Scratch Build – In Progress Lean and Green - 15-12-14 - as complete as it's going to get

42 days left if including today, need to push harder.

Micro update but it's an update.

I cut 4 little pieces of the same aluminium I used for the hdd trays to make spacers for while I stick them together, the adhesive does it's initial setting fairly quick so I managed OK with just 4 pieces to do the spacing, would have been easier with 6 more but I didn't fancy cutting more, I need a new band saw blade, current ones are well past useful & was not nice at all to cut with.


Upper & lower hdd slide rack.


Fan perch stuck together, weighted down & is almost 20mm thick, I'll cut the shape, slim it down to 19mm & on next session get these parts mounted.


42 days sounds like a fair bit of time but it soon comes & goes especially if you goof off playing games & have some AFK to slow you down.

Tweaked my camera sharpness & contrast settings a little too & picked up some good photography tips from Paul Tan but none of the lighting tips will be used until I'm past the main workshop stuff.

 

42 days is nothing.

You gotta speed up, old man.

 

I'm gonna make it in time, or try to at least.

 

Not been here for a while, Good to see you making progress. Looking good

 

Looking good, looking good

 

You got to speed things up mate. I envy your patience i didnt make the event but i hope you do.

 

on topic of sanders, if do decide to go that route, to buy some time , my suggestion is hand held sander, we call them "Mouse" or "Detail" sanders in states, ... I've used my generic brand "Tool Shop" for everything, including aluminum, acrylics over past several years... You

Detail Sanders on Amazon

Keep on rawkin Waynio

 

Yeah, I got one of those, too. They're quite handy and will get the job done fast. Just don't sand in 1 area too long or you might discover that you've quicly taken off too much material, thinking it would take longer to get there - it usualy does not.

 

Thanks Asouter good to see you back mate, this never ending project will end eventually.

Thanks Sarakon

I know I'm really on a mission now sorry to hear you didn't make your deadline but how long did you have anyway from finding out about a show?.
Some would leave panic mode until about 10 days before deadline but I'm treating it like that already with the stage this project is at.

Thanks for that Bill I ordered one earlier, it's a black & decker one, hopefully it won't conk out on me & let me get the job done.
Also got a nice big sheet of hook & loop tape so will be able to make my own sanding bits at higher grits to get a nice smooth finish.
Also got a big sanding block with a medium soft foam base so it will work better than the aluminium block I was using for surface finishing.

Keep it moving along, got it it's just for cleaning up & removing the teeth marks, hopefully won't take too long.

40 days left since it's just crept past midnight.

OK the HDD slide panels have cured for a while, you can see here the holes that need completing.


Completing the holes.




Then I had to dismantle some of the HTPC to get to the level on top of the optical section for adding a few mounting holes.


Was tricky to align this template spot on, new holes & the ones the drill bit is pointing at was tapped, all the rest was countersunk.


Back to the acrylic & placed brass inserts in the holes.


Pressed in with soldering iron.


Reassembled & had to take about 2mm off the width of all the HDD trays so they would fit in, I also mounted spare HDD's & an SSD to them to see how it looks.




Full.




I'll do more today after a sleep & some food & even if I don't meet the deadline it'll push the progress further faster doing this.

 

So much win!

Looks marvelous.

 

Thank you Pranja appreciated.

Just taking a quick break & thought I'd check up on comments got the fan perch made & now I want to get the optical plate completed.

 

Careful with those deadlines! They cause things like hurricanes and ....getting hit by the #5 bus.

 

Awesome as ever mate, but deadlines suck, its a hobby so do it when you feel like it and at a speed thats right for you! That way the fun continues!

 

Those are some sweet drive racks!

 

I think it's good to have a deadline now but to be honest I won't mind if I can't get it done in time but it is giving me that extra needed drive to get on with this.

Thanks wejjy for the moment I am having fun making decent progress, just had an extra long session just now so I'll do a short one next.

Thanks Kidmod, they work nice.

HTPC Fan perch 20mm 4 5mm layers glued together.


Basic first cuts.


Used the modded band saw blade but it was causing it to melt when doing the smaller curve cuts, the blade got completely stuck in there.
Had to saw to the blade & file to the blade to free it, those curves are ones that will be visible too so I had a big drum sanding session to clean them up, was a PITA.


Used a sturdy fret saw blade for doing the bigger curve & did it very slow going forward 3 millimetres & going back about 6 over & over & it prevented it from melting, also did that on half speed instead of the slowest, worked a lot better.


Installed brass inserts to the fan perch.


Filed the optical plate to represent where I need to round the corners.


Used the hack saw to cut down 7mm so its down to 3mm.


Put it in the cross vice & set it up to drill down so 3mm would be left to make filing a little easier.




My arms got Popeyed ugugugugug.


Aluminium shortbread.


I filed down far enough to let me finish it off with a mill bit in the drill press & cross vice, it worked quite nicely really.




Smoothed things off more with a file.


Cut the optical tray out.


Installed.


Optical plate & fan perch installed.






That turned out to be a big session but was one of those where I just wouldn't call it a day until I got what I intended to do done, I'll make my next session a small one to balance things out again.

 

awesome work
And a nice idea for the downfiling

 

Milling without a milling machine, that's dedication , a grinder with a flap disc could have sped things up a bit. Do you need anymore parts milling?

 

I have to agree with what he said ^^^ that drilling and filing session would have killed me gotta give some rep for the dedication, well not just the dedication, the optical face-plate came out real nice!!!

 

All that file work

Looks really nice, amazing mod

 

With the disks in I realized the case is much smaller as I initially thought. Before I thought the part with the marble in it was like 40-50cm wide, I see it's alot smaller now

As always stunning work Waynio