Computer case

[shoeshine]

After I built my Bot-in-a Box, I decided that my old grey dell case for the computer sitting next to it simply would no longer do...

Built for micro ATX motherboard w/ 200w pwr supply.
DVD drive & 2 HD's

the propeller looking shape is the optical drive tray.
the row of holes in the rosewood panel at bottom will have pwr switch, reset button, pwr LED and HD LED.
All in brass rod stock (the pwr switch is already installed at lower right)
The grille in front is for the speaker, the grilles on either side house cooling fans.

12"w x 17"h x 10.5"d


837

My first real effort at inlay using the bot.
Rosewood inlaid into maple/maple plywood. honestly I was surprised at how smoothly it went.
Definately has encouraged me to take on more/more complex projects.

Chris

[frankwilliams]

Beautiful Job Chris! I've had an Idea for something like this rolling around for 2 years, but I still haven't got it out. Seeing someone else's take on an idea is always inspiring. Thanks for the Boost! The craftsmanship looks top notch.

[mikeacg]

Chris!

Once again you have outdone yourself! I am cutting some red plexi grilles for a case modder in DC this week (with my laser). I can't wait to show her this little beauty! Thanks for sharing!!

Mike

[coach]

OK Chris,,now you're just showing off!!!!!
You do some awesome stuff. Makes me feel inept building cabinets and tops.

[tkovacs]

Show off you did! Thanks for sharing. I have done a couple of inlays too and was also impressed as to how smoothly it went.

[shoeshine]

Thanks all, I really do appreciate the positive feedback. Especially for these personal projects that sit in my studio and dont otherwise see the light of day. These are the things that I can lavish time and attention on that would make them hard to do commercially.

But I will say that I never would have tackled them without the bot and the ideas/advice that I get from this forum. It completely makes the difference between ideas that float around for years and actually making them.

[myxpykalix]

absolutely very cool....

[wberminio]

This is too nice for a shop!

Great job!

Erminio

[phil_o]

Ditto on all of the above comments - very nice.

[beacon14]

What they said. Beautiful work.

[john_hartman]

That is really nice! I would be interested in knowing how you did the inlay. The process, material thickness etc..

[shoeshine]

Hey John,
the inlay was actualy really simple to do with the bot.

-first planed down a piece of rosewood for the inlays to a little over 1/4" (approx .27) as this was to be in 1/2" ply
-did the drawing with illustrator.
-imported the vectors into partworks.
-used a pocket toolpath for the maple plywood (female) depth of cut .25" used a downcut endmill to get good top edge quality
-used the same vector on the rosewood for an outside profile toolpath, same bit, with an allowence offset of -0.01 to allow the parts to fit
-a little light sanding on the edges of both to get rid of any burrs (especially on the ply)
-glued and clamped
-sanded flush

Like I said, I was pleasently surprised at how easily this worked. though I did a test piece out of scrap, everything fit the first time and I didnt end up making any changes to the files when I used the good wood.

go for it, it works well.

Chris

[butch]

Here is a section on inlay in Wiki that works very well. Assures that you will not have any gaps. I use a band saw to cut it off, and could use SB to surface the part, but instead I ran it through my belt sander.
Work very well, and well described. You can use this with PW and VCP. Aspire has its own way of doing inlays.
http://shopbotwiki.com/index.php?title=VCarveProInlay

I really like this box. Gives me inspiration to actually build my next computer rather than buying some junk off a shelf next time.
thks
Butch