Custom Server Case

Rehmat · December 31, 2018

Hi all.

Has anybody ever fabricated or made a 19" server case 3u or 4u or greater out of metal or wood?

Would be interesting as i am in need of a cheap rackmount case for my upcoming build. It will house a high effecincy server.

Has a look on google but TBH there is not much out there other than mining rigs which are open frame and i am looking for a closed case.

Thanks in advance.

Alec M · December 31, 2018

Should be possible.

CAD software really helps when it comes to something like this, and Google Sketchup isn't a bad option, it just takes a bit to get used too.

I did something similar for a desktop I made for my brother a few years ago. It wasn't in a server form factor, but it was necessary, since it had a really weirdly shaped supermicro board inside.

Using PCI-e extenders saved my plan, since the GPU would've run into components on the board.

Also, another mistake I made when I designed it was a lack of airflow through the case. I had a 140mm vent at the front, which I used for a radiator later on, and a 80mm vent at the back. Some chips other than the CPU towards the back started getting really hot, since the motherboard was originally designed for a 1U server with air flowing over the whole board constantly. I ended up solving this by mounting several fans inside to blow on the back part of the motherboard where the other hot parts were, and added an extra 120mm fan on the bottom. Thankfully the hexagonal mesh on the front that wasn't for the 140mm fan kept it from being a complete disaster.

Rehmat · December 31, 2018

@Alec M is it possible to get a list of the materials you used such as screws, brackets, and type of wood. Looks really good. Also do you have any constructions pics.

thanks!

Alec M · January 1, 2019

6 hours ago, Rehmat said:

@Alec M is it possible to get a list of the materials you used such as screws, brackets, and type of wood. Looks really good. Also do you have any constructions pics.

thanks!

I pretty much just used some 1/2" and 1/8" plywood I had laying around. As for screws, I recommend Kreg screws with pre-drilled holes around 1/8" or less. There are practically no brackets in it, since the front and back are held in with slots cut into the plywood with a table saw. The only brackets are the two tiny blocks of wood to hold the GPU.

A great way to hold the motherboard on is by threading standoffs into holes drilled into the wood where you need them to be.

Sadly I didn't take any pics while originally building it. I'll see if I can find pictures from when I installed watercooling.

IMO building cases out of wood is pretty easy, but you do have to watch out for screws stripping out. If that happens, put a little bit of hot glue in the hole that stripped out, and screw it back together before the hot glue fully hardens