to be transported on the road, often over very long distances and the equipment mounted in the rack is susceptible to vibration!
Myself and my colleague came up with what we considered a fairly straight forward solution in attaching large, spring loaded casters to the cabinet (wrong springs at first.. hopefully the right ones arrive Monday!) and building a table around it which it could "dock" into. Since then I don't think there is enough room, so have redesigned it. I'm basically looking for some opinions of if it will work and what it would be best made from, and some advice on how to implement it.
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It's either going to be made out of thin wall stainless box or aluminium. I would feel more confident working with stainless but it's a question of weight/strength so not sure what would be best. It will be attached to the deck via some large bolts at the back of the frame and also hopefully to the wall of the wheelhouse with some brackets, not sure where yet. I have some 1" thick neoprene I though to glue to the contacting parts to dampen the shocks and allow the springs to work. A plate with wingnuts at the top and bottom at the front will secure it in place.
Myself and my colleague came up with what we considered a fairly straight forward solution in attaching large, spring loaded casters to the cabinet (wrong springs at first.. hopefully the right ones arrive Monday!) and building a table around it which it could "dock" into. Since then I don't think there is enough room, so have redesigned it. I'm basically looking for some opinions of if it will work and what it would be best made from, and some advice on how to implement it.
View media item 9997
View media item 9996
View media item 9995
View media item 9994
View media item 9993
It's either going to be made out of thin wall stainless box or aluminium. I would feel more confident working with stainless but it's a question of weight/strength so not sure what would be best. It will be attached to the deck via some large bolts at the back of the frame and also hopefully to the wall of the wheelhouse with some brackets, not sure where yet. I have some 1" thick neoprene I though to glue to the contacting parts to dampen the shocks and allow the springs to work. A plate with wingnuts at the top and bottom at the front will secure it in place.