A trim Lack stereo shelf

This is a nice hi-fi set up from Christopher. Reminds me of how Dad use to stack his amps. Cool. I like.

He says, "I just finished my own Ikea hack, and I wanted to share.

I've got 2 Expedit shelves to hold my records and smaller items, but I wanted a coordinating shelf to hold my stereo. As we all know, the Lack system goes very well with Expedit. Unfortunately, my stereo components are just over 16" wide, and would look odd on the 37" wide shelves that come standard on the Lack bookcase. So here's my solution:

1. Buy a Lack bookcase. Using a slice of pizza, bribe your neighbor to help carry it inside. Unpack the box.

2. Measure and cut shelves to desired width. In this step, accuracy is of prime importance. If the shelves are not cut square or identical, your book case will not go together properly. I used a circular saw with a sharp blade. In this case, I cut the shelves exactly in half, but in theory, they could be whatever width you like.

3. Since the shelves are mostly air inside, there is nothing to screw into when you assemble the unit. So I used some blocks of maple cut to fit exactly inside the shelf. I mashed the cardboard in to make room for the wood blocks, and used Elmer's Ultimate glue to firmly attach the blocks inside the shelves. This step is important, as well, since this is what holds the left side of the bookcase to the right side of the bookcase. Cutting corners on this step will cause catastrophic shelf failure, and could lead to property damage and/or serious personal injury.

4. After the glue has dried, the parts are ready to assemble. Use appropriate size drill bits and drill holes in the wood blocks that match the original holes in the particleboard. Assemble the bookcase as originally intended.

5. Load it up with your stuff, knowing that nobody will ever know that you hacked it.

6. As a bonus hack, I used a part of an old bed and 2 leftover plates from a universal LCD TV mounting kit to make a bar across the back of the turntable area to attach the lights, since the Lack shelf is too thick for the clamps that hold the lights on.