Would 1/4 MDF be strong enough for PC Case?

[aom]

As title says. Really, paranoid that it will completely shatter into pieces.

Thanks in advance.

[SeanAngelo]

MDF are pretty strong, i use them in school to do model of stuff. so im guessing you're alright

[wng_kingsley7]

MDF are pretty strong, i use them in school to do model of stuff. so im guessing you're alright

It might be

 

1/4 of what an inch cm? give me measurements

[wng_kingsley7]

Personally MDF isn't that bad but once you damage or break it, it doesn't clean itself and causes imperfections in the shape, and if any large dents create the saw dust which is worse than dust and very annoying. Personally if its for a one off case it's fine but I would suggest thick pieces of any type of thermo (setting) plastic like acrylics.

[aom]

1/4 inch, sorry. and what do u mean by an one off case. And for plastics, I dont think i have the tools needed and acrylic is very expensive when not in bulk.

 

 

Personally MDF isn't that bad but once you damage or break it, it doesn't clean itself and causes imperfections in the shape, and if any large dents create the saw dust which is worse than dust and very annoying. Personally if its for a one off case it's fine but I would suggest thick pieces of any type of thermo (setting) plastic like acrylics.

 

[W-L]

MDF can work but depending on how big your building it, and the structure, it may sag. Also keep in mind how you are assembling this case since a butt-joint will not work 1/4 MDF, even with 1/2 MDF you must pre-drill every hole and use the proper screws to prevent splitting.

 

 

Butt-Joint:

 

 

Splitting:

[aom]

MDF can work but depending on how big your building it, and the structure, it may sag. Also keep in mind how you are assembling this case since a butt-joint will not work 1/4 MDF, even with 1/2 MDF you must pre-drill every hole and use the proper screws to prevent splitting.

 

 

Butt-Joint:

 

 

Splitting:

I see, what do you propose instead of a butt joint?

[W-L]

I see, what do you propose instead of a butt joint?

For 1/4 inch material is more difficult to join since the edge is very thin, since your making a case probably best to use the butt-joint with a cleat on the inside to give it more area to glue and screws or reinforce it with a 90 degree aluminium edge either on the inner or outer edge, bolting it in place.

 

Buttjoint with cleat:

 

 

If you choose to use a thicker material you can use some mechanical fasteners such as the ones you see in flat pack furniture using cross dowel and bolts.

Bolt and cross dowel:

[Mcdoorknob]

I don't have very much experience with different wood materials but I would just go with oak or something nicer.

 

Acrylic is probably the easiest option

[aom]

I don't have very much experience with different wood materials but I would just go with oak or something nicer.

 

Acrylic is probably the easiest option

normal wood is a pain to get looking nice and the grain shows no matter what. fibrewood has a much more uniform grain and less noticable, ideal when you dont really want those ramdom texture of wood you typically see.

 

And Acrylic again is expensive unless in bulk.

[Mcdoorknob]

normal wood is a pain to get looking nice and the grain shows no matter what. fibrewood has a much more uniform grain and less noticable, ideal when you dont really want those ramdom texture of wood you typically see.

 

And Acrylic again is expensive unless in bulk.

I agree with the wood but I do not with the acrylic. 

 

At least in my area, I was able to buy a large sheet of acrylic that would be enough to make a small form factor PC for around 30 dollars.  

[Scheer]

I don't think you will be able to find cross-dowels for 1/4" MDF, so you are either going to have to go with 1/2" MDF or something else completely.

 

MDF also swells up really bad when exposed to moisture, so you will need to paint it anyways... at that point just use plywood.

 

Acrylic is cheap here in Nebraska... It also requires less tools than working with wood. All you would need is something to cut it, a torch and block of wood to bend it, and some glue. With wood you need saws, drills, bits, drivers and hardware, and then have to deal with all the dust.

[aom]

I agree with the wood but I do not with the acrylic. 

 

At least in my area, I was able to buy a large sheet of acrylic that would be enough to make a small form factor PC for around 30 dollars.  

for the smallest size of acrylic, it was $90 at home depot. no where else i have found after quite some time.

 

I don't think you will be able to find cross-dowels for 1/4" MDF, so you are either going to have to go with 1/2" MDF or something else completely.

 

MDF also swells up really bad when exposed to moisture, so you will need to paint it anyways... at that point just use plywood.

 

Acrylic is cheap here in Nebraska... It also requires less tools than working with wood. All you would need is something to cut it, a torch and block of wood to bend it, and some glue. With wood you need saws, drills, bits, drivers and hardware, and then have to deal with all the dust.

im probably going to use a cleat.

 

I'll think about going acrylic but I really need to save up the cash then.

[slasher0161]

$90 man look around on line, i got a 600x300x3mm sheet here in aus for $7aud and a 600x300x6mm sheet for $11. No way you should be looking at $90 for acrylic unless you are building something 900d size.

[W-L]

Man I wish I had that pricing, it's pretty expensive in Canada at least for thicker plexi.

[aom]

$90 man look around on line, i got a 600x300x3mm sheet here in aus for $7aud and a 600x300x6mm sheet for $11. No way you should be looking at $90 for acrylic unless you are building something 900d size.

okay cheapest I found was on eplastics, 24"by 48" for $32 +$16 shipping...

 

EDIT: found 1/8 by 12" by 24" sheets on ebay for about $8 and only around $5 shipping.

[Mcdoorknob]

okay cheapest I found was on eplastics, 24"by 48" for $32 +$16 shipping...

 

EDIT: found 1/8 by 12" by 24" sheets on ebay for about $8 and only around $5 shipping.

Could you link to this? Might come in handy to have. If you order it let me know if it looks like decent quality

[aom]

Could you link to this? Might come in handy to have. If you order it let me know if it looks like decent quality

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-ACRYLIC-PLEXIGLASS-PLASTIC-SHEET-1-8-X-12-X-24-/281261951029?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417c84c835

 

Sellers seems legit with alot of reviews and a 100% rating. Plus its money back guarentee, cant go wrong. I won't be buying soon, but really cant tell with just a picture. 43 sold too.

 

By Plexiglas, so it is fairly high quality.

[MG2R]

I see, what do you propose instead of a butt joint?

I would go for metal corner profiles to give it a rugged look. Might not be what you're going for, though...

[Scheer]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-ACRYLIC-PLEXIGLASS-PLASTIC-SHEET-1-8-X-12-X-24-/281261951029?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417c84c835

 

Sellers seems legit with alot of reviews and a 100% rating. Plus its money back guarentee, cant go wrong. I won't be buying soon, but really cant tell with just a picture. 43 sold too.

 

By Plexiglas, so it is fairly high quality.

 

I think they just put plexiglass in the title to draw attention, if I remember correctly plexi has clear protective coating with branding all over it.

 

It may be worth seeing what shipping would cost from onlinemetals.com, I always get great quality from them, only carry clear or white tho. http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=1517&step=2&top_cat=181

 

I would go for metal corner profiles to give it a rugged look. Might not be what you're going for, though...

 

I started a project a while back making a case out of tiny aluminum extrusion that I was going to put panels in the grooves, but I gave up on it when I couldn't figure out how to make the corners look good. Some day I might try to make a corner block that would have screw holes on all 6 sides, I think it might look decent at least.

 

As a side note, the board I originally was using for this case was smaller, but I sold it and now this is my matx testbed thingy.

[aom]

I think they just put plexiglass in the title to draw attention, if I remember correctly plexi has clear protective coating with branding all over it.

It may be worth seeing what shipping would cost from onlinemetals.com, I always get great quality from them, only carry clear or white tho. http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=1517&step=2&top_cat=181

I started a project a while back making a case out of tiny aluminum extrusion that I was going to put panels in the grooves, but I gave up on it when I couldn't figure out how to make the corners look good. Some day I might try to make a corner block that would have screw holes on all 6 sides, I think it might look decent at least.

As a side note, the board I originally was using for this case was smaller, but I sold it and now this is my matx testbed thingy.

I see. Im on my phone right now so itll be a pain to fill out the forms for shipping but it seems promising since one of the locations is only one state away, but who knows. Ill fill it out when i get back.ill also change my color scheme to white i guess since it still looks good. (Though parts such wont match )

And for your build, couldnt just use that as a frame and used acyrlic sides?. May not have been what u wanted but its shame it never got completed.

[Scheer]

I see. Im on my phone right now so itll be a pain to fill out the forms for shipping but it seems promising since one of the locations is only one state away, but who knows. Ill fill it out when i get back.

And for your build, couldnt just use that as a frame and used acyrlic sides?. May not have been what u wanted but its shame it never got completed.

 

The back panel with the I/O and the fan was done that way for a mock-up, but I didn't really like the looks of it. I used polyethylene as it is dirt cheap and you don't have to worry about messing up, PVC sheets are also extremely cheap. I believe I was paying under a dollar per square foot for each, but I also bought a few dozen sheets at a time.

 

I'll likely finish it someday, it was going to be a media server but it was too small to cram 5 hard drives (fit 4 though with two of them behind the motherboard tray) and I ended up just getting a Norco 450 case. I finally got a small CNC mill, so I should be able to fabricate the blocks... when I get time at least lol.

[MG2R]

As a side note, the board I originally was using for this case was smaller, but I sold it and now this is my matx testbed thingy.

<dat ghetto testbed />

Oh, that floats my boat! Love it!

[Foxxer]

Not a fan of MDF. You can get solid wood for the same price.

[bob345]

normal wood is a pain to get looking nice and the grain shows no matter what. fibrewood has a much more uniform grain and less noticable, ideal when you dont really want those ramdom texture of wood you typically see.

 

And Acrylic again is expensive unless in bulk.

Mdf can be just as bad to paint. Mdf soaks up paint like crazy. And is hard to get looking nice without some serious prep work. I i want to get a nice gloss finish on mdf i first coat the wood with a few layers of fiberglass resin and the sand and paint. Mdf by itself is like a sponge.