This is my first mod so excuse the poor name. I have been hanging round the forums for a while and have received lots of inspiration from you guys and thought that it was time to share with you the creation that you inspired. I was in need of a new case because my last one I bought because it was cheap. It turned out to be a mini-atx case and I had a full atx board but I squashed it in. A year later I decided it was time for a change - so bring on the home build case. I liked all the plexi cases but have no experience with plexi, so decided to attempt a wooden case. I went through many designs to try and get one that was different to a standard tower but in the end couldn't escape the square look. I also wanted it as small as possible but with nothing overlapping the mboard (if you see what I mean). The project is on hold and the moment because I don't have time and it is in a semi-complete state. In the future I hope to add a cathode and a hd-meter and perhaps stealth the drives using some speaker grill cloth. Without further ado, some pics: A slight distraction in the form of a butterfly. I don't want to bore you with details so if you have any questions then ask away. Chris
Project woody Couple of things... I love your case. I like the hinged front, easy access. Where is the air intake? (I only see the PSU fan) Does the wood make it quiet? I would stealth those front drives with wood, the white is throwing it off. Mabye some stylish eject buttons, you have lots of room. The front is a little empty, needs some design in it to keep it interesting. But very nice!
Actually, whilst it may look like just a box, there is plenty of skill needed to make it properly with square edges and not a "school woodworking class" effort. Not to mention actually getting all the components fitted and working properly. I think it looks very practical.
Great Job, like the color you used in the varnish. Ohhh and like the nice little handle on the side. Good point, Macro ! Working with woods does require a good amount of skill. You said it was partly finished, what are your next plans?
For a first mod it's a great job. Especially since he/she didn't just buy a lian-li with premade window and put cathodes in it. Seriously, nice job with fitting everything in there. I'd be a tad concerned about the obvious lack of cooling, but if it's not a high-performance machine that may not be a big deal. note: there's nothing wrong with lian-li's with precut windows . . . just giving him/her respect for attempting something entirely custom.
I personally like mods like this its sans cathode and lcd, but sometimes the best design is something that seamlessly integrates with its surroundings. Kudos. I also agree that stealting the front of the drives make look very nice.
one way or another the case has alot of pontenical. for example// mounting it to a cabnit of the same type of wood. Personaly i like both mega toyko and the case! lol
I spent ages planning the design so that it would be really easy to get at the insides, but it turns out that it isn't that easy afterall. I had hoped that the wood would have a quietening effect but it doesn't, and as my coolermaster cooler sounds like a hoover I think it's time to get a new silent cooler. I'm very pleased with the look of the case. It is a little messy on the inside but it was much worse than that in my midi-tower. The cable-tie look doesn't help but then I couldn't think of another way to attach the drives. I said it isn't finished because I still plan to place a 20 led hd-meter about central in the front panel with red leds to complement the mahogany colour. If I do get round to adding a cathode then I might cut out two areas on either side and cover then with a kind of brass mesh and then have the light from the cathode emmanate from the sides.
Brass mesh would look sweet, if not a little expensive! Don't forget B&Q do thin wooden grill type stuff that you make radiator covers from. Ya'know?
if ya really want brass lookin mesh there's always th aluminium expanded metal mesh (lots of little slots and pulled apart stuff) usually used for bodgin car body repairs with filler .. used to be used for speaker grilles on some old radiograms etc also brassy coloured
Yeah, I remember we 'used' to have an old speaker with some stuff that would have been perfect. The wood is just pine. Bought from Focus, the only timber they sold. I was hoping for something a little thinner but was in a rush as I only had a week to get it done before coming back to uni.
Yea, I'm gonna have to nip down the merchants soon, cos it's impossible to find anything other than the likes of MDF and chipboard anywhere else.
looks good so far man! What you need is to paint or stealth those drives, and put a blowhole up front, maybe covered by brass mesh. As to the mesh, just buy something like a gutter guardian (a la $5 home depot stuff), and spray for a nice effect.
