Not wanting my raspberry pi to just sit on my desk unprotected (and frankly, kind of boring), I went in search of a case. However, most of the cases which caught my fancy were quite expensive, anywhere from $20 to $45! So, instead I decided to make my own instead. Originally, I was planning on using plexiglass or acrylic for my case, however, upon wandering around home depot trying to find these, I came upon some cheap sheets of red oak which looked very nice. That then, ended up being what this case is made out of. However, you can use any type of wood you fancy. If what you use is thicker than what I used here (1/4"), then you will need to adjust the lengths of screws which you buy. This is my first instructable, so I hope that you guys enjoy! I am also open to any feedback you guys have on how I can improve anything.

Step 1: Materials and Supplies

Aside from your Raspberry Pi, all of the materials needed for this case can be found at your local hardware store (in my case, home depot).

Materials:
One 1/4" x 3.5" x 2' Red oak hobby board ($3.50) (a hint, you can get this cut to length at the store)
Twelve 1/4" Hex nuts ($1.50)
Eight 1/4" washers ($1.20)
Four 1/4" x 2" Hex bolts ($0.80)
Two #4 3/4" long machine screws (I got a pack with 8 screws and nuts) ($1.20)
Eight #4 nuts

Total cost with tax: $8.50

Tools:
Power drill (or hand drill if you want to go old school)
7/64" drill bit
1/4" drill bit
Small 'C' clamp
Sandpaper
Pencil
Ruler
Smallish screwdriver

Other:
One raspberry pi

Step 2: Getting Started on the Base

1) The first step is to take your two foot hobby board and cut two 6" lengths from it. As I don't own a wood saw or a miter box, I borrowed Home Depot's and had the wood cut in the store.

2) Take your sandpaper and sand down the rough edges where it was cut.

Step 3: Decision Time

3) Take your raspberry pi and set it one one of the boards and then decide how you want it to sit.

4) After you have done that, locate the two mounting holes on the pi and with your pencil make a mark where each is.

Step 4: Drill Baby Drill

5) Locate your 7/16" drill bit. If you don't have one this exact size, then compare your bits to the end of the #4 screws and choose one which is slightly larger (picture #1)

6) Place your marked board on a piece of scrap wood and drill two holes in the oak board where you made the pencil marks (picture #2)
7) With that done, with the pencil mark a point 1/2" in from each edge of the corners of one of the oak pieces (picture #3)

8) Now clamp the two oak pieces together with the marks that you just made facing out (picture #4). Make sure not to clamp them together so hard that it marks the wood.

9) Put a 1/4" bit in your drill, place the oak pieces back on your scrap wood and drill 4 new holes, one for each mark that you just made.

Step 5: Assembly Part 1

10) Now, you should have your two oak pieces successfully drilled. Next, take one of your #4 nuts and screw it all the way onto one of the #4 screws (picture #2).

11) Repeat step 10 with another nut and bolt.

12) With your raspberry pi face up, place one of the screws you just assembled down through each of the pi's mounting holes.

13) Take two more #4 nuts and screw them onto the screws, lightly sandwiching the pi's board (see picture #3).

14) Once you have done that, carefully place the down on the oak piece with the smaller holes. The result should look like picture #4.

15) Upon flipping that piece over, you should see the ends of the screws sticking out (picture #5). Take two more #4 nuts and screw the pi onto the oak board (picture #6).

Step 6: Assembly Part 2

16) Now, take your four 1/4" hex bolts and thread a washer onto each.
17) Find your other piece of oak (the one without a raspberry pi attached to it) and decide which side you like best. With this side up, place put one of the bolts with washer through each of the corners of the board (images 1 & 2, though I forgot the washers in these pictures).

18) Next, put a 1/4" nut onto each of the bolts, and hand tighten them down, sandwiching the piece of oak (picture #3).

19) Add another washer to each bolt and screw it down part way.
20) Place this piece on the table with the bolts facing point up. Then, take the other piece of oak, and with the pi facing down, place it ontop of the other piece so the bolts go through both pieces.

21) Adjust the top nuts so that they are all at an equal height. Using three extra nuts as a way to measure this works perfectly (see picture #4).

22) At this point, things should look like picture #5. Now, on the ends of the bolts sticking out, place a washer and then another nut and hand tighten (pictures #6 & 7 respectively).

Step 7: All Done!

Congratulations! you are now done with your case! Pat your self on the back, and then fire that sucker up and have some fun.

Some thoughts for design modifications:
1) use some sort of stain/lacquer on the wood at the beginning to bring out some more color and grain.
2) It would be really cool to laser cut or etch a design in the top of the case if you have access to such technology.
3) It would also be possible to add sides to the case using some of the remaining oak, however, I like the look of the case as it is.

I hope you guys enjoyed this. Merry building!