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.

[msmrx57]

First - Welcome to TBCS!!

Second - Nice design and off to a good start.

Third - Next time go around the fence.

[xr4man]

welcome to the madness.

your mod looks good so far.

[TheMainMan]

That looks awesome! Welcome to TBCS!

[Espie79]

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

[mDust]

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.

Ah, the hazards of modding...

Looks pretty cool so far. What are your plans for optical drives and a power switch? Or do I have to just wait and see?

Welcome to TBCS by the way.

[Espie79]

Ah, the hazards of modding...

Looks pretty cool so far. What are your plans for optical drives and a power switch? Or do I have to just wait and see?

Welcome to TBCS by the way.

Thanks, yeah I will have a DVD burner and power and reset swithes, I will post pics that explain in next post.

[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.