The other thing I was thinking of doing was getting some sort of smooth laminate to line the inside of the docking surface so that it's not sliding in on wood.

Yeah, I was gonna use pre-laminated wood. Maybe even some of the "ready-shelf" stuff they have at Home Depot. I really like your idea for the RCA jacks with some wiggle room. Simple, and seems like it'll work. Maybe I'll embark on this project sooner than I thought.... (considers leaving work early to visit Home Depot...)