Build a Wood PC Case

This was my favourite casemod; a mahogany wood grain computer case. I decided to use veneer because to build and fit an entirely wood case was more than I wanted to do. Make your computer look like a stylish piece of furniture, great for a living room media center! Build cost $50.

Step 1 Buying materials

Heres what I used, with a prices:
-Oak Veneer (enough to make 2-3 cases)- $30
-5 Minute Epoxy - $5
-Mahogany stain with sealant - $7

I assume you have paintbrushs, clamps, knives, and a weekend to work on this.

Comments

[radiorental]

nice work, you can also use contact cement which will allow you to forgo clamping and is easy to fix if you 'uck it up. This would make a nice multimedia pc for the living room, I wonder what other beige electronics could be veneered? (I'm eyeing a thinkpad right now!)

[The nerdling]

what model thinkpad?

[matt]

I avoided contact cement because I wasnt sure how well it would bond wood to enamel/metal

[radiorental]

good point, I like contact cement as its got a wide variety of applications but you're right in that its not suited to smooth plastic/metal. For that I score the surface with sandpaper to give the glue something to hold on to.

[mycroftxxx]

That's what http://www.thistothat.com is for.

http://www.thistothat.com/cgi-bin/glue.cgi?lang=en&this=Wood&that=Metal
http://www.thistothat.com/cgi-bin/glue.cgi?lang=en&this=Wood&that=Ceramic

[Lithium Rain]

Hey, is your user name based on Sherlock Holmes' brother???I LOVE Sherlock Holmes stories!!! Or is it from something else?

[mycroftxxx]

(sorry it took so long to respond) My nick is indirectly based on Mycroft Holmes. Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress has a sentient computer that took its name from Sherlock's brother.

[funinthefalls]

TNSTAAFL!

[Lithium Rain]

sweet! :)

[radiorental]

del.icio.us site, thanks mycro

[OWWWW MY NESTICLE!!]

=D

sincerly,
OWWWW MY NESTICLE!!

[Maxaxle]

I only have one complaint: Pentium 4 CPU? Really? And, perhaps for a future project, you could make the front panel a little nicer?

[jonno99]

Don't you think it would be better if the grain on the top ran the same way as the rain on the sides? I always tend to think grain should run the same direction as the longest dimension. Otherwise it's quite a nice little case mod. I wonder how it would look on my home PC, I can't visualise how the panels meet at the corners (I'm at work just now).

[defiant1]

Beautiful

[Turnip123]

Wow, this is really cool!

[crazycommanche=US=]

you need to put some case fans to vent out cause that thing will produce a lot and not vnt alot out of the case the wood isnt like sheet metal put a fan onthe topp and sides more

[matbh]

great look! u can ear money selling cabnets....

[punkatsub]

looks nice, i did a similar thing expect i used black mesh, and it looks nasty

[Lftndbt]

Nice effort.. I just finished a solid timber case.. Alot of work though. Warm timber smells tops! (and no I don't want to get into the debate of combustability.. It's getting old. Thankx) Creds on the instant effect!

[kriskhaan]

I made a loptop long ago in burl. I used the automotive veneer for the dash kits. it comes with 3m tape. Kinda pricey but easy to used. It cuts with scissors. Easier than glueing the actual veneer sheets. Also the auto veneers have a bevels clear coat that looks nice, and they come in a variety of colros and fnishes.

[kriskhaan]

I made a loptop long ago in burl. I used the automotive veneer for the dash kits. it comes with 3m tape. Kinda pricey but easy to used. It cuts with scissors. Easier than glueing the actual veneer sheets. Also the auto veneers have a bevels clear coat that looks nice, and they come in a variety of colros and fnishes.

[johnpombrio]

Sheets of veneer (some with peel and stick) can also be found in the Woodcraft woodworking stores. Veneer edges can be fragile so try to taper the edge. Nice project!

[Crash2108]

Good idea to be lazy and just use veneer. Would've had extra credit is you had the grain going the same way..

[rjones3]

Where did you get the veneer? Beautiful project!

[matt]

Home Depot

[funanimalguy]

For a cheaper version, has anyone tried wood grained contact paper? $5 as opposed to $30, although it's a simulation and not real wood. :-)