DIN Mount Network Closet - Part 2 - Final construction and cleanup

This is part two, of a three post series.

• Part 1, I built the wooden frame.
• Part 2, we will be turning the wooden frame into my networking panel.
• Part 3 will be mounting networking components, and wire management.

In case you missed part 1, here was the end result:

Step 1. Planning

A while back, I made this reddit post which demonstrated a pretty... ugly layout in Microsoft paint.

While- apparently may felt this was a joke, and it was not very well received- it was indeed.... the actual plan.

For context- here is the image I posted:

Well- in this post- I am going to make the ugly drawing a reality.

But first...

Step 2. Paint

I am going to make it look a bit better.

I will start with... some stain and poly, along with some white paint for the trim.

That, helped quite a bit.

Step 3. Layout

Here is where we get to the interesting part. Doing mock, and layout.

I started with DIN Rails, a old EdgeRouter, and a small plastic container the same size as my Unifi USW-8s.

The goal here, was to get a feel for how much room I had to work with.

Next- I wanted to include a patch panel. So- I slapped it on there to get started.

After playing with it a bit- I was convinced it would need to be mounted perpendicular to the frame, as I was not happy flush mounting it.

So... I needed to build a 1U mount.

Building 1U mount

Looking at my material options, I had steel, and I had wood.

Steel, seemed like the best option. So- I started bending steel.

A simple hammer and vise was the only thing needed here.

Checking fitment.

After cutting.

Now... I just needed to make a 2nd one.

A few minutes later.... We have a 2nd one.

I did leverage my anvil to help shape these a bit more.

And... a bit more tweaking in the vise.

I wanted both of these to be nearly identical.

Drilling Holes

Warning

I made a pretty big mistake in this section.

I decided to leave it. See.... if you can spot it.

After tracing the holes, I went over to the drill press, and used a 2x4 to keep everything positioned while clamping.

I used a step bit, my sliding vise, and some cutting oil.

After drilling the holes, I used a chamfering bit to chamfer the holes.

Finally- I did a quick mock-up.

(Random note- the black thing in the background is a ESP-controlled 3 head flamethrower)

Finishing Brackets

With- the brackets looking promising, I just needed to do some cleanup now.

I started with tracing out around the patch panel.

Next, I took a rough cut using a die-grinder with a cut-off wheel.

And, finally finished these up using flap disks and a angle grinder.

Patch Panel Mounted

To mount to the frame, I decided to use some 5/8" bolts.

Complete overkill, but, I have quite a few of these.

Question

Remember, earlier when I said I messed up on something?

Have- you spotted it yet?

Bracket and patch panel mounted.

Layout Finished

Ok, with the patch panel mounted, I can continue layout.

And... its done. (Suppose- I did not take any pictures during this portion)

Step 4. Mounting

Well, first is first, need to clear a spot to hang this.

This is going to be a tight fit.

After validating it will fit, I took some measurements and installed the back-half of the "wedge mount"

And, then I just slid the "shelf" onto the mount. It locked securely into place without issue.

Thats, honestly it for this section. The only remaining item is to start mounting networking hardware.

In Part 3, all of the networking components will be mounted and this project will be completed.