i just found this misrotated photo on google image search, but the thing is, i didn't realize it was rotated at first, so for a couple minutes i was just reeling at the concept of Horizontal Rack. and i figured out what was going on, but it stuck with me. hang on. hang on. Horizontal Rack.
has it been tried
think about how many places have very short ceilings. think about how much it sucks that racks are 7' tall. think about how much it sucks to Team Lift a thing over your head and hold it while you get it bolted in. think about the tipping risk.
now imagine: Horizontal Rack. even a lot of apartments have 7' of clear wall space available. get a rack with solid sides, then lay it down on top of some cinder blocks or a 4x4 frame and you now have a usable work surface that also stores your overbuilt homelab. everything is equally easy to get at, you never need to do any high lifting. need to get at the back? just hop up on the side panel, it'll take the weight. need to get inside? clear off the top and pop the panel off, everything's there at waist level. put it on castors if you wanna be able to pull it out; it's safe, it won't tip over.
