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Wooden-Cased Computers, Small and Extra-Large
DCPete writes "Some guy made a pretty nice mahogany computer table; apparently he does this as a hobby. I've seen lots of stuff like this before, but this one is actually nice and would be fun in a kitchen or studio apartment." On the smaller end of things, LoSmilzo writes "This guy made a real wooden laptop ... totally stunning! Not a wooden-covered laptop, but a real wooden one, made by hand, fully portable and usable, lighter than his original plastic shell."
Why not use a good looking wood, if you are going to all of that trouble?
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I wonder if it's laminated or solid wood. If the latter, he could have some problems with expansion/contraction as the wood moves with humidity changes.
Actually, I was trying to be Insightful, not Funny.
Replaceable parts. It's a fairly standard laptop keyboard. If it breaks, you slap in a new one. Plus, a wooden keyboard is going to feel different. I really wouldn't want changes to the input devices.
It's OK, but not great. Honestly, IMO, the workmanship seems really rough on the wooden laptop.
If I were to make one, I think I would have:
- Recessed the screws (or at least made sure they were flush, sheesh)
- Used hidden joints
- NOT used verneer
- Put more effort into thje finish
R(k)
I can't get to that link at the moment so am going to write this in the meantime.
Really I'm just thinking out loud about a subject that I've thought about for quite a few years: why have I never seen a wooden computer table/desk/hutch/whatever that appealed to me? I'm very fond of wood furniture and would take it over any other material most any day. Yet every time I see some sort of wooden furniture paired with a computer it just looks wrong. Same thing with entertainment centers/home theaters now that I think of it.
Maybe it's just me. The best explanation I can come up with is that wood, unless it's trying to hide its origins and look like something else, is quintessentially organic. Technology is not. Even if you created computers that made Gaudi look straightlaced I don't think they'd seem organic. Perhaps it's the screen, perhaps it's the keyboard. Like I said I'm just musing out loud, waiting for that perfect day when I find a wooden computer that looks right.
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I think that possibly it's just that the creator is a poor photographer. The shots of the laptop on the page are very unflattering because of lighting, etc.
It shouldn't be that surprising that someone who can do really nice work with wood hasn't got the same skills with a digital camera.
What's with all the 'props' lined up around the laptop in some of those shots. It looks a little pretentious in a few instances.
Besides humidity distorting the fit of the wood parts I see other things that need attention as well:
1. What about RF interference? I haven't disassambled plastic-bodied computers for awhile (last ones were an elderly Win95 laptop and before that my old Atari ST), but from what I remember they always included metal RF shielding (Anyone out there remember what an Atari 800 looked like inside? It was built so heavy that you could probably run over it with a car and the RF shield wouldn't dent!). Did this guy retain/replace the RF shielding when he constructed the wood laptop case? I imagine that the reason wood cases are pricey has something to do with that.
2. How about heat and flammability? Better make sure you clean out any sawdust real well. I'd carefully choose the wood for your case too--I know when it gets warm outside a couple of the planks on my deck ooze sap. I'd hate for my wooden laptop to ooze sap all over my warm CPU--couldn't be healthy for the electronics.
I think that making a desk with an integrated PC would be easy enough--the PC itself can be a plain metal box bolted into the desk and there is room to manoeuvre...but a wooden laptop? Can't see that it would be practical.