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Is using a MDF board or a thin Plywood bad for SFF case modding a good idea?

Newblesse Obblige
By Newblesse Obblige
in Cases and Mods
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Posted

I am interested on making a mini case for a future HTPC or to copy a sub-6 liter SFF case like Velka 3 or K39 from Taobao/Aliexpress out of wood like a MDF or plywood.

Is it a good idea to use wood as a case for PC components?

If you have some tips on making mods out of wood, could you share it with me?

Thanks a lot!

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4 minutes ago, Newblesse Obblige said:

I am interested on making a mini case for a future HTPC or to copy a sub-6 liter SFF case like Velka 3 or K39 from Taobao/Aliexpress out of wood like a MDF or plywood.

Is it a good idea to use wood as a case for PC components?

If you have some tips on making mods out of wood, could share it with me?

Thanks a lot!

wood+heat= fire

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2 minutes ago, ki8aras said:

wood+heat= fire

What is this guy saying, is that sometimes components can reach up to 90°C in tempature which could burn wood.

If the wood is sheding wood particles those have even easier time catching on fire...

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3 minutes ago, ki8aras said:

wood+heat= fire

uh if the insides of a computer are hitting the ignition point of wood, there's much bigger problems than the wood... 

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12 minutes ago, podkall said:

What is this guy saying, is that sometimes components can reach up to 90°C in tempature which could burn wood.

If the wood is sheding wood particles those have even easier time catching on fire...

I was confused cus it isn't always the case. Afaik, wood will only light up if a spark have contacted it and after seeing the reply, according to my quick google search, 90 degress celsius is too cold for it to self-ignite. It would be a problem if my PSU failed and made a spark but, if the my quick research is true, I don't think a very hot PC and hot air from the heatsink would ignite the whole case. 

 

Edit: About that shedding wood particles, it maybe fixed by sealing(idk, maybe varnish or some coating)?

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1 minute ago, Newblesse Obblige said:

I was confused cus it isn't always the case. Afaik, wood will only light up if a spark have contacted it and after seeing the reply, according to my quick google search 90 degress celsius is too cold for it to self-ignite. It would be a problem if my PSU failed and made a spark but, if the my quick research is true, I don't think a very hot PC and hot air from the heatsink would ignite the whole case. 

I mean I'm not a wood expert but if the wood isn't like sheding particles or something like that (because that's what wood could do when air keeps circulating right by it)

Than I mean... it might be fine?

Note: Users receive notifications after Mentions & Quotes. 

Feel free to ask any questions regarding my comments/build lists. I know a lot about PCs but not everything.

PC:

Ryzen 5 5600 |16GB DDR4 3200Mhz | B450 | GTX 1080 ti

PCs I used before:

Pentium G4500 | 4GB/8GB DDR4 2133Mhz | H110 | GTX 1050

Ryzen 3 1200 3,5Ghz / OC:4Ghz | 8GB DDR4 2133Mhz / 16GB 3200Mhz | B450 | GTX 1050

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Posted

If your computer is hot enough to catch wood on fire, I hope you don't have a wood desk lol. Or wood floors. Or wood studs in your walls.

One issue with using wood for case building that I've had is screwing and unscrewing screws repeatedly. Over time the hole will get wider and the screw might not bite into the wood properly. You can get metal threaded inserts but I've never actually tried it.

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It's fine, you can do it. However it might not be a good material for your application since you need more material thickness in order to be strong enough. That means fan cutouts will need to be entirely open or very restrictive. When talking about extreme SFF builds, every mm counts so by having >12mm of material all around adds up compared to 1mm. 

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6 hours ago, bowrilla said:

It's fine, you can do it. However it might not be a good material for your application since you need more material thickness in order to be strong enough. That means fan cutouts will need to be entirely open or very restrictive. When talking about extreme SFF builds, every mm counts so by having >12mm of material all around adds up compared to 1mm. 

How thick do you think should be? What do you recommend? 

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3 hours ago, Newblesse Obblige said:

How thick do you think should be? What do you recommend? 

Depends on the material you're using, and how you're reinforcing corners, edges, etc.  

I built a 12" mATX Cube out of 1/8" (3.5mm roughly?) Styrene plastic, because I knew how to reinforce it properly.  And the thing has less flex than most cheap steel cases do.

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16 hours ago, Newblesse Obblige said:

How thick do you think should be? What do you recommend? 

how should I answer that? It depends on your design and your skills. Obviously screw connections need some material and so does glue connections.

Use the quote function when answering! Mark people directly if you want an answer from them!

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17 hours ago, bowrilla said:

how should I answer that? It depends on your design and your skills. Obviously screw connections need some material and so does glue connections.

I just want your suggestion on how thick the board should be. That is all

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56 minutes ago, Newblesse Obblige said:

I just want your suggestion on how thick the board should be. That is all

Everything under 8mm will probably be too wobbly and not enough material to mount things together. As I've said, MDF or any form of wood material is probably not the best solution for an SFF case project.

Use the quote function when answering! Mark people directly if you want an answer from them!

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2 hours ago, Newblesse Obblige said:

I just want your suggestion on how thick the board should be. That is all

What is your woodworking skill level?

What joinery will you be using

What tool shop access do you have

What're you planning to do for fan / rad mounts, etc?

 

All these matter, and you can't just ask for a blanket answer on "WHAT WOOD SHOULD I USE"

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