metal strips for Anti Racking?

[Graham Orm]

+1 for builder's band. Once you have some you'll find many uses for it, e.g. brackets for DX hose, etc. Cuts easily with tin shears.

I was going to suggest this, but I think it'll be too flimsy. It needs to have compressive strength as well.

I doesn't need compressive strength - for it to need compressive strength, it would have to stretch across the other diagonal - which the other band prevents.

Yep I agree Phil, but getting them both 'really tight' might be tricky.

 

[nanscombe]

A decent steel stockholder should let you have 6m. of 25mm x 3mm for a few quid.

From the Metal Mania site I posted a link to earlier ...

Black flat steel strip 25mm x 3mm x 2mtr - £5.35 (Inc VAT)

 

[Benchwayze]

The Ikea brace I had was made from two lengths of M6 rod, joined at the centres, with a loose fastener. Each end of the diagonals flattened, and drilled for securing screws. It was fixed to the frame in an 'X'.

That's all it was, and it stiffened a bookcase quite adequately.

 

[rafezetter]

Galvanized builder's band. It's not in compression, so that it is flexible doesn't really matter. Thin and cheap.

I would recommend this also as I have used this myself for strapping across the backs of 2 bookshelves I made and they are tall - over 7 ft, open backed and pretty loaded down, yet there's been no racking plus the shelves they are attached to are also still straight and flat.

I'll be honest I did it for the industrial look they gave, but they have been extremely effective in preventing any movement.