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syrillian
Greetings fellow PC enthusiast, my name is Daniel, and I have been building custom PC cases for about 1-1/2 years. I do this as a hobby, and I have had quite the learning journey along the way. Although there is much more to learn and experiment with, I would like to share some of what I have learned so far. I have no formal or technical background in the Trades, or in Art or Design. I have been a builder of “things” for as far back as I can remember. One area that I have dabbled in is carpentry and finish-work; this is where I get my background for the use of the tools that I will be using and discussing.
Building and modding for oneself is very rewarding, and I recommend that any that are so inclined give it a go. That being said, shall we begin?
This case-project will most likely be constructed entirely from bronze-coloured acrylic, but there may be a little aluminium tossed in for good measure.
Safety
First and foremost – protect yourself. Eye protection and respiratory protection are what I would consider “mandatory”: 
The tools you use do not need to be state-of-the art, or top-of-the line; however the cutting elements such as drill bits and saw blades do need to be of the best quality available.
This is the main staple for me: The rotary tool. With a Dremel and the attachments shown in the image below (click for a bigger version) it is possible to construct an entire case. It is not the ideal tool, but it can be done with appealing results. Using a rotary tool for this type of project is akin to mowing the lawn with a weed-whacker.
The second tool is a circle-saw. I prefer cordless as I seem to become entangled in power cords if I use more that one or two corded tools in the same session. Since the work in this project for the saw is relatively light (1/4” thick acrylic) there is no need for an AC-powered worm-drive. As you can see this saw has been through the ringer. As stated before appearances can be deceiving; this tool may not be much to look at, but it performs flawlessly with a new US$5.00 blade. Cuts straight and true – that is what matters.
Below, the indispensable cordless drill (Bit-types will be covered later):
To keep things true and right:
Angles are virtually a necessity if one wishes to avoid aggravation and frustration. These C-clamps are also a necessity for me:
For larger projects a table saw may be required:
This is a small portable saw, but does the job. Using a blade that has about 80 teeth will produce a nice and clean cut. This saw is used to rip cuts longer than 12”, and for material that is thicker than ¼”.
I use a router and a homemade router-table for some cuts, but mostly for profiling.
This tool is also quite optional, but introduces new techniques for finishing edges and profiling corners.
Polishing and buffing are done with several tools depending upon how much space there is to work with.
That pretty much covers the power tools.
There are a host of small hand-tools that I use, but I will introduce those as I move through this project.
Thanks for looking, and if you have any questions, comments, corrections or opinions please feel free to post them.
Thats a lovely guide, and since im in the process of making a custom case but have hit a wall with cutting long bits of acrylic, this has given me the know-how to continue.
Is there any more tips on the table saw? im looking at buying one now, but im not sure what to look for?
Also, with finishing the acrylic, its much easier to use a glow torch, which imo gives just as good a finish.
Good luck, its looking good so far.
Tek
Thank you, I am pleased that it was helpful.
Indeed you are quite correct. Flaming is another great way to get a very clean finish on clear acyrlic that is extruded.
The coloured, cast acrylic is a little more difficult and the flaming has a tendency to warp the surface on the lip of the edge that is flamed. If done uniformly, it can be a rather nice effect.
Thank you for your input, and if you have no objections I will add a “flaming section” once I get to the polishing segment of this log.
Again. Thanks for bringing up an alternative (and less expensive way) to polishing.
Sounds good 
i look forward to seeing how you get along with it, ive found it very useful.
Any tips on the saw?
Thanks
Tek
where do i get the green mat from?
Tek, one technique that may help is clamping the work to a table (ensure one does not pull a “Paddington Bear”, and cut the table in half too). Just kidding… I am sure that no one but myself would do something like that.
For the most part I do not clamp the work. I hold the work in my left hand, the saw in the other and draw the two accross/through eachother.
Once the guide is squared-up and clamped into place on the piece to be cut, the only thing I concentrate on is the saw guide and straight-edge: Ensure that the saw makes clean contact all the way through the cut.
There will be a segment later on depicting my mildly unorthodox manner of cutting.
TBallS - heh!… If my memory serves me, I got that mat at a Salvation Army Thrift Store for US$ .50
Can acrylic be bent by applying heat?
Greetings, Mr. Collis.
Yes. Acrylic can be bent to shape, but it requires some specialised tools, or several people and some patience do make what I would consider a clean bend that has a length greater than 6 inches. At least that is my experience.
The professionals use a machine that has a long heat-element. The line where the bend is going to be made is aligned with the heating element. Once the piece of acrylic has reached the appropriate temperature the acrylic panel is folded/bent to the degree desired.
The issue that arises when doing this at home and by oneself is that the entire area to be bent needs to be uniformly heated.
This becomes problematic when using an implement such as heat-gun; the area heated is localised. As one moves the heat-gun along the line to be heated, the area that is no longer the focal point of the heat cools and is no longer maleable. This is where 2 or more people with heat-guns will be successful.
I have had success with small pieces (bends less than 6″ long, but for the most part I capillary bond, and polish a round-over.
I`m finding your log very interesting I have had an acrylic case imported from France but have modified it quite extensively.
I have struggled with bonding as the glue ive used is visible and as i`m working in clear UV reactive acrylic i want an invisible bond. i have read about capillary bonding as it leaves no trace so i will be interested to find out what you use. i`ve heard weld on is good but have been unable to track the correct stuff to the uk. I saw your beautiful build when it was featured and was blown away so i will be following this one closely
Thank you for the answer to my earlier question.Can I ask another on the same subject in that I’m considering a project that will require a shallow bend of say 45 degrees giving an internal angle of 135, 4″ up a 20″ square of acrylic along one length.I hope that is reasonably clear to you.
As I intend this to be a hinged door what thickness would you recommend ?I look forward to your reply & the rest of your project.Please call me John.
Hi, John.
The thickness of your door depends upon how much weight it will bear, and what the dimensions will be.
For the most part 1/8″ thick material is sufficient; but again, overall dimensions play a part.
Since doors are not load-bearing insofar as the main chassis, there is no need to use 1/4″ thick material. Imho the extra money saved by using 3/16″ or 1/8″ material would be spent better elswhere.
An example of an exception would be a door that I am making now for a personal project. The door is the main (read: only) opening into the case, and is to house 2 x 480 radiators. The wet-weight of the hardware combined with the amount of surface area removed from the panel itself to mount said hardware justifies 1/4″ material to maintain rigidity.
Hi there Acrylic sheet can be cut using a scriber. Just score along the line you want to cut five times to make a score in the plastic using a straight edge as a guide. When the score has been formed place a wooden dowel (brush shaft will do) under the sheet so the score runs along the dowel. A gentle press will snap the Acrylic perfectly down the line and the finished edge will need very little finishing if at all. This is how I do it when preparing plastic for my pupils to work on in Technology and Design.
Indeed you are correct, Mr. Black. Thank you for pointing this out as it is without question the least expensive way to get a straight break.
My next post will cover cutting, and I will be sure to include snapping a break. There are some limitations, but for the most part they are related to larger-gauged panels.
Thank you for your input, and please feel free to add any further comments or insight that you are willing to share.
imagine my delight when i finally realised i could get an rss feed of this build.
utorrent your amazing