what would be a good minimum thicknes for makin a acrylic case, Need suggestions quick, I'm on a deadline to order the acrylic i need, so quick responses needed!!!
I prefer a min of 3/8" for outer walls, and the 1/4" fro drive bays, and any other lighter stuff. Sorry I used that flawed American system of measurement cause I don't know the mm off the top of my head.
I for one glad you still use the Imperial system of measuring, and yes "Imperial" is the correct term, well, according to my sci teacher, but due to money concerns, i must do 1/4th i really wish i could afford the 3/8. now I'm wondering why i asked this question.....
I would highly recommend waitting and saving for 3/8" I built one out of 1/4,... just didn't come out very well, actually fell apart but I more my stuff around quite a bit. Good luck
well, now i remember why i asked it now, to prevent a COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY. thnkx man 4 the warning
I went to Lowes and Home Depot initially, but I found out the hard way that their stuff was kinda cheap and not thick enough for me (only had up to 1/4") So I found a local supplier(Image Plastics) quite a bit more expensive but completely worth it in my opinion. Expensive Stuff- Pros- Tough Thicker(more tolerance and can use bigger screws) And had paper on it Cons- Expensive Cheaper Stuff Pros- Cheaper(a lot cheaper) Easier to get a hold of Cons- Thinner Has plastic stuff that peels off by itself and doesn't protect from scratches when cuting it I will add a link to some pics some pics in a couple mins if my camera is having a good day.
http://www.msnusers.com/ComputercasePictures/shoebox.msnw I just put them at the link cause it was fastest. The paper coated stuff is also a lot easier to use sinc eyou can trace out all your cuts on it beforehand. The cheaper blue (picture 004) plastic stuff also tends to melt to the acrylic when it is cut or drilled(almost impossible to avoid heat when cutting this stuff) But there are ways around it, get yourself some of the Blue Painters tape and cover the whole peice of the cheaper stuff, and it will protect it better, and allow you to mark your cuts, while keeping you closer to you budget.
so let me get this straight, the issue with 1/4 is melting? and I'm wondering what exactly fell apart on your case you made with 1/4
Ah my bad I see how that can be confusing. no, just another downside of the blue plastics coated stuff is the plastic likes to melt to the acrylic sometimes when you are working with it(cuting stc..) But you can sand it off, when it gets really stuck. It is just a real pain to deal with. Mine was actually a huge case(cube) held two computers, so it just flexed too much under the weight when it was moved and then the screws started to rip out. If you were only gonna have one computer in there you should be fine.
Maybe it would be a good idea to take a look at this: http://bit-tech.net/article/67/ To hit a couple highlights: + 1/4" is plenty thick, 3/8 is unnecessarily thick and heavy + cell cast acrylic is what you want, they don't sell it at Home Depot at all, use a plastics supplier, you'll find that http://www.delviesplastics.com/ only carries cell-cast sheet, and has reasonable prices if you don't have a local source The cheap stuff from HD is bad, not just because of the plastic film--it has a much lower melt point than the cell cast, and is far more difficult to machine (drill, saw, route, tap threads, etc.) properly. Go read my article before you spend a dime. (And should I call you Snake?)
