Starting the frame

I was a little peeved to discover that the mini chopsaw won't even do the 1/2" stock...not at a 45 degree angle, anyway. So, screw it; I went to Menards and got the 8-1/4" one they had on sale for $40.



It's not bad. The only (minor) problem is that 8-1/4" is a somewhat non-standard blade size, so my choices are kind of limited. I got the only one they had at Menards with more than 40 teeth for $11. I still came out ahead of getting a $75 saw +$5 blade. Got it set up and started cutting pieces.



After cutting out all 12 posts, I had a fair bit leftover. That's good, because I'll need some for drive brackets and such. I did a whole shitload of filing and test-fit the bottom together.



That's where I'm at this very moment. Next, I'm going to cut out the mesh for the bottom so I can start assembling the frame.

By the way; sorry for the small pics. I found that Vignette (for Android) is 10x better than the stock Droid camera app, but I need to get the paid version for higher-res. Will probably do that soon.

Flattening & Render 2.0

OK, before I move on to today's activities, let me get you caught up on what I did the other day with the bread machine.



Here is the piece as flattened as I got it by bending. Clamped it down and went to work on it with a mallet.

Then, using an old case panel clamped to it as a straightedge, I got it down to this with the nibbler:



Here is the render I promised yesterday. This is pretty much final. Certain componnents will probably move a little when I start physically laying them out, but it will basically look like this.



Also, remember that the DVD bezel is going to match the front. I'm just having trouble getting rid of the UV map in blender so I can use a texture; not worth the effort at this stage in the game.

About to get started

I fucked up in my measurements somewhere along the line. Not sure where I went wrong, but I intended for the thing to be 9.5" deep all along. When I went to start laying out where to cut/bend the sheet metal, I measured the depth again and got 10", which is what I remembered from the first time I measured. I looked at my model for reference and saw that I had made it 12" deep. That's not cool. Upon further investigation, I realized that it can't be any less than 10".

So, I reworked things, as opposed to going out and finding another appliance to tear apart that would give me a big enough sheet. I shrunk it to 10" and eliminated the protrusion, replacing it with chrome trim (I plan to use the stuff they sell for car doors; it's cheap and easy to work with). Since it would have been too much, I eliminated the existing chrome I had on the front and sides. I think it turned out OK; I'll post the render later, or tomorrow (don't feel like it right now).

I also measured out on the sheet where the pods and window can go, laying it out so that I can cover up one set of vents already in the sheet, cut out the one above it for the window, and leave the top set in place. I updated the model with the new positions and added the vents. Then, I used an old case panel as a straightedge and nibbled the sheet down to the length I need, leaving about a 1/2" margin to bend over (more than I need, but I wanted to make sure I had enough).

Bending is going to be a pain. I wonder if I should get a brake. I might be heading to Cedar Rapids again tomorrow anyway; might make a quick HF stop if I decide I need one.

Back to it tomorrow!

Tomorrow, I'm finally back to modding. I'll continue flattening the bread machine, and start work on the frame.

Tonight, I added the little "current status" pic on the sidebar of the blog. I updated my render a bit to show more accurate window dimensions, since I realized I hadn't resized it when I moved the molding up. Not 100% sure on that, but it's closer to what I want.



I'm still a little torn on the molding. I definitely like it, but it just doesn't meet the front edges right. I might do a render without the molding on the sides, and a totally different window shape, assuming I think of something I like (or someone suggests something...).

I also did a quick render from the side view, through the window. This was just for fun; please don't mind the imperfections in my model that are very obvious here. :-P

Discovering and resolving problems

Today I found out that I was being a moron when I read the part about the mini chopsaw on Troy's site. He had specifically said that it wasn't big enough for the 3/4" alum angle, and I didn't see that.

So, rather than drive an hour to return the chopsaw (which I'd have had to do to have enough extra cash for a bigger saw), I returned the alum angle to Menards and got 1/2" instead. It's small enough to fit in the mini saw, will still be sturdy enough for a frame, and was a fair bit cheaper (spent $10 for 16' as opposed to about $1/ft for the 3/4"). I also got some post screws and faucet washers to use for mounting the motherboard.

Rather than drive all over hell (Dubuque) to find someplace I could walk in and buy sheet metal, I took one more look at Menards. Man, that shit is expensive: 24x24" of 22ga steel for something like $40. Are you kidding? For that money, I could buy an appliance with more metal in it than that.

So, I did:



Well, I didn't spend that much, of course. Went to Goodwill and found this bread machine for $7. Perfect. The outside of the machine is fucking filthy, but that's Goodwill for you. (Clean up someone else's old crap before we sell it? Why?)



So, apart it comes. There, in the first pic, is everything we won't be needing (well, I'll save some of the screws, and that LED display might be fun to play with sometime). And, in the second pic, the one thing I do need.

And...I cut myself on a sharp edge in the process. This, boys and girls, is why we should wear the fancy gloves we just bought. Oh well; nothing serious, but rest assured I'll be wearing those gloves for the next step.

I even almost got out of re-bending it, but it's a little too narrow one one side and way too wide on the other. Certainly, I could re-design my case and fit everything into the bread machine case as-is, but that ain't how I roll. So, it's time to flatten it out and plan the cutting!

I think I like the vents being there, but if they don't line up right when it's cut down to size, it's Bondo time.

Here we are, gloves and all, ready to pull the thing apart at the seam.



I got some of that crap out of the way to start with. That's a flat-lock seam...that'd be a bit of a bear to get apart if I didn't know the trick.

I had a really nice tool for this at a factory I used to work in, but for a small job like this, a good metal putty knife works just as well. Just work from one end to the other, prying it up a bit...



...and it comes right apart. Now that piece will be easier to work with.

Last thing I did tonight was to start the flattening process, mostly to get an idea of the consistency, to make sure it's what I want.



You can see the edge has a bit of a lip on it. I nibbled it out at the corners so it will flatten properly, and filed them just enough to knock the edges down (even with the gloves on, I don't want a saw blade sticking out of my workpiece).



There it is, carefully opened up. When I get back to this at an hour at which pounding it with a mallet is acceptable, I'll work on flattening it the rest of the way.

That's it for tonight; gotta go back to work in the morning. Thursday or Friday I'll be back to it; I'm getting anxious to start cutting and piecing the frame together.

Nibbler

couldn't resist trying the nibbler ZOMFG THIS THING IS AMAZING why didn't i buy one of these a long time ago and what else around here can i nibble MWAHAHAHAHAAAA

Today's Booty!

Today's Harbor Freight haul (woohoo!):



Have I mentioned I love Harbor Freight? Yes, these tools are cheap, but in my experience, they're much higher-quality than you'd expect, and they get the job done. Same goes for the Menards brands, actually. They're for the hobbyist like myself who's working on a budget, not necessarily professional-grade (though they do have some higher-end stuff as well, for very good prices).

So, here's what I got, starting in the back: mini cutoff saw (main reason for the trip), heat gun (cheap, and may be handy when forming the plexi), smallish vise (cheap, and I still didn't have a vise at all until now), cheap tap/die set (mainly needed a tap for threading the motherboard standoffs), 1" painter's tape (already have some 2"), extra corner clamp, half-round file, mini bar clamps, and some extra epoxy (I already have some industrial-grade stuff, but it's kind of hard to work with in some situations).

And last, but certainly not least, back over on the right: a nibbler. I searched high and low around town and couldn't find one (besides a very expensive one at Ace); HF saved me from having to order and wait for one, and saved me a few bucks in the process! I have a feeling I'm going to wonder, "Why, having done at least 4 relatively major case mods, did I not take modders' advice and buy one of these a long time ago?" I'll find out tomorrow, when I get to play with most of this stuff. :-)

Also, a couple of goodies from Goodwill:



Yes, that's a potato masher. I think the design of it fits my theme, and it would make a pretty snazzy fan grill for the top. How snazzy? We'll see when I get the render updated; I figured for $0.88, I'd take a chance.

The tripod isn't strictly related to the mod, except in that I might start using my regular camera (instead of my phone) for the pics, and for about $5, I thought it would help. It's in reasonable shape, just needs a bit of screw-tweaking to tighten the leg hinges.