Want to Build a Wooden Computer Case

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superkdogg

Senior member
Jul 9, 2004
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I want to move my current ugly HTPC into a wooden case of my own design so that it can sit in the entertainment center and not be hideous. Has anybody out there done this or seen a good article on how to do it? I'll be starting from scratch and harvesting things like mobo tray and drive cages from other cases then mounting them inside and hopefully making it all look really nice. My main issues are going to be layout and limited space. The width and depth are not factors, but it must be less than 5.5 inches tall to fit in the slot of my entertainment center.

Any ideas very appreciated. Thanks!

UPDATE:
Box is now 90% done. It was harder than I thought it would be, but is also going to turn out better than I thought I could get it to look.

Advice for anybody else trying this is pretty simple. If you are an intermediate or better wood craftsman, you'll have no problem. If you're not (like me), spend ample time in the design phase. I drew several sets of drawings and made a full cardboard mock-up. Also, don't be limited by traditional layout. Since you're designing your own custom case, put the components in places that suit your needs. My layout is non-traditional, but it was the most efficient way to pack my components into the case. As a side-effect, it should be pretty good for cooling/air moving too. If anybody wants pics, PM or EM me and I'll send them to you.

UPDATE 2:
IT'S ALIVE!!! It works like a charm. There's no heat problems or EMI/RF issues. The sound actually is cleaner than the old metal case it came from (don't really know why that is, but the super high pitched hiss is gone). It's slightly louder than in the metal box. I think I'm gonna insulate the insides with a thin layer of packing foam and set it on a layer of foam instead of it resting on the wooden shelf as it is now. It doesn't look like Bob Villa made it, but it also doesn't look like it was the ill-conceived woodshop project of a 9th grader.

Let me know if anybody would like pics-I'll email the to you.
 
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flamingelephant

Golden Member
Jun 22, 2001
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i think i saw one of these featured on the screensavers a while back (before they fired all the good people and before the show sucked)... might be a start
 
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kd2777

Golden Member
Mar 4, 2002
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No ideas, but would like to see some pics of the development and finished product. It sounds like a neat idea.

kd
 
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Ken90630

Golden Member
Mar 6, 2004
1,571
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You might see if you could get your hands on a SFF (small form factor) case -- perhaps a used or damaged one that someone's selling dirt cheap -- and use it as a template/guide for the one you wanna build. The size would be about right, at least in terms of height. You could take it apart and see how things are mounted inside, then use its dimensions and 'interior design' as a guide for your build. If nothing else, it should give you an idea or two that you could incorporate into yours.

One thing I might be concerned about in a wooden enclosure is heat, but I'm sure you've already thought about that. You might also encounter EMI or other electrical interference probs if it's in an entertainment center and very close to a TV, VCR, DVD player, amp, et al. With a wooden enclosure, you won't have the interference barrier of a steel or aluminum case around the components.

Just some things to consider. Good luck. :)
 
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kornphlake

Golden Member
Dec 30, 2003
1,567
9
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I'm working on one, not a HTPC case but a mini tower. I haven't made much progress other than cutting wood to the wrong dimensions and then waiting for glue to dry to cover my mistakes. My basic idea is to just replace the plastic bezel on the front of the case with a wooden piece and put a veneer over the metal top and sides. I plan on making a huge air intake port with a removeable filter sitting behind it in a wooden tray. I think I'm going to paint my drives brown to match the color I end up staining the case, but I may end up covering them with some type of a door. Like I said I haven't made much progress other than messing up my cuts, I guess it might help if I actually drew out what I'm wanting to build.
 
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superkdogg

Senior member
Jul 9, 2004
640
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Thanks for the help so far, everybody. I really appreciate it and you all are (as usual) full of good information and helpful hints.

If mine turns out anything like those guys' I'll be absolutely ecstatic. Their ideas are more ambitious than mine but I really liked how they integrated the USB hub and the IR receivers. I'm about 75% sure that my rear will still be steel to allow the proper PCI card slots, fan mounts/cutouts, etc. Although I may pull all the metal brackets off of my cards to shorten them for the height issues. Rather than getting ahold of an SFF case, I'll just be using pics from Newegg and review sites to borrow some ideas. I may end up with a HTPC that looks like an aerial view of Denver (short, flat and wide). Sorry, Denver residents :D
The only components that need any height are the PCI cards and PSU, so I'll see how I can orient them together and make the rest really thin. The freedom of designing your own case is awesome, but it creates a lot of questions and no answers.

This is gonna be fun, but lots of work. I'll update with pics as I go and when done.
 
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xsilver

Senior member
Aug 9, 2001
470
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another idea would be to buy an old wooden stereo then rip its guts out --- ive seen this done before -- requires a bit of time to make it look original though

R u using onboard video or half height cards or full size?
smaller psu or regular

these are things u need to consider also
 
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Twigstir

Member
Dec 21, 2004
64
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I would think you would want to build a wood case around the normal metal frame guts of a computer case. Put a door infront of the drives and have it open to a black inside finish.
 
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randomlinh

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,846
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linh.wordpress.com
whatever you do, use relatively good qualty wood, or something stiff. If you want cheap, i'd say MDF (smooth, but heavy). Stay away from plywood. I did that for a "cheapest HTPC I can build" project. It didn't turn out the way I wanted and it warped very quickly.
 
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superkdogg

Senior member
Jul 9, 2004
640
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Normal cases are a hair too tall and the wood would compound that issue. I am taking the required guts out of other stuff and cutting when needed so that I'll not be messing with making my own brackets, etc. Same thing with an old wood stereo-height issue. My entertainment center only has one available place and most older stuff is too tall. Plus, ripping out the guts of an old stereo leaves me with a wooden box that would be easily enough created by me. I honestly appreciate the ideas-I didn't even expect a response with this thread!

Thanks, AT Forum members.
 
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superkdogg

Senior member
Jul 9, 2004
640
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I don't think it's a real fire hazard. Even if I wired it completely backwards and tried to cause a fire it would be hard to ignite wood with just a few sparks (if I were building a case out of newspapers, that would be a serious risk :p). A properly cooled system will never have a component exceed 130C or so and that would be a CPU or a cap or mosfet that would be on top of my metal mobo tray and shouldn't be hot enough to start a fire anyway. The actual air inside the case will probably never see the north end of 120F which is plenty cool to avoid fires.

As far as a SFF, the cubes are all too tall and I don't want to spend that kind of cash. It's a valid question, but I just want to do this more because rigs are my hobby and I want a project. Creativity and building something are my reasons, not necessarily need. The hardware is already up and running and the easiest way to accomplish having a natural looking setup would be to put veneer stickers over the existing case. I just feel like doing something different.
 
biostud

biostud

Lifer
Feb 27, 2003
19,698
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I remember someone who had it built into his table. To get acces to the motherboard he just needed to pull out the top drawer.
 
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superkdogg

Senior member
Jul 9, 2004
640
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Just in case anybody was wondering, you'll need some way to cut metal to complete this project (either an angle grinder or an awesome dremel, probably not a torch although it would work).
 
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Dug

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2000
3,469
6
81
I built a htpc with mdf and painted it with flat black. Grill paint works great for this kind of thing.
It worked, but I would never do it again.

A wooden box with round holes for fans is just like a speaker box.
So it ended up being too loud. The noise actually amplified out the rear 120mm hole I had cut out. Plus it raised the temperature too high for my tastes.

So I put a 120mm fan in the front. It helped with cooling, but noise was still a problem.
Everything's back in my Sonata now, nice and quiet.
 
Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2005
2,443
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Send me PICS please. :)

Make sure it doesn't get too hot, or you'll be able to roast marshmellows. :thumbsup:
 
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superkdogg

Senior member
Jul 9, 2004
640
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You'll need to cut metal to have a motherboard tray and drive racks. I gues you could build supports out of wood and drill standoffs into the bottom of the wooden case if you wanted to, but I chose to harvest selected pieces from an old case.
 
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