Geek Tested:

Rig of the Month: Project FiveWood

Posted 11/07/08 at 07:15:37 PM by Tom Edwards

Chris Cook comes from a long line of artists and explains that “it is this great gene pool that I am abusing here.” While Chris may make light of his own skills, it’s evident from these photos that he is an able successor to his forebears.

Project FiveWood utilizes nine types of wood, including mahogany, cherry, pine, and cedar. Chris’s goal was to create not a wooden shell but rather a case made entirely of wood—without a single screw! This project took more than 350 hours to complete—not including design time. We find the result well worth the effort.

The 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch drive bays were constructed three times—each iteration used a different type of wood

Although some people have questioned the rig’s thermal integrity, Chris asks, “Why would a wood case be hotter than an aluminum case? Designed properly, a wood rig would get no hotter than a standard machine.”

COMMENTS:13

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If it was a woman
Submitted by nsk chaos on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 2:43pm

If it was a woman, i think i would marry it lolz

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Gorgeous!
Submitted by syntax_error on Sun, 11/09/2008 - 5:00am

I love it when I see something completely new. I took carpentry class in high school, and have always enjoyed working with woods. I've never thought of using wood to construct a case, though. This is a gorgeous design, and the different woods used adds very rich and warm colors. This is the kind of computer that would look excellent on a business desk or in a country home. Great job!

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Rich and warm colors? I see
Submitted by s3th on Sun, 11/09/2008 - 7:48pm

Rich and warm colors? I see 2 colors the onesfrom the metal and the Brown case, not very gorgeous to me lol

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The colors of the wood,
Submitted by syntax_error on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 4:28am

The colors of the wood, dude. And the grain patterns. The pine and and cedar woods are lighter, and give it a crisp, clean look, as well as a very warm color. The mohogany and cherry, each a dark wood, are cooler, but since they're used more as the "backdrop" for the lighter woods, they actually accentuate the warmth of the box's color. The mohogany also has a very eccentric grainular pattern, giving it an exotic look.

I have to say, I like the glass window much better than a plastic one. Yes, there's a difference, but only to those who look for it. Using glass keeps with the box's natural-element construction. It seems the only synthetic elements are inside the case.

And I'm looking at this from an artist and carpenter's point of view, not so much a functional. Wood retains much more heat than (most) metals, so cooling looks like it would be an issue if he's using more high-end parts.

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I personally dislike the
Submitted by chronium on Sat, 11/08/2008 - 6:20pm

I personally dislike the glass windows, the look of wood and electronics is ugly to me. I would have just kept it all wood.

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That's heavy for sure.
Submitted by AttilaTheHunk on Sat, 11/08/2008 - 1:59pm

That's heavy for sure.

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No RF Sheilding either but
Submitted by FusilliJerry82 on Fri, 11/07/2008 - 8:03pm

No RF Sheilding either but looks cool.

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Hope you dont cause any
Submitted by s3th on Fri, 11/07/2008 - 10:30pm

Hope you dont cause any sparks in that thing lol

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how do you keep your machine
Submitted by AndyYankee17 on Fri, 11/07/2008 - 7:58pm

how do you keep your machine grounded? with a metal case any place you touch on the case (unpainted) will ground you, and your parts.

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I believe computers are
Submitted by b3ar on Fri, 11/07/2008 - 9:22pm

I believe computers are grounded through the power supply.

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ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH
Submitted by dankers on Fri, 11/07/2008 - 5:55pm

I think wood does tend to insulate a bit more than metal, but that's still an impressive case. Kudos

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