Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by Cheapskate, 25 Jun 2009.
Cheapskate Insane? or just stupid?
-This is something I've been playing with since the beginning of the year. I've had the raw materials for months now. Two 2' x 4' sheets of 1/4" 'Glass Green' plexiglas, Two 2'x4'x1/8"sheets, and two 2x4' sheets of opaque black.
-The model is just a basic layout. You can see things are unfinished and unmatched. It's like a pile of idea swatches right now. This model will be getting heavily re-worked as I build. The GGreen sheet was cut short, so measurements are already changing.
-This is roughly 1' x 2'. For a lot of the repetitive cuts, I picked up a little toy.
-We hit triple digits today, and here's my stupid *ss out in the middle of it. well, not quite. I made sure to stay in the shade. The first thing I needed to do was make a lot of big sheets of plastic into small ones. My weapon of choice is a wet-cut masonry saw. It makes a very clean cut and never chips, and the yard needed the water.
-I haven't done this in a while. I was forcing the saw into the guide a little hard on the first few cuts. This process takes a lot of time. I measure and clamp the guide in place indoors, cut it outside, bring the clamps and stuff back inside, wipe it off with a towel, watch a squirrel try to have it's way with the sprinkler, then set up for the next cut.
-The problem with using this saw is that it can't cut small parts. Here I have nearly run out of material to clamp the guide to. I'm cutting the strips that will be part of the outside framework here. The idea is to maximize the area inside by mounting the frame externally.
-This is what I have for today. Ignore the purple sheet. that's for something else. You can see the nice green color here. This material gets darker the thicker it gets, so I plan to pile it on heavy.
-It's the end of the very first day of the build, and I already have a problem. This is all I have left from 4'x4' of the 1/4" sheet. I need enough for the I/O plate, the top of the CD drive, the bolt plates for the access panels, and the bottom and top areas of the frame. I had also planned another layer to thicken the frame parts. This was going to be a smaller case than my previous rigs, but it's sucking up raw materials fast. I expect it to be the heaviest thing I've put a computer in, short of my van.
That's all I have for today. Feel free to comment on how I have the word 'ween' in the title.
I'd like to thank my sponsors here for all their support.
TonyL and Bad_cancer like this.
Great project and very nice design, I like the CD Drive style.
Anyway, nice plan and nice start. I'll be watching you.
mvagusta Did a skid that went for two weeks.
ModMinded Are you throwing that away?
You know I'm subbed! This looks very promising, especially with your new toy!
Excellent design. I like that cd drive location as well... will it pop up and down like I think it does, or just be up there like that? That front res holder will be slick, as well as the HD bay cooler.
The gwass is definitely greener on the other side... must be the wetsawing on the lawn.
Damn this is just going to be plain awesome!
The plans look good so the real thing should be terrific.
the plexi master is at work again! Subbed!
This looks wonderful, can't wait to see more.
Ah Cheaps, you made my day .
This is going to be awesome and all, BUT WHERE IS OUR GHETTO MOD??
The ghetto mod is still on.
I haven't worked out how the cd drive will work, but I have two of those magnetic click/release catches that they put in stereo cabinets. The power switch will be beside the drive.
I bought a larger tube for the reservoir, and have sinister plans for the insides. (I only steal the best ideas...) The cnc machine is partly for this. I need to get the 4th axis built, and buy more plexi.
The secret to green grass when it hasn't rained in a month is: don't mow it! The parts that never grow because they don't get enough light are going crazy, and the areas in the sun are crispy.
I subscribe to this project.
To make matters worse I was working on the front drive in the sun this time. There are no pics of me torturing myself while using the big tile saw.
-The 1' square is now a pile of chopsticks. Because the big saw has been knocked out of true, I had to cut these larger than I needed them. They are not long enough to reach from the front to the back of the case, so next I will be cutting some spacer brackets.
-Obligatory lunch picture! I don't have a cat, I haven't hurt myself, and having a foot in the shot is just sloppy.
-I've been stocking up on the tubing. I got more 2"OD red for Bloo. The larger stuff is for this rig's res. I gotta figure out what size it is again so I can update the model.
-I cut 4 more long strips. The frame will be 3/4" x 3/4". Overkill!!! The thicker I go, the more I can round the edges.
-And the leftovers are down to...well, not enough! I need a 2" x 2" x 12" cube for the reservoir guts. and a million other bits.