Scratch Build – In Progress Coffee Table - 15 November

The reason for the project was so my wife can play WoW on the sofa, and also our current coffee table is falling apart.

Still fairly early in my project here, I have yet to paint it, add the glass, and install the PC. I have started with a pair of legs off an old table, some old fence palings and some old cupboard doors. I have scored some safety glass from work for free that will cover the table, I just need to get it cut. As a result of all that the whole project owes me about $10.



I am a little worried about glare on the glass when it is on top but have yet to find anyone that can advise me on coverings etc.

This is more info and a more up to date version but it is only in video format as I have issues trying to explain myself effectively in text



Next is adding the glass, divider, and mounting the motherboard. The PC is not going to be over the top, just a core 2 Quad and a mid range vid card (yet to be purchased).

I know I need to edit this but I want to go back outside and do more.


Cheers.

 

I watched the video. Then I heard the word "yet" and realised that's a dirty kiwi accent. You new to bit-tech?

Looks like a fun project mate. I'll be watching.

 

uh oh... WoW on the couch must mean she plays WoW alot lol, beware mate... I watched multiple friends piss their social lives away on that game.

Project looks sweet though I love making stuff from salvaged parts. My father is a carpenter so he brings home lots of salvaged wood and most of our projects (both his and my own) are made at least partially from salvaged wood, hinges, drawer handles etc. Nice to see people finding good uses for things! Looking forward to progress

 

Hi guys

Just a small update as I got the glass last night. I am a little worried that the glass might be a little heavy now, it's 10mm thick. I am not worried about the glue holding it, I am just going to use black silicon over the entire top of the table so it will look black from the top, then I am going to cut some black plexiglass for the sides if the prototype works out. The problem I am having is that the weight of the glass combined with the wood and the monitor is already making it very heavy. I think I might get a couple of hydraulic rams off the boot of a car and see if I can make that work.

I have an old PC that I used in my exercycle project that I am going to scrap for the cause, this will give me a working PC to test with and make sure the idea is sound, it also has a low noise power supply which will be nice.

I am planning to have air intake and exhaust on the bottom of the table and then cover the entire bottom with a black mesh, the plexiglass cladding on the side should extend slightly over the bottom so that it will never be seen. I want to get some nice big fans that can do good airflow with low RPM for the exhausts, I want to avoid watercooling if possible but still keep it quiet.



As for my better half, she lets me keep this in the lounge:



So I can't fault her

We both play WoW a lot. I prefer gaming to TV, I don't even have the TV tuned in yet and we moved house 6 months ago.

 

A bit late since it looks like you already bought the glass, but have you thought about non-reflective glass?

 

That's such a lovely idea it almost makes me feel like I should get a coffee table right now!

Also sorry for the slightest of thread-hijacks, but I instantly thought of this:


The screen would be symmetrical which would be good for.. I don't know.. playing Pong? Also room for keyboard on the flat area.. But ofcourse this would add the cost of the glass cutting.

Either way, gonna keep an eye on this one, and good work so far!

 

+1

 

Heyas,

I don't think I am making the whole concept completely clear here.

The idea is that the table has 2 flip up sides, one hides the PC and the other is in the upright position for gaming. This means that we have half the table to use when gaming and the other half can be folded down when not gaming, like when people that are not ultra geeks are in the house. The side of the table with the monitor will have several angles that it can sit at depending on colour depth and reflection. The reason I haven't used a solution like the one proposed by Jipa is that if there is a drink spill on the table it will run down into the monitor, this table needs to be able to handle day to day use without worrying about frying ourselves if there is a drink spill or something. When I have finished I will be pouring a bucket of water over the top and making damn sure that all drips go nowhere near the cables, monitor or PC.

I know the glass I used wasn't non reflective, but it was free. This is just a prototype that I can test with to make sure the concept is sound and practical, something I don't mind drilling holes in or using filler. I want to be able to use the prototype for at least 6 months to make sure its all good.

Another thing I forgot to mention, our sofa/coffee table layout is like this



The other reason for the 2 square tops is that I can swap the monitor round to come up the other way (to the side instead of the end) if we get a straight sofa but this works for now.

I hope this makes sense.

Cheers

 

Gotta appreciate the spill-proof design, tbh. Just today a girl accidentally kicked her drink all around my mates center speaker and amp. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to spill anything on my PC MYSELF, but you just never know and it's only wise to play it safe.

 

This +1.

It is a life ruining game, and if she needs or wants a sofa to play it on....

 

Awesome, another Kiwi modder. we're spreading!

Great build so far.. maybe add a touchscreen interface (unless I missed that) for an interactive table in WoW-free times?

 

It is only a life ruining game if you let it ruin your life. I haven't thus far, been playing a year now with no issues. It's a game so it gets treated like a game, real world comes first, we are both sensible enough to put a cap on it if it becomes an issue. We play if we would otherwise be watching TV but honestly I prefer being in the garage making stuff to playing games, I just can't do it all night or the neighbours get all pissy.

Both of us had the willpower to quit smoking, WoW is easy.

 

how many hours a day does she play

 

I don't want to sound like an arse here, but it's not really anyone's business but theirs.

This is a project log thread.

 

Nice and original project. Will be interesting to follow.
I also like your chair, really inventive. Somehow I can't stop thinking of the saw movies when I see it and hear it in action. That's a compliment since jigsaw is a good engineer

 

yeah sorry I didn't mean to stir up trouble with that comment

and I too really think the spill proof design is a good idea. Worst I've ever done was knock a glass of water onto my keyboard. But quick thinking to just flip it over and unplug it yielded zero damage. Just let it dry out overnight on a towel and the next day I was good to go.

However I've also known PLENTY of people who have spilling on laptops and turned their machines into paper weights, and this is exactly why I keep my PC ABOVE my monitor

Keep going on this though! I'm excited to see how it comes out especially with the weight and stability


Oh! and lastly, you can get non-reflective films to put over that glass that aren't very expensive. I've seen them around online and after work I can try to track you down a link if you want

 

Will the keyboard and mouse fold out from the table?

 

Great idea, people watch TV on the sofa, I play DDO on my sofa, I love it and can't wait to see how it progresses.

 

No, the idea is to keep the keyboard and mouse in the storage area under the monitor, I do have plans for a touchscreen at a later date though so it can be used in the down position.

As for my chair, I know it looks and sounds a bit crap in the video, but it has been used for 6 months now with no issues, I am sitting in it now writing this. I am going to be taking it back downstairs to be finished off and painted (including greasing it) when the coffee table is finished. I will be without a PC while I am working on it so I want my laptop back to fill the gap but it is currently being used by the missus to play WoW until the coffee table is done.

 

Gotta love that Kiwi ingenuity.