Planning Project: Plexi Bookshelf PC[Sketchup Done]

I have a large sheet of plexi I picked up from McMaster Carr.

What I plan to do is use this to make a basic case structure (13x13x12) for a bookshelf PC - MiniITX gaming rig, essentially, that can be tucked away without too much obviousness.

What should I use to cut and glue the plexi together? I have a dremel, drill, and table saw at my disposal, as well as a hack saw and misc tools lying around.

 

Table saw it, , measure it, get the correct dimensions, then saw it.

To put it into the case, you can Drill holes into the glass and case and then screw it in..

 

are you related to her by any chance?

for maching plasticshere is a handy guide, its also at the top of the forum, right above this thread.

the glue you want is IPS Weld-On, it basically chemically bonds bit of acrylic together.
theres a guide about how to do that somewhere as well.

 

If you use the tablesaw be wary of too much heat being generated which will fuse the parts back together again.
You should also watch out for the sawblade chipping the material as it cuts, you will probably need to use a finer blade which is specifically meant for plastics if this happens.

A couple of test cuts on some spare material would be a wise move.

 

Check what kind of plastic you got from mcmaster carr. Extruded is harder to machine than cast. I can't tell from the link if that polycarbonate is cast or not. Might want to email em.

Specialized tablesaw blades are expensive. I've used a new, cheap ($10), many-toothed (140 I think, but over 60 is recommended) plywood blade for plexi cuts with no problem (now that I've cut lotsa wood with it, it chips a bit.)

+rep for guide link to iggy2k

Nice idea from Johnnyboy700 w/ test cuts. Watch for the melting/fusing.

I highly recommend searching project logs for similar cases and seeing how they made it. Add a question or a PM. There was a recent log with a mini case for a mini board out of black acrylic. He used screws, no-glue... I believe.

 

You linked to polycarb. It's a whole different critter from plexiglas. The best way to cut it is a table saw. Plexiglas weld will work on it too.
It's not as heat-sensitive as plexi, so you can rip away on it. Just don't let the saw catch it. I made a hole in the wall of my garage with some cutoff.
My very first case was polycarb, and I made the horrid mistake of hand cutting it. It was brutal! I learned the quickest way to clean the edges was with a hand planer.
You can pop-rivet the stuff too. It's tough as hell!

 

>_>

It's been a while since I've done some plexi modding, polycarb was what it is!

And believe it or not, I've actually screwed in plexiglas into a side panel...

It wasn't the cleanest mod, but it works, as along as you have a drill and a few washers.

 

Thanks for the replies - can't check this at work, so my time is limited when I get home!

Good ideas all around - didn't see the sticky, that's my bad. The forums have been re-arranged since I was last a regular! In any case, I'll take a look into borrowing the table saw to get some practice in. It's precisely why I bought such a big sheet in the first place.

 

Honestly just getting started is the best. Instead of worrying and thinkin to much. If you just jump in and know tahr your first attempt is probably practice you'll do great.

 

Roger that. I'm looking at building a micro ATX gaming PC in a 12x12x12 cube, sketchup to be posted shortly. It should be relatively easy to cut the sides, the main problem will likely be ventilation and I/O holes, and mounting the motherboard to standoffs - namely, tapping the standoff holes.

 

polycarb drills/taps like butter.

 

Well good, I was worried about cracking- the standoffs are chrome Lian Li, about 1/4" high.

Do I need to worry about grounding anything with metal in an all plexi case? The PSU is going to be connected to all parts, and I'm pretty sure with my limited understanding of electricity that it should take care of all grounding.

 

I use to do international air exports for McMaster Carr, the plastic they produce chips very very easy. Not to mention, crack. they almost have no flex to the stuff. So I belive it would be Extruded, unless they have in the last 6 months changed their manufaturing.

 

Thanks for that. Would you mind looking at the link in the first post? I tried to get something that would be as resilient as possible and if there's something better, I'd rather return this before I actually cut into it.

 

Here's the general idea. The box is 12(L)x12(W)x10(H).

The components I'm shoving in there are:

Intel Q6700 - Danger Den TDX
Asus P5E-VM HDMI
8800GTX - Danger Den Full Cover Block
4GB DDR2 1066
500GB 2.5" HDD
Razer Barracuda AC-1

I need:

Laing DDC pump
Dual 120mm (GTX240) Rad*

*I have 2 DangerDen 120mm single rads - should I just use these side by side instead of buying an additional GTX240?

On to the pictures!











Simple cuts, really, shouldn't be anything difficult. I'm going to use the table saw and scroll saw for the majority of the cuts, with a file to smooth out the edges. Ought to have plenty left over to practice flame-polishing!