Celtic Knot Inspired

[Espie79]

First of all, thank you to my Sponsor Thermaltake. They make awesome stuff and have used their stuff before, so check them out when looking to build or upgrade a new rig.

Hi all, I am new here and new to modding. I have always wanted t make a PC case out of wood but, instead of using solid timber, I am using MDF in this mod.

I am using the metal frame of an old case I have, and plan to fix the MDF to the frame (haven't quite worked out the details of that yet).

I am planning on carving the MDF based on one of my designs that has a Celtic Knot influence. I use the software AutoCAD to draw the design, then print out A4 sheets and stick them together so I have a 1:1 scale of the design that I can use as a template.

This is the old case.

This is the design printed out onto 3 A4 sheets that are taped together.

This is some scrap MDF I have that I will use for the front panel of the case.
I will need to get more MDF to finish the case.

Some music to Mod by

Tools I am using for the carving

Here I am using a glue stick on the back of the design which I then stick onto the MDF board.

Once the design is stuck to the MDF, I then start scribing/cutting over the lines of the pattern. These are called stop cuts, as they stop you carving beyond the line.

After making the cuts, I can then peel off the paper and I am left with the cuts.

Starting to carve

What I have managed to carve today.

I would have done more today except I injured myself trying to get my cat from next door. I fell over the fence and landed on my head straight onto brick. I also somehow bent my big toe nail back a bit and it bled. So with a sore head and a foot I can't stand on, I called it a day for now. Also tonight it is going to only be about 1degree so I don't really want to be in the garage as I have no heater in there.

I will post more tomorrow.

[Espie79]

Thanks everyone for the warm invite. Here is a picture of day 2 of the PC case

[Espie79]

OK, here is Day 3. I have pretty muched finished the carving of the front panel, just need to sand it a bit. I have cut out the panel for the DVD burner. The dvd burner will be behind a MDF panel which I haven't cut out yet.

ANd here is the front panel leaning against the case

[Espie79]

Day 4 - So far today I have just sanded the front panel and applied a finish to it. I used acrylic paint and linseed oil to get an aged look. I then wiped off the excess oil and paint with a rag.

I thought the next step might be to look at the wiring as I haven't quite worked out how I am going to do it. I also need to reslove how I am going to create a button for the DVD burner to open. I have made a hole but haven't worked out the details. I also need to work out how to attach the drive door to the panel.

Anyway, here are the latest pics - the first pic doesn't really show the true colour of the finish.

This is the front panel leaning against the case. This shows the actual colour much better. I still need to cut out MDF for the side panels and the top.

[Espie79]

Here is a quick photo taken with LED's in place. The orange light will actually be red but i didn't have a spare red LED handy - I'll have to clean the shed to find the bag of them. I purchased 1000 LED's for $30 online a few years ago as it was cheaper than buying them seperately at Dick Smith Electronics - for $30 at Dick Smith, I could only buy 9 LED's - what a rip off.

[Espie79]

Day 5:
I haven't done a lot since last time in terms of the case itself, but I have designed the side panels and top panel using AutoCAD.

The top panel will probably have a cut out for a fan, maybe 120mm diameter.
I have also trued up the front panel as it wasn't square. It's still not quite square but I've done the best I can. I made the mistake of carving the panel before cutting it out which is why it wasn't square - won't do that again.

Here is the case with the front panel fixed to the frame with brass dome head screws.

[Espie79]

Day 6:
Today I have started on the top panel. I have the panel already cut out and have started the carving. I have also cut out a hole for the 120mm fan that will be fixed below.

[Espie79]

Day 7:
Today I finished carving the top panel and also stained it. I still might need to sand around the fan cutout as it's a bit rough.

Below finished panel

Acrylic paint spread all over the panel roughly

Linseed oil poured and mixed over panel with brush. The oil allows the paint to blend nicely over the surface and also helps to get into small spaces.

After staining the top panel, I noticed that the top and side panel are a significantly different shade. I used the same paint and technique so I think that because the front panel is older, the paint has had longer to penetrate the mdf and make it darker....I hope so anyway.

Below is the case with the front and side panels. I haven't drilled holes for the screws to fix the top panel yet, and I also need to cut the metal from the original case for the fan.

[Espie79]

Day 8:
Today I have cut out the whole for the 120mm fan at the top of the case. I went and bought some cutting discs for my dremel. I haven't cut metal before so it was quite an experience with all the sparks flying. I ended up using 2 discs to cut the circle. The first disc broke in about 2 seconds but the disc I used after that was a reinforced disc which managed to finish the job although it is quite worn down.

I also drilled holes for the top panel and fixed the panel with brass dome head screws which I think match the colour of the case.

Here are some pics

Case fan cutout.

This is the pattern for the side panel. I have printed out 6 A4 sheets and taped them together. I was lucky it printed as the printer said out of ink, so I took out the empty cartridge and put it back in the printer and it worked.

Technically day 8 is still going and I am now tracing the pattern on the side panel with a carving knife.

[Espie79]

Day 9:
So today I have started carving one of the side panels. I drilled some ventilation holes in the panel - not sure if they will be very effective though.