bigfysh3

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I want to build my own case, preferably out of wood. Cedar.

The question here is, what do I need to look out for. I know there will need to be plenty of ventalation. Will I have to worry about grounding the system, or will that be taken care of by the PSU?

I got my inspiration from one of the contest builds that I say on EXTREMEPC.com. The computer that I am going to build into this case is a used IBM ThinkCentre M51. The cases on the IBM's are hideous, so I thought this would be a good one to start with, and it gives me a chance to check out my carpentry skills.

Looking forward to comments and suggestion. :bounce:
 
Honestly, I would start with a cheap metal case and remove the metal panels. Then replace them with wood. This way your grounding is taken care of my the bare chassis, however the exterior would be wood. I've seen some really NICE custom wood cases posted online in the past. Good luck, and post a pic of you get it complete. Also, some of the motherboards can generate alot of heat. So if you coat your wood with a lacquer or clear coat of somekind, I wouldn't want the hot components to touch the wood and melt anything.
 

SpinachEater

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Yeah I would go that way too. I am no good a wood work but I would think it would be easier to strip down a case so that you have the skeletal structure to screw your components into. Think about the drive slots and the back-side slots for the PCI cards....might get a little complicated since they have to screw into something for stability.

Sounds like a sweet project though. You will have to come back with pics when it is done.
 
How about leaving the metal panels there, and just adding the wood on top? That would avoid a lot of complications IMO.

Just curious, does anybody know if wood is good for soundproofing?



 


I think it would be harder to fasten the wood to the panels, rather than just replacing the metal panels with wood. You could screw them to where the metal once did.

I would think it would be much better. They use thin steel or aluminum where as the wood would be thicker and more dense.
 

Kill@dor

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Wood...i've though about it too but if that thing catches fire....your whole rig is gone :( Like Rowe suggested...not sure if this would work...but a metal case is a good idea/start point.

No clear coating...just raw wood is what i picture in my mind...i'm gona look up some wood PC's...LOL
 
You can build the case out of wood and then use aftermarket DIY parts for the rest of the machine. Aftermarket DIY parts like a removeable motherboard tray, hard drive cage, ROM cage, and power supply template.

Check out Performance PC's for a plethora of DIY parts and case mod accessories.

Sounds like a fun project! Good luck! Post some picts when completed.
 

Paperdoc

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I'd advise attaching wood panels to the outside of an existing metal case of your choice. Certainly you need grounding at some points and mounting components in a metal frame from some other case would do the job. But the metal outer panels of any case are important for electromagnetic noise shielding in both directions! The case keeps exterior signals from interfering with the computer's functions. But even more importantly, is limits the amount of high-frequency signals the computer broadcasts out into the surrounding room. Notice that all computers and cases have these obscure notices about meeting some federal regulations that limit noise signals sent out to interfere with nearby devices like radios, cell phones, etc.
 

bigfysh3

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Thank you all for the tips and suggestions. I think I am just going to remove all the panels from this clunky IBM ThinkCentre and see how that works out. I will be posing pictures when I actually get the project started.
 

kal20mx

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I came along this thread and I am currently working on the same thing. I already stripped down my case and used my dremel tool to cut new holes in the front for 2 80mm fans. My question is How would I go about making the side panel as a door with hinges. Any suggestions also what wood should I use.