Jeffrey Stephenson Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 The red option is just for the photos because the brown hardboard is too close a match to the walnut. The wife says the red makes it look Asian. Something a little more subtle is probably the way to go. Brushed stainless steel or some frilly upholstery material. I still might try my first idea - vintage speaker grill cloth. Raw galvanized steel or "tin" as we call it here in the South would be controversial and there's nothing wrong with that. The tin would certainly be period correct. It was considered very high tech stuff during the Mission-style era. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I intend to create at least two very different styles of panel in order to fully illustrate the concept. I finished up the veneer on the top rails but they are still a friction fit for now. I spent a lot of time pondering how to attach the table top. Lots of options. Coming together. Note: This is still raw, unfinished black walnut and it will get much darker once the finish goes on. Thanks for looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Tin for me, classy and appropriate as you said! Cheers/Saludos & thanks for the extra info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Stephenson Posted August 14, 2009 Author Share Posted August 14, 2009 I glued my upper railing alignment blocks to the appropriate strategic locations. This is not done to secure them but to accurately position them. Just gluing them to the face of the thin veneer is not going to be strong enough. Wood screws will be driven into each block to gain the strength I need. Pilot holes are drilled out. The blocks facing the center are too close to get a drill positioned so I'll have to drill these by hand using my taped-up drill bit. I twirl the bit between my thumb and finger using the tape as traction. The tape also gives me a more comfortable diameter to work with. A single long wood screw is driven deep into each leg. The upper rails are glued onto these blocks. I used my wood saw to cut 2 1/4" off the length of the table top board giving it a final dimension of 12" x 21 3/4". I then started putting some veneer on the table top edges. I went this-a-way and then went.... ...that-a-way. Turned the project upside down and inserted the computer. Used a pencil to draw the outline of the opening onto the aluminum case. Using my Dremel I cut out an opening in the case bottom that should now align perfectly with the vent opening in the outer shell. Finished removing the rest of the internal drive cage by drilling out the appropriate rivets. This was much easier to do now that I had a huge hole in the bottom of the case. Result of efforts. Thanks for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrenkieNL Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Pure craftmanship. Kuddos to you ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 And I thought you were just a great carpenter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Stephenson Posted August 17, 2009 Author Share Posted August 17, 2009 Pure craftmanship. Kuddos to you ! Thanks! Good to see you in this contest Frenkie. I knew that gluing the veneer to the table top was going to be a thrill ride. The top needs four 3" wide pieces of walnut glued side-to-side. The center two are tricky because I don't have any extended-reach clamps so I had to improvise with a selection from of my library. While waiting for that to dry I marked up the case top for the two 120mm fan holes. First I marked the shell opening just as I had for the lower inlet vent. Next, I temporarily installed the PSU to determine the space used up by it. The remaining space is divided between the two fans. The small space between the fans concerns me but the spacing is exactly the same as a standard 2 x 120 radiator grill. This photo sequence is for the fourth and final top veneer piece. Laid out the appropriate amount of glue in an esthetically pleasing pattern. Using my fingers to spread out the glue I concentrate my efforts on the edges and corners. Clamped it up. I go through a process I call "unclenching". Basically, I dismantle all the clamps after five minutes to look for slippage and to make sure I'm not gluing my clamping boards to the piece. I then reassemble the clamps in a slightly different position. I repeat this every five minutes for the first twenty minutes. In my mind, the release and reapplication of pressure helps the quality of the adhesion by "working" the drying glue. I have no proof other than demonstrated success. Result of efforts. Cut some 1/2" square stock to a friction fit at the back... ...and the front. Turned the project upside down and glued the new boards to the bottom of the table top. Table top with new cleats. Not a permanent solution but it is a tight friction fit. Thanks for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyXtremist Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Thanks for looking! nope, not just that... We are learning a lot from You and the rest of the entries here Bro!!! More Power! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Stephenson Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 Thanks for looking!nope, not just that... We are learning a lot from You and the rest of the entries here Bro!!! More Power! Cool! Have you decided to get into this contest? Times running out. Back to it. I decided early on that I wasn't going to spend the money on a 120mm hole saw and that I would be using my Dremel instead. I've never done this before so this is me making things up...again. Just inside the marked line I make 50-60 small shallow cuts . This results in something that appears to be one continuous circular cut. I don't trust my limited skillz in this area to pull off a smooth continuous perfect circle in a single pass. Once the first shallow cut is done I feel that it is easier to attempt the full circle cut. I cut inside the line because I figured the cleanup filing would expand out to it. I was right. I'm not real happy with the overall results. Looking around for help I quickly spotted a nearby container lid that fit perfectly. Scary perfect. I wrapped some sandpaper around it and spun the "tool" until I was satisfied with the edge. Not perfect but sufficient. Test fit. You can see some of my flat black paint work I started today. I concocted the fan mounting system because I don't want any screw heads on the surface of the case. The case is a tight fit in the shell and I want it to slide smoothly in and out. Protruding screw heads have a tendency to make things un-smooth so I'm using these t-nuts instead. The fan on the left is a Cooler Master unit that came with the case. I was impressed with it's low noise and adequate air flow. The fan on the right is a bad little mofo. It is a Delta AFB-series PWM fan rated at 113 CFM. After mounting the t-nuts I mark the bottoms with tell-tale lines and sand them down to ensure full contact at all four points. Scuffed up the inside surfaces and used industrial strength super glue to adhere the t-nuts to the case. I've discovered that this super glue works much better than two-part epoxy. Resulting fan mounts. I seem to have miscalculated the scuffing at 4 o'clock. Ooops. I tested it by trying to snap it off after inserting a screw. Passed. The Cooler Master fan will be my primary fan running at a constant quiet speed. The Delta, being a PWM fan, will be controlled by the BIOS. It should just quietly idle along while waiting for a Far Cry 2 fire fight when it cranks up to 3600 RPM and 46 dB. I figure that I won't hear it with grenades going off in 5.1 surround sound. I'm looking forward to the testing. My philosophy is to low ball the cooling system and prove that I actually need more. Thanks for looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Thanks for the pearls of knowledge on the veneer and other great tips (lid with sandpaper-now I can get "rounder" holes than by eyeballing). Excellent tutorial! Saludos/Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyXtremist Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Cool! Have you decided to get into this contest? Times running out. Nice question bro... If I join, I'll call my project "30 days" LOL! (maybe for experiencing and not for winning) well i am still in the state of dual decision and time is running out, that's true. I'd just rerouted most funds for this contest to my family and monthly billing choirs, but I could still squeeze the hardwares to use likewise. too bad. enough of the drama... I love works of woods, remind me of my father as a carpenter... probably that's most part of my personality being a modder (too) now... I love your work bro!!! keep us learning every time I log on to this site! more power slipperyskip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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