Usonian

[brinkz0r]

That wood really looks like MDF, but I'm sure you're not using any I took a quick look at you website, and I'm amazed by the amount of mods you've made, and make every year.

[ASPHIAX]

Wooden cases rock!

you got some serious skillz there mate!

ASPHIAX

[Jeffrey Stephenson]

That wood really looks like MDF, but I'm sure you're not using any I took a quick look at you website, and I'm amazed by the amount of mods you've made, and make every year.

I don't like using MDF. I use mostly basswood and birch plywood. Thanks brinkz0r!

Wooden cases rock!

you got some serious skillz there mate!

ASPHIAX

Thank you ASPHIAX! I appreciate that.

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My second favorite Frank Lloyd Wright design (after Fallingwater) is the Bachman Wilson House located in Millstone, New Jersey.

The grille was intended for the top fans where it would be mostly hidden from sight or....

...I could mount it to the front.

To use the grille in the front I need to add another thickness of board so the "balcony" would hang over the top of the grille. Glue...spread...clamp.

Adding some material here and there to fill out spaces and aid structural support.

Dry fitting the two roof sections including the cantilevered front piece. The idea is to provide enough room to stick a hand in to manipulate the re-located front-panel.

This project will be painted. The two colors modeled here are the actual paint codes (and brand) used by Frank Lloyd Wright. Cherokee Red is said to be FLW's favorite color (favourite colour for those who prefer their English to look more French-like). You can find this red everywhere in photos of his work. The beige-like color is called Covered Wagon and is the color he used to paint the cantilevered balconies on Fallingwater.

Thanks for looking! I have no idea how this thing is going to turn out as I am mostly making things up as I go. If I wasn't having so much fun with it I probably would have burned it a long time ago. LOL Comments and suggestions are welcome.

[Jeffrey Stephenson]

Right now I'm not liking the front grille idea. I think I can come up with a better solution. A simpler half-grille at the bottom and maybe a another window for the optical drive bay area. Here I have moved the grille back to its original position.

All of my different color schemes have one thing in common...red window framing.

After a couple of coats. One more sanding and a final coat should do it.

These photos really help me to envision color combos and shading. I'm considering using either mahogany or teak in sections like the roof and/or vent decking. Some wood in my front grille solution would probably balance things out as well.

Thanks for looking.

[Jeffrey Stephenson]

A few of my favorite Frank Lloyd Wright art glass designs.

I present these because I'm going to try to emulate some of this stuff in my back panel design.

I noticed that the back of a computer is a collection of varied geometric shapes that could represent the individual panes of an art glass design...with a little help of course. Here I start the first of three layers that will become my framework.

Almost finished the second layer before I ran out of material. Damn.

The most complex shape is my 120mm circle. I carved all three layers out of a sheet of 1/16" basswood using my trusty Japanese razor knife.

The circle is made from 14 pieces of wood. This is a photo of the backside showing the formed (not cut) support notches. The half-notch closest to you allows it to rest slightly on a cross piece..

Here it is dry fitted for a photo. About 70% complete.

Thanks for looking!

[Jeffrey Stephenson]

Finalized the height of the roof supports and fine sanded each end to provide a flat level surface.

Added framing within the clerestory windows. The missing top portion of these windows will be glued to the bottom of the roof and become part of the roof alignment/attachment system.

Added a couple of faux support columns in the back to hopefully continue the window treatment around the back and tie the two sides together. Added the clerestory window moldings (unfinished) to make it all look like I know what I'm doing.

Posing with the grille. Interesting that the grille is offset. This is because of the case's ample space provided behind the motherboard for cable hiding. It shifts many components around including the top fans.

Clerestory windows posing with the roof on. Also trying out another color. This is called Lava Gray and is another color that FLLW used often in his designs.

I pieced together the lower roof by adding sections to increase the size. I then added edge pieces to increase thickness. I did this until I got the shape I wanted. I then cut the actual panel using the template I created.

This is how I cut panels. Trimming a half-inch off the edge was a little more challenging than usual.

Looking up under the balcony. I've started adding material to fill in the complete shape.

Thanks for looking.

[Maurycio Gyovanni]

His skill with mdf is impressive, congratulations! Very interesting your project, really enjoyed and I am following. Good luck to us!

[Mpovh]

Impressive You have great ideas to job with MDF, and job very very good ahahaha

Pure elegant casemod!

[Jeffrey Stephenson]

His skill with mdf is impressive, congratulations! Very interesting your project, really enjoyed and I am following. Good luck to us!

Thanks mgyovanni! Good luck to you. PS Not MDF....basswood.

Impressive You have great ideas to job with MDF, and job very very good ahahaha

Pure elegant casemod!

Obrigado Mpovh! I see you have finished already. Good luck!

Working on securing the table top. Turned everything upside down and positioned it. Cut a 1/4" square cleat.

Glued the cleat into postion.

Cut additional cleats to fit between the columns and glued them in place. The red paint has been sanded and will stay in this rough condition until repainted at the project end.

Notice that they only cover half the distance across the column width.

The other half is made up of bridge pieces glued between the columns. I did this to make it easier to paint the upper window frames. The table top sets in place and is held on with a tight friction fit created by these interlocking pieces.

Cut out and test fit the front window. Painted the "balcony" the Covered Wagon color just to check it out.

Remember this piece I made two months ago? This is the back of the repositioned front panel.

A Bulgin power switch and a scavenged front panel port assembly will be mounted to it.

Thanks for looking.

[Jeffrey Stephenson]

First coat of paint on the clerestory windows.

Mounted the front panel ports and power switch.

There is final thin cover layer (veneer?) coming to tighten up the spacing around the ports.

Cutting pieces out and gluing up sections of the front grille.

Dry fitting of some of the grille. For you FLLW fans, the inspiration for this design is the front of the Coonley Playhouse.

The bottom section of the grille will get filled in once I have the case standing upright again and I can get a good look at the progress. Some temporary spacers are used here to help with alignment.

Thanks for looking!