Build article: www.ibuildit.ca/other%20projects/wooden-computer-case.html Thanks to Oakwood Veneer for providing the awesome quality black walnut veneer for this project: www.oakwoodveneer.com/ Exclusive content on Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=865843&ty=h Plans for sale: www.ibuildit.ca/plans.html More videos on my second woodworking channel: ruclips.net/user/IBuildIt My home reno channel: ruclips.net/user/IBuildItHome Website: www.ibuildit.ca/ Facebook: facebook.com/I-Build-It-258048014240900/ Instagram: instagram.com/i_build_it.ca/
A note for the expert PC guys: It doesn't matter what the case is made from if there are fans moving the air through it. This one has the power supply pulling air in from the back and a case fan blowing air out. Heat can't build up inside.
I was going to make a statement about the fact that wood is a good insulator and that before any one shits on the build that as long as there is airflow then it is perfectly fine.
The only issue is that a PSU fan is probably not as high in either airflow or pressure than a normal case fan, so you would end up with negative air pressure in the case (thereby drawing in air flow (and dust) from other cracks in your case. This would result in increased dust accumulation inside the computer case. (Plus PSU fans normally push air out, not draw it in... but I won't say that they 'cant') So if you look to repeat this, I would recommend a filtered fan for intake and the PSU for outflow.
Did you ever hear of *drama queen?* I heard this same shit 5 years ago on this build: ruclips.net/video/PXH8ers57rs/видео.html Still going strong today, I'm typing into it right now. So, take a break from pretending that you know it, and you might learn something.
ugh. I'm seriously losing my faith in humanity. It's as though only people who have never been punched in the mouth leave RUclips comments. If you don't like it, don't build it. My pc is enclosed by a MDF desk on four sides. It runs 24/7 with a 1/4" sheet of dust over the fan. Yes, I just used Imperial there. Deal with it. John: beautiful work. If you don't mind even more advice, I would like to recommend painted acrylic glass for your front-piece. If you paint the back of it black, it will have a nice shiny depth to it that looks manufactured ;)
this is why John's one of the best... computers, wood, metal..ect.... it doesn't matter the material, the guy can do it and he makes it easy to understand and enjoyable to watch. thanks john!
As a computer guy that used to build PCs way back when, I really enjoyed this build. For the face, maybe a brushed aluminum or stainless steel frame with walnut inserts? Would give it more of that classic HiFi look you're going for. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing!
very nice video, one of your best one i think. It really shows how smart you are and what can be achieved when you mix and match a bunch of skills. No confrontation, no drama, no troll feeding. loved it
Thanks for uploading this video I’ve considered building a PC from scratch including making a case from wood but never thought for one minute to integrate a PC chassis. This will make the project quicker to complete.
I almost didn't watch this one because I wasn't interested in the final product but I'm really glad I watched it. I really enjoyed the variety of techniques and ideas combined to make this project. Thanks for sharing.
It does look better with the black front. The black plastic fronts on the DVD and ports blend in much better now. Looking forward to seeing it with that wood strip wall you teases us with months ago.
Thanks Michael :) I think this computer will end up inside a cabinet (low, wall to wall credenza) and spend most of it's time unseen. Seems a shame, but that part of the reason why I didn't go overboard on making this look super pretty.
I built a case out of wood too. But instead of solid wood on all sides, the top and front are aluminum mesh (circle patterns) and then I used some spray adhesive to attach speaker cloth. It looks pretty sweet. Thanks for the vid!
Wow. Between this and the 5 year update on the other computer case, that's some intense case building. When you did the power button I was like "where have I seen this before?" And then there was the link for the "coolest box ever" video at the end, and that was how the latch worked. I loved it then and I love it in this application, too!
John, as a woodworker I personally never use a grinder indoors, especially in the woodworking area. There's always some wood dust or chips left there which can easily catch fire through a single spark..
wow, this speaks both to my wood working side and my pc nerd side. nicely done. i think the front would look great if you could put a nice gloss or semi gloss transparent coating on it.
Oh that takes me right back :) Lovely customisation! I have a hundred and one other jobs backed up at the moment but, sometime, I'm taking one of the old PCs from the attic and taking it right 'back to the future'.
I have to agree that there was too much walnut going on before you painted the front black. It is certainly a very big HTPC but it is unusual and eye catching. I like it.
To make it look more like a receiver, maybe you could use a piece of aluminium, or maybe just use a brushed aluminium paint on the front? I think that would look more vintage than the black. Or, I wonder, is there a such thing as aluminium "veneer"
That's a really nice build, very clean and pleasing to the eyes. Reusing an existing chassis makes much more sense than recreating the whole structure. I would have maybe looked into staining the front panel to make it look a little darker while still showing grain, instead of painting it with an opaque black.
John, you make it look pretty easy to do but I know a lot of experience has went into this one. Great project, I have never applied veneer but after watching you I might give it try. I do like the black front, nice contrast. Thanks for your video!
Let me start by saying that, I love your work and yours is one of my go to channels on RUclips. I don't know if anyone has discussed this, but my thought in relation to your issue of too much walnut is that you could go with the old standard. If you'll look at the many RUclips channels on old stereo gear, you'll see that the veneered cases of the 60's and 70's almost always went with silver (or Aluminum) finished fronts. I think that treatment is great in balancing out the dark wood. All in all though, it's a nice adaptation of a cheap case.
Thanks Rick. Usually I can picture how the project will look before I do it, but for some reason didn't consider this. Also, it's a big project to cram into a single video and I had no time to try anything different.
I like the final result with the black front. The only thing I would add is a black cover plate for the DVD drive since it sticks out a bit too much with all the white logos. Overall a nice build video as always though :)
Tape up the front panel to add some thin accent lines. Since you are going for older 70s style box design, maybe a single or double 2mm brass line on the bottom will do it i think. If you are feeling really fancy, dont use brass paint, route out grooves and put actual brass strips in.
@5:34 - 2 Thumbs WAY Up! ;-) (that's an homage to two famous film critics out of Chicago) Thanks for the percussive sounds! I love them so much, I usually go back and listen again. It's just so much fun! :-D Cool video. I'm glad that YT recommended it to me. Now I'm subscribed! Ok, now I have to see more of your work...including the blog post on how to finish out the inside of the HTPC. Thanks!
thinking a piece of plexiglass painted on the back side of it would make a nice front. Could even put a LED on the one edge of it to give it a nice glow.
Looks great! It might look good to paint that front with some sort of matte silver, or maybe just a strip of silver running across? I feel like the faceplates for lots of those style stereos were a brushed silver.
Very nice. I think personally the only way to improve on that design would be to replace the current dvd-player with a slot-in player and a routing a slot for the disk instead. Would give it a cleaner look, but still, excellent work. And I suppose it's just as much about keeping cost down. A new slot-in is way pricier than a free one you already have. :) Nice job.
I was looking forward to seeing how you'd stealth the optical drive and the card reader, but alas... That it's not naked wood but veneer seems like the perfect opportunity to do that, but i wouldn't know how to approach it to make it look neat.
Build article: www.ibuildit.ca/other%20projects/wooden-computer-case.html
Thanks to Oakwood Veneer for providing the awesome quality black walnut veneer for this project:
www.oakwoodveneer.com/
Exclusive content on Patreon:
www.patreon.com/user?u=865843&ty=h
Plans for sale: www.ibuildit.ca/plans.html
More videos on my second woodworking channel:
ruclips.net/user/IBuildIt
My home reno channel:
ruclips.net/user/IBuildItHome
Website: www.ibuildit.ca/
Facebook: facebook.com/I-Build-It-258048014240900/
Instagram: instagram.com/i_build_it.ca/
I love the combination of woodworking, electronics hacking, and just plain cleverness. Well done John!
Thank you :)
A note for the expert PC guys: It doesn't matter what the case is made from if there are fans moving the air through it. This one has the power supply pulling air in from the back and a case fan blowing air out. Heat can't build up inside.
I was going to make a statement about the fact that wood is a good insulator and that before any one shits on the build that as long as there is airflow then it is perfectly fine.
The only issue is that a PSU fan is probably not as high in either airflow or pressure than a normal case fan, so you would end up with negative air pressure in the case (thereby drawing in air flow (and dust) from other cracks in your case. This would result in increased dust accumulation inside the computer case. (Plus PSU fans normally push air out, not draw it in... but I won't say that they 'cant') So if you look to repeat this, I would recommend a filtered fan for intake and the PSU for outflow.
have you ever heard of *Heat capacity*!!
Did you ever hear of *drama queen?*
I heard this same shit 5 years ago on this build: ruclips.net/video/PXH8ers57rs/видео.html
Still going strong today, I'm typing into it right now.
So, take a break from pretending that you know it, and you might learn something.
ugh. I'm seriously losing my faith in humanity. It's as though only people who have never been punched in the mouth leave RUclips comments.
If you don't like it, don't build it. My pc is enclosed by a MDF desk on four sides. It runs 24/7 with a 1/4" sheet of dust over the fan. Yes, I just used Imperial there. Deal with it.
John: beautiful work. If you don't mind even more advice, I would like to recommend painted acrylic glass for your front-piece. If you paint the back of it black, it will have a nice shiny depth to it that looks manufactured ;)
I love this.
Your Twitter brought me here :p
Thanks!
Clint, you're the first person I thought of when I saw this. Wooden PC cases are mandatory in Canada FYI.
oshtwaddap?
Haha same here :D
this is why John's one of the best... computers, wood, metal..ect.... it doesn't matter the material, the guy can do it and he makes it easy to understand and enjoyable to watch. thanks john!
As a computer guy that used to build PCs way back when, I really enjoyed this build. For the face, maybe a brushed aluminum or stainless steel frame with walnut inserts? Would give it more of that classic HiFi look you're going for. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing!
Brushed aluminum would look good, like a vintage Sony tape deck.
It's nice watching someone who is accustomed to working with their hands and has the experience to improvise
Computers and woodworking, two of the best things in the world combined. Love it.
very nice video, one of your best one i think. It really shows how smart you are and what can be achieved when you mix and match a bunch of skills. No confrontation, no drama, no troll feeding. loved it
I like that build a lot. To have your own design is a great feeling. And you will see it for years. Have a great Sunday
Thanks for uploading this video
I’ve considered building a PC from scratch including making a case from wood but never thought for one minute to integrate a PC chassis. This will make the project quicker to complete.
LGR is gonna love this! 👍
Felix Dietz who is LGR?
lazy game reviews
he's a dude that loves woodgrain hardware
i.imgur.com/BFzClrP.png what is this sorcery
Yah I was thinking the same thing. Clint would go nuts for this.
I almost didn't watch this one because I wasn't interested in the final product but I'm really glad I watched it. I really enjoyed the variety of techniques and ideas combined to make this project. Thanks for sharing.
You are a man of many talents John.
John, you are a wizard with an angle grinder. What Jimmy Diresta is to band saws, you are to angle grinders. Wow!
i honestly like the black face plate much better then the all veneer look. great job john.
It does look better with the black front. The black plastic fronts on the DVD and ports blend in much better now. Looking forward to seeing it with that wood strip wall you teases us with months ago.
Thanks Michael :)
I think this computer will end up inside a cabinet (low, wall to wall credenza) and spend most of it's time unseen. Seems a shame, but that part of the reason why I didn't go overboard on making this look super pretty.
Good job. I think the front looks good black. It's a nice contrast with a combination of high tech look pairing with fine furniture style.
Great project again dude. thanks. Also, the cable hookups and stuff are far from boring, I love seeing and learning all that!
I built a case out of wood too. But instead of solid wood on all sides, the top and front are aluminum mesh (circle patterns) and then I used some spray adhesive to attach speaker cloth. It looks pretty sweet. Thanks for the vid!
Wow. Between this and the 5 year update on the other computer case, that's some intense case building. When you did the power button I was like "where have I seen this before?" And then there was the link for the "coolest box ever" video at the end, and that was how the latch worked. I loved it then and I love it in this application, too!
John, as a woodworker I personally never use a grinder indoors, especially in the woodworking area. There's always some wood dust or chips left there which can easily catch fire through a single spark..
I love it when tech meets woodcrafting.
wow, this speaks both to my wood working side and my pc nerd side. nicely done. i think the front would look great if you could put a nice gloss or semi gloss transparent coating on it.
Oh that takes me right back :) Lovely customisation!
I have a hundred and one other jobs backed up at the moment but, sometime, I'm taking one of the old PCs from the attic and taking it right 'back to the future'.
The scope of your knowledge is impressive. I’ve been enjoying the videos on all of your channels for years. Thank you, John.
Happy New Year!🍾🎉🥂
I like the 80s look it gets with the black front panel, reminds me of my parents' old Denon hifi speakers.
John, great , many different talents of yours surely helped me. No project seems undoable, just keep going
I have to agree that there was too much walnut going on before you painted the front black. It is certainly a very big HTPC but it is unusual and eye catching. I like it.
Looks far better with the black front, i like it!
i have been looking for a wooden Decktop PC case, thanks for showing us how to build one :) and, i am in love with the organisation of your workshop!
To make it look more like a receiver, maybe you could use a piece of aluminium, or maybe just use a brushed aluminium paint on the front? I think that would look more vintage than the black. Or, I wonder, is there a such thing as aluminium "veneer"
That would be really nice. And yes, you can get aluminum sheet really thin.
Lots of older receivers had black fronts.
Or how about www.metrorestyling.com/Granite-Marble-Wrap-Vinyl-s/311891.htm ?
;)
Step drill bit to remove rivets.. another one of many great ideas from you. Awesome. Thank you. Nice build!!
I don't think I've seen any case modding done like this before. Awesome work and thank you for some ideas if I ever decide to do a HTPC build.
I like old guy still hanging out with computers...
You are by far the favorite RUclips Maker I follow. Keep up the great work!
That´s very cool...nice work
That's a really nice build, very clean and pleasing to the eyes. Reusing an existing chassis makes much more sense than recreating the whole structure. I would have maybe looked into staining the front panel to make it look a little darker while still showing grain, instead of painting it with an opaque black.
John, you make it look pretty easy to do but I know a lot of experience has went into this one. Great project, I have never applied veneer but after watching you I might give it try. I do like the black front, nice contrast. Thanks for your video!
I had that exact same PC case and your exact idea which lead me to discovering your project video!
very nice touch with the black.
Let me start by saying that, I love your work and yours is one of my go to channels on RUclips. I don't know if anyone has discussed this, but my thought in relation to your issue of too much walnut is that you could go with the old standard. If you'll look at the many RUclips channels on old stereo gear, you'll see that the veneered cases of the 60's and 70's almost always went with silver (or Aluminum) finished fronts. I think that treatment is great in balancing out the dark wood. All in all though, it's a nice adaptation of a cheap case.
Not you're everyday run of the mill wood working project! Awesome! I agree that the black front looks better... even if it is a "travesty".
Looks cool John!
Great video! My 2 hobbies combined in 1 video!
HTPC came out really nice and painting the front was the right move, too much walnut before.
Thanks Rick. Usually I can picture how the project will look before I do it, but for some reason didn't consider this. Also, it's a big project to cram into a single video and I had no time to try anything different.
I thought the black front really made it look awesome John. Great build .
I like the final result with the black front. The only thing I would add is a black cover plate for the DVD drive since it sticks out a bit too much with all the white logos. Overall a nice build video as always though :)
Great video John! Keep up the great work.
Tape up the front panel to add some thin accent lines. Since you are going for older 70s style box design, maybe a single or double 2mm brass line on the bottom will do it i think. If you are feeling really fancy, dont use brass paint, route out grooves and put actual brass strips in.
John, you just keep on impressing me with your works. Great job!
That looks great, very nice.
Very handsome result.
Oh god. Literally lold out when the black spraycan came out.
Beautiful case, awesome craftsmanship!
Ouch, painted walnut. Oh well, it's just veneer. And you're right: It's got to be aesthetically pleasing to you.
Interesting project, John, thanks!
"Just veneer" ? I'm shaking my head over here, Art :)
Hi John,
Great job. Happy to help out.
Sweet build. I thought it turned out great and I really like the look. Thanks.
Really nice John. I would recommend to you to put a wifi PCI on that. It comes handy sometimes.
Love That Modern Retro Look. Nice Build John..shared..
Looks great! Well done
That is an awesome case mod for a media center PC. Great job!
Beauty. Great technique and wonderful ideas.
Nicely done.
Thanks :)
One of my older cases was actually made 100% from welded 16 gauge steel. Weighed a good 40lbs, but bullet proof :D
Nice workshop!
@5:34 - 2 Thumbs WAY Up! ;-) (that's an homage to two famous film critics out of Chicago)
Thanks for the percussive sounds! I love them so much, I usually go back and listen again. It's just so much fun! :-D
Cool video. I'm glad that YT recommended it to me. Now I'm subscribed!
Ok, now I have to see more of your work...including the blog post on how to finish out the inside of the HTPC.
Thanks!
You have a new subscriber my friend.
I have just checked out your website and I'm truely impressed.
Keep up the good work.
crossed my two favorite hobbies. pc and woodworking
Turns out excelent.
Great Build, if you attempt another............. make a brushed aluminum front. it would look like 70s HIFI
This was pretty cool. I enjoyed watching this.
slot loading DVD drive might have looked a lot nicer. Maybe set it back a bit and put a nice cover on the front of the tray?
nice classic-looking case! cool!
Nice way to do some case recycling doing a bit of case modding. Turned out nice.
- Eddy
Oh, and gratz on going over 500,000 subs.
thinking a piece of plexiglass painted on the back side of it would make a nice front. Could even put a LED on the one edge of it to give it a nice glow.
I love your builds ,but the plaster dry wall repair awesome 👍👍👍👍
Totally digging this
Hey great job! loved your build.
Awesome! John, Love it!
Looks great!
It might look good to paint that front with some sort of matte silver, or maybe just a strip of silver running across? I feel like the faceplates for lots of those style stereos were a brushed silver.
I liked the walnut front...nice biuld
Really enjoyed this build! Thanks for the great video.
Huh, never thought of using a Christmas tree bit for de-riveting. Neat idea there.
Step Drill ?
First time watching your channel, great video!
the Black was a Travesty.... Great build, gonna start mine now.
I'd like to recommend the DIY Perks channel. He's made some great custom PC cases, his most recent one being almost completely silent.
Nice build!
It looks a lot better than when me and a friend tried to do the same a few years back! :-)
Professional Approach!
Looks great!
Very nice. I think personally the only way to improve on that design would be to replace the current dvd-player with a slot-in player and a routing a slot for the disk instead. Would give it a cleaner look, but still, excellent work. And I suppose it's just as much about keeping cost down. A new slot-in is way pricier than a free one you already have. :) Nice job.
Needs your logo in aluminum or brass on the front to finish it out. Looks great, Nice job!
I was looking forward to seeing how you'd stealth the optical drive and the card reader, but alas... That it's not naked wood but veneer seems like the perfect opportunity to do that, but i wouldn't know how to approach it to make it look neat.
great outcome!
Looks nice!
this is a reallyy nice build. would love some volt meters on the front for the look.
Are you still using the wooden computer you made? Another well done build, I'm glad you painted the front.
John I like it, if you need any PC parts or fans let me know.
good work my friend
Very Nice... I've done similar in the past. I really like your a lot. Thanks
I thought it was great John! Maybe a video on how it is installed and its function. Thankz