Scratch Build – In Progress Case Mod: Canary Mesa

Well, I'm on to my next project.

I've been toying with the idea of making something other than the traditional case for my next computer and was struck by the simplicity of a table and the complexity of mounting everything underneath. Soooo... My next project is the Canary Mesa...

Also the good workshop gods bestowed upon me a new router table and a 9" bandsaw... I just had to appease them and try them out...

Well, here are the wood planks as they came from the shop.

I was looking for some teak, but this wonderful CanaryWood caught my eye. I had really tight grain and some splashes of red, along with a very vibrant yellow.



Here is a close-up of the boards. You can see the tight grain on the left and the red splash of color.



Here is a close up of the sides.

The left most is common yellow pine, the middle and right are Canary Wood, however, I recently trimmed the middle one.



Here is a shot of the some Ebony I plan to use as accent pieces.



Here is the 2x2x24 Canary Wood blank for the legs.





Once I laid out the basic dimensions, I cut the long piece in half.



and rabbited the inside edge to recieve the top, thinking of using marble, granite or wood... Not sure yet, but either way the mobo will be mounted to the underside...



Here is a shot with the pieces cut to length and laid out on top of each other...



This should give you a sense of the size. (21inx27in) That is a template for a full ATX motherboard (9.6inx12in)



Here is a close up shot of the blank for the legs. I ran it through the planer to ensure it was square and all the beautiful color came out.




Next was to miter all the corners... Apparently, my compound miter saw does not exactly reach all the way across at 45deg. So I had to take out my handy trim saw and finish off the corners...




Next I routed slotted dovetails to recieve the decorative braces from each of the corners.



Here is a closeup.



After that was done, I cut the dovetails for the braces, cut the blank for the legs to length and trimmed the extra corner pieces...



I say that was enough for one day....

Still a long way to go though...

 

Interesting; got any sketches of the conceptual design?

 

In my sketch book, I just have'nt had a chance to take pictures yet... I thought I could gen something up in ppt, but nothing seems to look just right.

 

looking good.

 

Soo nice, I like the idea really, Yeah I need to see the 3D but I like it from now Also your skills in wood is amazing, I wish that I can do that.. I tried but Failed you the pro Keep the nice and clean work up brother.

 

nice wood skills. the other modder here thats good with wood, i forget his name.
but this looks like it will be pretty nice! keep up the great work

 

Here is a top view concept drawing...

 

Good to see you back!
A table top rig is a nice idea. I'm too messy for something like this. I'd have to take my junk off the table to work on it!
The wood is beautiful. I'm used to seeing that much color in stone, but not wood! How are you (are you?)going to stain it?

 

Thanks... glad to be back and seeing all the great new mods. I'm building it wide so it will support two 22" widescreen LCDs. This way the base of each will fit nicely on the table.

I found it at the local wood shop and knew that is what I wanted. But I haven't decided on the finish yet. I'm leaning towards Danish Oil, that should bring out the colors and depth and then a couple dozen coats of poly. Need to make sure its durable.

 

Nice work; pretty slick design.

 

Here is a concept drawing showing the elevation.

 

Thanks...

 

Nice design, and more important, very nice looking wood...I'll be keeping an eye on this!

 

Jokkos,

Thanks... and I like DerMeister as well.

 

I'm not familiar with that wood. It's gorgeous. Glad to hear you're thinking of just oiling it or sealing it. Seems like a stain would just hide a lot of the character.

 

greensabbath? Tale Gunner?

 

Canarywood, works alot like any other hard wood and has a nice scent when cut. I want to bring out the complex colors and not overpower the wood or bury it in artificial color. I also have some boiled linseed oil, just not alot of experience working with it, so I am hesitant to work with it.

I just cut the bevel on all the outside edges tonight and will have to take some pictures in the morning.

 

Had some time this weekend to work on the Canary Mesa, and beveled the leading edges at 11.5 degrees. Here is a shot of the table saw, tipped to 11.5 degrees. I had to move the fence to the other side to make the cut. Worked out well...



I then ran all four sides through and it made a nice bevel. Here are a couple of shots.





BTW, anyone have any experience working with Aluminum angle iron. I have the 3/4" x 3/4" stuff from Home Depot. Just wondering what is the best way to cut it. Specifically, what kind of blade. I can handle most wood issues, just never really worked with aluminum before.

 

Great work; use a carbide cut-off wheel for the aluminum (or a hacksaw LOL)

 

Very nice idea! and nice work wood. You have the skills. I love the angels! You know how to do it

Are you gonna paint the wood or keep it same it is ?

Well done