wood [Build Log][Scratch Build]Wooden Hell

peger · July 14, 2019

Hello everyone.

At the beginning I would like to apologize you all for my bad English, i'm not a native speaker.

I was planning to replace my old laptop with something new for almost a year but I always had some other expenses

Finally i have some spare money. For today my planned setup looks like this:

CPU: Ryzen5 2600X
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 G1 GAMING 8GB GDDR5 or GTX 1060
RAM: HyperX Predator 16GB
HDD: Samsung 970 Evo M.2 250GB + WD Blue 2TB
PSU: Corsair RMx 650W CP-9020178-EU
MB: to be honest idk.

At the beginning, I planned to choose Gigabyte X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING but now i thinking about MSI X470 GAMING PRO CARBON or ASRock X470 Taichi. Or even ASUS PRIME X470-PRO. Maybe you have some advise.

Most of the cases looks mehh or is it's too expensive, so i decide to to make one from scratch. The choice was obviously simple. Wood.

Work is already in progres.

A few very raw sketches. I decided to stick to my original idea and choose variant B. With little difference as to the location of the PSU.

Dimensions about 45x45x45 cm. Two wooden side panels, front with three holes for 140fans and two 5,25 bays hidden behind wooden doors and sliding top with window.

There are no other plans, everything is in my head and will be modified during work.

DAY 1

Some reclaimed wood. Oak beams from the old fence, old boards from the attic and scrap remaining from previous projects

Att work i ran them through jointer and finished off with planer in home.

Motherboard tray, raw fit and some old MB

And glued

Working on the frame.

One of the side panels

DAY 2 and 3

Mostly filling nail holes with pegs.

Patching knots.

Cuting pegs

Multitool was very helpful in cutting off all these pegs.

But in hindsight i should bother with any of this.

DAY 4

Gluing front panel.

DAY 5

Resin is here + blue dye

U use resin for the first time. Filling all the cracks and holes.

At this point, I realized that I shouldn't pegs all this nail holes.

DAY 6

Shopping day.

3,5mm nd 2x 3,8mm drils

M3 bolts, washers and nuts

small wheels

set of 25cm ... I have no idea what it's called in english ( drawers are mounted on them)

and the most important

5mm straight cutting bit.

DAY 7

Work on the front panel .

Panel cut to the final dimensions. 43x43cm

I made it simple jig for cutting 140mm round hole.

Unfortunately, none of my bits(good one) is long enough to cut the entire thickness of the board (and thickness of jig). I had to use multitool.

And finish with template bit.

IDK. it's looks not bad.

Another jig for cutting hole for two 5,25 bay.

Cutting bay for 2x 5,25 and some "control panel" reset and buttons for backlight.

Quick sanding.

Front panel with door.

Cutting 5mm slots with router.

After three passes i discovered my huge mistake, 140mm holes weren't sanded.

Start with 40 and 80 grid and finish with 120 grid by hand.

I don't have quality roundover bit so instead of risking wood chiping i use 45 cuting bit and sandpaper

Cutting rest of the slots.

I made two mistakes:(. Measure twice, cut once :).

Gluing filler strip in to the slots.

That's all up to now.

I still hesitate over the finish. I was thinking about burning and staining. But idk how a resin can handle treatment with a fire.

I was also thinking about controlling the fan speed and i still somewhere have necessary electronic components. But I don't think it necessary.

LauriHimself · July 14, 2019

Wtf dude?!

That's so impressive!

Can't wait to see your further progress!

paddy-stone · July 14, 2019

1 hour ago, peger said:

set of 25cm ... I have no idea what it's called in english ( drawers are mounted on them)

and the most important

Sliding drawer rails?

BTW, your English is very good.... I would say that it's better than a LOT of native English speakers because you took the time to spell correctly etc

Well done, the work so far looks very good.

RollinLower · July 14, 2019

looking very nice already! definitely excited to see the finished case.

what about cooling the hardware? since you didn;t go with standard mounting space for the intake fans i guess watercooling is not an option?

peger · July 14, 2019

3 hours ago, LauriHimself said:

Wtf dude?!

That's so impressive!

Can't wait to see your further progress!

Thank you.

3 hours ago, paddy-stone said:

Sliding drawer rails?

google says yes. I plan to use them to attach mobo tray.

14 minutes ago, RollinLower said:

looking very nice already! definitely excited to see the finished case.

what about cooling the hardware? since you didn;t go with standard mounting space for the intake fans i guess watercooling is not an option?

Thank you.

No, but it's more a matter of finance;). I'd rather spend this extra $ for better CPU or other parts. Especially that I don't plan OC so water cooling may be an overkill. I still wonder what CPU cooling choose.

Lady Fitzgerald · July 14, 2019

Here in the SSA (Squabbling States of America), we call the things drawers are attached to "drawer glides" (btw, your English is much, much better than my Polish!).

You are doing some really great work with used wood (it would still be great with new wood)!

peger · July 15, 2019

Update

Well f**c!!! You know this feeling when you were kids and with excitement you open christmas gift just to see some "sh*t" inside the box.

In the morning I sand one of the side panels and I saw this.

I'm guessing that the wood was too soft and resin not only just filled all the holes but also penetrated wood fibers. Leaving these disgusting spots . Nothing can be done, but start over again. FU*****!!

This time I used oak. I took some boards from work.

Again, jointer and planer and i reduced their thickness from 1 inch to 1,6mm.

Gluing

And cuting them to the final dimensions. 40x40cm, 39x39cm with 5mm tongue from every side.

After quick sanding they actually look amazing. But now i have another problem, should i use front panel that i already made or make a new one from the oak .

It's not finished yet, just after rough sanding.

I think I will wait with the decision until the end of the project.

PS: i order some parts like diodes, buttons etc.

PS I also found my old 4x20 LCD display. I don't even know if it works, he newer work. Long story short, i bought a bad display or LPT port was damaged.

CiBi · July 17, 2019

Really cool concept, love the wooden 'fanguards'.

peger · July 17, 2019

Smal update.

I know that I said I will wait until the end of project, but when i I saw this board the decision was very easy.

I will make a new front panel. I think this time it will not take me this long. I learn few thing last time:).

It will look almost identical to the old one. Different type of wood and thickness, new one will be a bit thicker 2,5cm instead of 2cm.

These cracks will look awesome filled with resin and backlit. I thought to do something similar in the "old" panel but wood is but a bit soft.

Poor-man jointer^^.

I also bought a motherboard, in the end i decided going with Msi x470 gaming pro carbon. And 4x 140mm fans. SilentiumPC Stella HP RGB 140 PWM.

PS I think I will have to choose a different PSU for that mobo.

peger · July 19, 2019

Update 3 Front and shoping.

Working on front panel, there is not much to say here. Whole process is almost the same as before.

Tbh I'm more than happy that I decided to remade this. Looks awesome And everything didn't take as much time as before.

I bought a few resistors and a plate, also the order came. Some blue Leds, ON/OFF switches and connectors. Plus wires and fan filters.

Unfortunately, probably the most important thing is useless. They sent me the wrong button Fu.... that's why I do not like to buy things online.

I have no idea what to do next. Order new one or use one from my old PC.

They really need some polishing. Or make one from wood. The whole situation complicated my progress because I planned to make the top panel tomorrow. Here is a quick sketch

A hole cut out and filled with resin with a power switch in the middle.

Also the motherboard is here.

And fan, unfortunately only one I pick another three on monday.

I assume that you do not have to connect each fan separately to the M.B. But they can be connected one to another.

I also ordered the rest of the part today.

Tomorrow I will finish front and finaly start working on mobo tray. Probably the hardest part to do so far.

EDIT idk why this last photo is pasted. I tried edit and delete them but it doesn't work.

peger · July 20, 2019

Update 4.

I use tamplate to cut holes for the fans. They aren't too deep because I was afraid that screws (M4) couldn't be screwed deep enough to hold everything steady. For that purpose i should use something like this

But when I saw price in hardware shop i was in shock (especially m3 and m4) . One would think that someone made them by hand from gold or platinum . Fortunately oak is quite hard wood. So i just tap all the holes

I also cut slot in the middle for a better cable management. And drill hole for one LED. Probably i will add a second one too

ATX template.

Unfortunately, i have done a lousy job gluing everything together. So it wasn't quite accurate. I should just print it somewhere in the city in a printing shop.

In the end i use my old mb as a template when i drill all the holes. And it fit perfectly (sorry for bad picture)

Unfortunately, it is narrower than the standard ATX so I had to drill the remaining 3 holes using the template i print.

First try and it doesn't fit properly. I had to loosen the nuts and I was able to install it. But the fit isn't perfect. OK at best, a bit tight for my taste.

The tray must still be cut to the final dimension, I also want to cut holes for cables and add lighting from the bottom.

I assemble the side panels just to see how do they look like.

and the whole case

I used one of the old side panels as the bottom. Cause you will not see him anyway and he was already done.

rpdk · July 22, 2019

Look Nice and cool to See Something that is a little different Than All the run of the mill builds

peger · July 24, 2019

Update 5

I don't have time at all or i'm too tired recently. So only a small update this time.

I ordered all parts and they are already waiting for me in the store. I will probably pick them up on friday.

Current and final setup looks like that:

CPU: R5 3600

Cooling: Gelid phantom black

GPU: Msi Geforce GTX 1660 Ti gaming x

RAM: HyperX Predator 16GB

HDD: Samsung 970 Evo M.2 250GB + WD Blue 2TB

PSU: Corsair HX750 Series

There was a small problem with the power supply . My first choce have only one EPS plug so i order EVGA SuperNOVA. But they called me from the store, product is not available in stock, next delivery in september .

Also i took the motherboard back to the store for bios ubdate. Strange that you can flash bios from usb in B450 pro carbon but you can't do this in X470. Like WTF? At least they'll do it for free, but it will take a few days.

Working on power switch

I spilled some resin. This wooden peg is just a filling to save some resin, cause hole for power switch will be drilled in the middle.

On 7/22/2019 at 8:28 AM, rpdk said:

Look Nice and cool to See Something that is a little different Than All the run of the mill builds

Tnx.

peger · July 27, 2019

Update 6

Finally, I picked up orders from the store.

Mind blowing such a small thing and it has several times more capacity than my first hdd. Not even mentioning that it is much, much faster.

I am a bit skeptical about this stock cooling

Some esata and usb 3 cables.

Working on the PSU mounting plate.

peger · July 29, 2019

Update 7

I sanded part of back panel. I think i left him how he is. And no, i don't planning mounting any fan in that hole.

I spend most of time working on front panel. I added three buttons (reset and 2 for backlight), two USB 3.0 and eSata connectors. I also planned to add two USB 2.0 but the cable (from my old PC) would be too short.

Cutting slots and holes

Buttons.

Unfortunately

Unfortunately wood is very thin, so I had to use a M3 screws and nuts to fasten the sata and usb sockets.

Side panels were finally assembled and sanded.

I used wood glue and 18g air nailer. And wood screws. Later i plugged all the screw holes.

Front panel has been sanded (it was real paine in the a...) and the edge from the front has been rounded.

Also rabbet was cut.

A few pictures of the assembled casing. The clamps hold everything together ;).

I added a part of the top panel.

At the end I cut out from the inside space for two 5,25 "drives".

Finally I see some progress but there is still a lot to do. Top panel with window, mobo tray, a lot of small work, sanding, more sanding and even more sanding. And it's just the casing itself. I hope I will do quickly all the wiring and lighting. Probably not , there will be a lot of soldering etc.

peger · July 30, 2019

Update 8.

I sanded few thing. And I mounted the power supply for test.

Vent hole in the bottom panel must be cut out

and space for the air filter from the bottom.

I also cut and glue a few filler strip. Four wider at the front. Front panel can be screwed from the inside to them.

And two from the back

I also made a new template and drilled a new set of holes

Surprise, surprise it not fit. FU...

Lady Fitzgerald · July 31, 2019

You have some mad skills (this coming from a former cabinet maker)!

peger · July 31, 2019

18 hours ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

You have some mad skills (this coming from a former cabinet maker)!

Thank You. But I still have a lot to learn.

Update 9

I bought new power switch. With a nice blue led.

It''s a bit smaller than I expected. And the place for him is too big, so I had to look for some kind of solution.

First i drilled 20mm hole 7mm deep

then a 16mm hole through the entire thickness of the board.

Then a 20mm wooden peg was glued in place, and a 12mm hole was drilled in it.

Hole from the inside also need to by enlarged.

I am still waiting for the motherboard :/. I called the store but it wasn't there yet.

Lady Fitzgerald · July 31, 2019

2 minutes ago, peger said:

... But I still have a lot to learn...

So what? We all have a lot to learn, everyone from beginners to experts. That doesn't change that you are doing a wonderful job due to your skills. Heck, even your English is better than you claimed.

NotABigGamer · August 2, 2019

Wow this is a nice build you have going! I wish i could do that.

peger · August 2, 2019

18 hours ago, NotABigGamer said:

Wow this is a nice build you have going! I wish i could do that.

Thank you. Why don't you try?

Update 10.

I drilled holes for mounting the fans.

The entire case was temporarily assembled.

And I started working on the top panel. Yesterday I bought a 30x30cm sheet of plexiglass.

Unfortunately, I f***ed up cuting and the frame was a croocked . Fortunately i made her bigger, so i could save her.

I really need a miter saw. Or some 45 degree angle jig for table saw.

After cutting it to the final dimensions

I think I will add a thin strip of wood to mask the connection.

The narrow board will also be attached from the bottom to the corner to make place for the lock.

I think I will put a few LEDs on the bottom of the frame.

The last thing to do is finish MoBo tray. But I can't do this without board.

I need to check if the mounting holes are well spaced and make holes for all cables.

And now less optimistic news. I called the store, again and I found that my motherboard was sent back to MSI to update the bios. WHAT? Like WTF even dude in shop don't know why. I just should take 2600x like i was planning from the beginning. And now I wouldn't have problems.

RollinLower · August 2, 2019

thats insanely good! loving this thing so far

NotABigGamer · August 2, 2019

@peger I am really bad with wood.

peger · August 5, 2019

Update 11

On saturday I cut holes in the mobo tray for backlight. Top

and bottom

I made a lazy job sealing all the holes and some of the resin split on the bottom so I had to add some more on sunday.

Unfortunately, in one of the holes, the resin didn't cure and when I removed the tape from the bottom still had the gel consistency. We'll see tomorrow .

Cuting some filler stripe.