How to Build a Wood Computer

In this instructable I will show you pictures of how I built a computer tower out of wood. I am starting a CNC wood sign carving business and it would be great to have a laser to engrave and cut signs for customers. I needed to upgrade to a better computer for my cnc router and thought of making it out of wood. Here is an overview of how I did it...

Tools and Materials Used:
V carve pro software
CNC router
Table saw
X acto knife
(1)2x4ft sheet, 3/16in birch plywood
(1) 2x2ft sheet, 3/16in birch plywood
150 and 400 grit sandpaper
Enamel Paint
Natural color Velvit oil
CA instant super glue or wood glue
Small wood screws


Desktop Computer parts I used:
(1)Motherboard, ECS A780LM-M AM3 Motherboard
(1)Processor and cooling fan, AMD Athlon ll X3 3.1gHz and Thermaltake AM3 Cooler fan
(1)RAM Memory, Crucial 2048MB DDR3
(1)Harddrive, Western Digital 40GB (I had this laying around)
(1)Power Supply, Theraltake 420W (I had this laying around)
(1)Ultra 20 to 24 pin power supply adapter
(1)Parallel port adapter cable, Routes parallel port from motherboard to back panel(for CNC router. I had this laying around)

Total cost:
$160
Time to complete:
5hrs

Buy the computer parts:
Tiger direct sells computer parts and kits. The parts list shows what I used and a few parts that I laying around the shop.

Design and layout:
I designed the tower using V carve pro and saved the tool paths.
Important: Check to make sure the openings in the back will match with the parts you use. I made a few mistakes but I was able to fix them before it was too late. This is the place to check and double check measurements! 
The panels will fit together like a puzzle and make a nice sturdy and lightweight box.

Cutting wood:
Next it was cut on my cnc router using a 1/4in endmill and 60 deg v bit. Cutting goes really fast.
Important: I used an upcut endmill(chips get pulled up and out of work). It left a lot of rough edges on the plywood and took extra time to sand out. Go with a downcut bit and save time and sandpaper :)

Fitting, Gluing and Sanding:
Important: Fit all the pieces before gluing! Take the x acto knife and trim the tabs along the profile of each part. Sand all the rough edges and openings to make sure there are no splinters. Once it fits good use a good quality wood glue or instant super glue on the parts.
Important: Leave the left panel unglued so you can get all the parts inside. Instead of glue use screws to fasten it to the tower.

Paint and finish:
Paint the letters and finish the inside and outside completely so it doesn't soak up moisture.

Install the parts:
Now its time to put all the computer parts inside. Follow the instructions tha come with the motherboard and each part carefully since each one is slightly different.

Done!
Install the OS of your choice and enjoy your new green computer!