If i did this, would you buy it?

I work with wood all day. Actualy I repair old furniture (mostly junk) and then slap some new finish on it for people. However when it comes to actualy building pieces I have the skills that... umm... dont pay the bills. I can build wood furniture though. So I have two ideas for mixing the class and elegance of wood with the wonders of computer technology. My first idea is simply to build a case out of wood. I'm not sure if it would be all 100% solid wood yet because of the strength of plywood and the need of thinner panels on the sides. It would contain roughtly 75% solid hardwood though. I havent decided on a form factor yet, but I'm leaning towards ATX. Also if you wanted to purchase, it can be custom finished any color in any gloss. Finishing is my middle name... maybe that was sanding.... anyways it's a pro finish that's about 20x better than what you see on production furniture. So not only would the case be made of good quality hardwood, it would sport a top of the line lacquer finish as well. The other idea is to take one of those old gaming tables that have the flip up top to hold game boards and pieces, and put a computer inside of it and mount an LCD screen to it like a drop leaf. Again, it's mostly solid wood, and the finish would be immaculate. I have taken into account cooling and cable routing and it work out fine. So what do you think? Would you buy a wooden computer case or a table with a computer inside? I figgure the case would go for probably around $200-$400 depending on how hard it actualy is to make, and the table would sell for anywhere from $1700 on up to $4000 depoending on options. Tell me what you think and give ideas/oppinions.


~GSD~

P.S. The first case will be cherry... cherry is nice.

Well, it would have to have good airflow because that would get pretty hot, and plus, its heavy isnt it? And i certainly would not buy it just cus im cheap and would not spend 200-400 on a computer case, but thier are people who do buy cases like that. If you advertise yourself enough on sites like this, you will get customers. good luck man!

Go for it, dude. I've built 2 wood computer cases, and there is very little difference in temperatures compared to a steel case. As with any case, airflow is very important. My cases were built around steel ATX chassis, with the wood replacing the front bezel and side panels. My current case is made of oak, and it weighs approximately 40 pounds with all the equipment inside. I'm running an air-cooled overclocked rig, and everything stays nice and cool.

hm.. not exactely the best lannign machine, but i bet it loooks sweet

Actually, I take it to LAN parties all the time. I make a living lifting heavy objects, a computer is nothing to me. It always manages to turn more than a few heads. I'll see if I can get some images to work. Actually, wait a second. Here's a link to it.

http://images.gruntville.com/casegallery/FragWooDSS

I really like the latch, it gives it a nice aura. I was considering using automotive hood pins but i like the latch idea better. I'm not too fond of oak however... todays oak is geneticly engineered to grow fast and the grain is so huge and ugly compaired to older oak. I built a table out of cherry and it looks wonderful, i know cherry is prone to burning but ive never had that problem because i actualy know what i'm doing (unlike this one guy i know). Also i'm gonna see what i can do about making a custom "vapochill" for it using car A/C compressor parts, a heater core for the "A-coil" and then another heater core for the radiator, it should be able to run on 12v and if not i'll switch the compressor out for one in a mini fridge and see how that does.


~GSD~

P.S. Why pay several hundred dollars for a vapochill when you can make one out of trash for less than $100?

wow.. these cases seem worth paying 200-400 dollars for.. but i am still too cheap to do it, but i really like the look.