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Scratch Build – In Progress Fresh Meat: A Dota 2 Tribute [Updated 7/5/17]

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by noobas4urus, 1 Feb 2015.

  1. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Greetings Bit Tech, time for a new project and I thought I'd share it with you guys. It's been almost a year since I finished my first mod, Project PCB, and I figured I'd better get the ball rolling on some new stuff. Here's what PCB ended up looking like:
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    Before I get into the log, I'd like to thank my generous sponsors on the build:

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    My gaming obsession for the last eight or so years has been Dota and one night last year I kicked the idea of this build around with a friend. It's blossomed in my mind since, time to put it into motion.

    This will be a scratch build I think? I'm making an external frame out of mahogany and using a Fractal Design Node 304 essentially as a motherboard tray. It will save me some time in terms of layout and I happen to have one on hand. The concept will come from Dota 2 of course. While I could focus on a specific character in the game for a theme, I decided instead to base the mod off of a treasure chest. Players in-game win cosmetic items for their characters by obtaining various chests after they play games. What sort of grotesque name is Fresh Meat for a build? It's the catch phrase of one Dota's most loved/hated characters, Pudge, and from a modding perspective there are two reasons: one, it's a new project, fresh meat for me to bite in to, two, there will be cutting.

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I though this would be a fun theme to play with and would give me lots of design choices as well as making a mod that almost all Dota players could relate to. Without further ado, let's get into it.

    A log note: The flow of this here log may jump around a bit. I'm a paper and pencil guy when it comes to layout so I don't have any fancy 3D renders to show you. Keeps up the suspense right? You'll just have to trust what I've got cooking in my head to come together in the end.


    First up was picking material. My dad has some footage of mahogany available, lucky me :D
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    After I had some lumber picked out, it was time to actually do stuff. First up was making a jig for the chest legs. The legs will taper on two sides, from 40mm square on the bottom 25mm at the top.
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    After that tank was put together, you've got to test it, right?
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    Of course, you can't test on the real deal. Here's what the legs will be cut out of once the jig is dialed in.
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    Can't you see a couple legs in there? A look at the test leg to get an idea of what the shape will be. It's a subtle angle.
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    Well unfortunately that's it for the first post. I'll keep collecting junk to stick in this thing, you keep checking back.
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    Last edited: 12 Jan 2017
  2. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Doing things and stuff, back in action this weekend, time to rip!
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    Action shot. Getting frame stock ripped and planed to correct thickness as well as the roof frame stock.
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    The result.
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    I love the living aspect of wood and it still amazes me how much color change you get out of weathering and aging.
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    Time to make some frame stock!
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    This will be the bulk of the exterior case frame.
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    Mock up.
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  3. Cheapskate

    Cheapskate Insane? or just stupid?

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  4. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Heya Cheaps!
     
  5. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Alright, back to whittle away at the project (wood jokes, yay :D ). Working on the framework, getting everything cut to size.

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    Snap shot of the progress so far, pieces for the two side panels and the case front.

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    After a night spent reworking the leg jig and squaring up the table saw blade to the table (it was off .5 degrees), time to cut these bad boys down. 40mm X 40mm X185mm for scale.

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    A little zip, zap, buzz and your left with this.

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    Domino effect? Taper from 40mm down to 25mm on two sides.

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    Great feeling to have the physical parts in hand after looking at them on paper for months.

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    Pile o' done stuff.

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  6. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Liking the look of this. :)
     
  7. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks Waynio, means a lot coming from you :lol:
     
  8. mansueto

    mansueto Too broke to mod

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    I saw this on the dota 2 subreddit, and completely realized I forgot to comment! Wood looks great, looking forward to this progressing.
     
  9. HandMadeAndroid

    HandMadeAndroid That's handy.

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    Interesting that you will use the painterly gaming texture style. Kudos for originality. Polycount forums are excellent for seeing examples of this style of texturing.
     
  10. victor

    victor What's a Dremel?

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    wow, i am very like the look of this. [​IMG]
     
  11. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks dude, I'm glad you like it. A few people seemed to be interested on /r/dota2 so I'll be posting some updates there.

    I must admit I had to look up painterly style but I have to say this fits the bill in certain respects. Thanks for the compliment, I like to push personal boundaries on my projects so I learn some new stuff every time.

    Thanks :D
     
  12. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Time for more! I still had a few frame pieces to cut to finish up the case face. I'll add a taper to the middle pieces, the larger square section is for my key plate, this is going to be a treasure (hats!) chest after all.

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    I had some down time so I started laying out where each piece would go in preparation for assembly.

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    After some layout and a tool sharpening session it was time to tackle the key plate. X Mark the Spot (duh duh duh duh duh...)

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    Future home.

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    Time to get medieval up in here. A brace and bit as Mosquito calls it, you learn something new every day!

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    Slow grind. I feel like a boy scout trying to start a fire. Had to take it slow so I wouldn't crack the top or bottom, not much material there.

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    Restoring faith in our ancestors, by God it worked!

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    Shaving shot.

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    A touch up with a sanding drum and she's ready to go.

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    I have plans for this later....

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  13. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Think I've seen that inset piece on google images when looking for some inspiration, nice piece & installed perfectly. :dremel:
     
  14. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks Waynio. I found this one in St. Louis at a salvage shop. It looked like I could give it a good home so I picked it up.


    I had a chance to work a little over the weekend, I chipped away at some doweling. I marked the top and bottom support beams for center on their ends, then drilled them out on the drill press.

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    Next I inserted dowel marking pins to mark the hole locations on the vertical support beams.

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    I put together a marking area where the pieces would be square to get good marks on the dowel locations. Push the marking pin against the unmarked piece and you've got your dowel location marked.

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    The end result.

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    Slowly coming together but still a ton of work to do.

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    These showed up to, I'll have to find a home for them....

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  15. Cheapskate

    Cheapskate Insane? or just stupid?

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    Looking great! I don't think I have to threaten you not to paint it anymore. You obviously respect your wood.-um, I mean, you like wood. -Gah! :duh: D*mn inescapable wood jokes!
     
  16. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    You gotta respect the wood. I pretty much put my wood on a pedestal. Might go with a stain. It that's what my wood is telling me lol
     
  17. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Time to do some work! The goal was to finish up the doweling on the case this week. Working on the side panels here.

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    This must have been after I got the key plate dowels set.

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    Next was to get the holes set between the corner posts and the side panels. Took some shims and magic, I'm glad I saved the scrap cuts from the corner posts.

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    After a little more magic on the drill press you get this.

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    It works!

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    Half the case done, have to stop for the night.

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    All four corners.

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    The case so far. The space in the panels will have mesh inserts.

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    Rear of the case, I'm planning on having the I/O provided by the skeleton of a Fractal Design Node 304 right now.

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    Coke shot, obligatory for scratch builds now?

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    Until next time, keep modding!
     
  18. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Looking awesome so far. :clap:
     
  19. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks Waynio! Feeling good about the project now, humming along. I'll have to figure out what I'm cramming in here sooner rather than later it would appear.
     
  20. noobas4urus

    noobas4urus What's a Dremel?

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    After dealing with a round of strep in the kiddo and some unwholesome disease in myself it's time to get back on the mod horse. Time for some prelim sanding on everything to it will take to the router fence kindly.

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    Legs too!

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    After sanding was done I dialed the router in. I'm using a 1/16" bit to cut a channel for the mesh. I'll have to shim the mesh in for a tight fit but the extra wiggle room will ensure easy construction. Test piece here.

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    Running the case through.

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    Large mesh panels on the sides and front, should be a good look for what I have planned.

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    Wait your turn boys and girls.

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    Until next time, stay happy and healthy.
     

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