Going to a friends place saturday night, he has like loads of old shitty PCs, hopefully one which has 7 expansion slots. I'll be taking a dremel to the rear of the case for the I/O shield and PCI slots. I did have a fairly old bigish case but my mum decided to throw it away, wasn't impressed.
Shelfuter - Computer in a Shelf
- Thread starter J-a-c-o-b
- Start date
Update:
When I went to a mates house to get an old case, I was lucky to find he had a case with a removable motherboard tray, which has made things so so so much easier. Brought it home and gave it a wash, smelt of smoke a bit, I think I might spray this as well, because it's got a few scratches and I'd prefer a matte black finish.
Yesterday a lot of progress was made with the shelfuter. I purchased a 600mm by 12mm by 1200mm MDF board (tried to find something better but this will be strong enough.) Bought two long pieces of wood, not MDF board, got some natural stuff for this. It's 1.8 meters by 35mm by 35mm. Also got some hinges, a door handly thing and a padlock (only because it looks epic and when locking it, it sounds awesome).
I cut a piece from the MDF board to make the door, It fits in the door space literally millimetre perfect. I also cut another bit of wood to screw the hinges to. The screws that came with the hinges are about 2mm too long, so I'll use a spacer or 2 to fix that.
I had a huge amount of trouble getting that out after getting it in
I realised earlier that this was kinda unnecessary, but the door has already being cut down a bit to compensate. It doesn't matter too much to me though honestly. To fit the MDF board in, I had to cut part of the chipboard that supports the top right, I cut like 2cm off it to fit in on. I'm not actually using that PSU there btw.
After this I then cut some more MDF board to put to the back of the shelf. This again ended up being millimetre perfect as usual. I then realised I was routing cables behind this, (which I discovered would be VERY VERY difficult to do once it comes to building the PC). I decided I'd get the long piece of wood, and cut two 40cm bits to go to the top and bottom.
This has left a big 3cm behind the wood for cables, should be enough, may even route tubing behind here its so big. I don't quite know why but it looks a fair bit bent, It would be because of how tight it was, this shouldn't be a problem.
Here it is with it screwed together and back in place.
After this, I realised the distance between the PSU and where the door would sit was like 9cm. So I cut another bit from the wood so I could slot the PSU into it and also not have the wires hanging out as they are now. You can also see in this photo the start of the door lock thing
More updates to come later today (this was all from yesterday)
When I went to a mates house to get an old case, I was lucky to find he had a case with a removable motherboard tray, which has made things so so so much easier. Brought it home and gave it a wash, smelt of smoke a bit, I think I might spray this as well, because it's got a few scratches and I'd prefer a matte black finish.
Yesterday a lot of progress was made with the shelfuter. I purchased a 600mm by 12mm by 1200mm MDF board (tried to find something better but this will be strong enough.) Bought two long pieces of wood, not MDF board, got some natural stuff for this. It's 1.8 meters by 35mm by 35mm. Also got some hinges, a door handly thing and a padlock (only because it looks epic and when locking it, it sounds awesome).
I cut a piece from the MDF board to make the door, It fits in the door space literally millimetre perfect. I also cut another bit of wood to screw the hinges to. The screws that came with the hinges are about 2mm too long, so I'll use a spacer or 2 to fix that.
I had a huge amount of trouble getting that out after getting it in
I realised earlier that this was kinda unnecessary, but the door has already being cut down a bit to compensate. It doesn't matter too much to me though honestly. To fit the MDF board in, I had to cut part of the chipboard that supports the top right, I cut like 2cm off it to fit in on. I'm not actually using that PSU there btw.
After this I then cut some more MDF board to put to the back of the shelf. This again ended up being millimetre perfect as usual. I then realised I was routing cables behind this, (which I discovered would be VERY VERY difficult to do once it comes to building the PC). I decided I'd get the long piece of wood, and cut two 40cm bits to go to the top and bottom.
This has left a big 3cm behind the wood for cables, should be enough, may even route tubing behind here its so big. I don't quite know why but it looks a fair bit bent, It would be because of how tight it was, this shouldn't be a problem.
Here it is with it screwed together and back in place.
After this, I realised the distance between the PSU and where the door would sit was like 9cm. So I cut another bit from the wood so I could slot the PSU into it and also not have the wires hanging out as they are now. You can also see in this photo the start of the door lock thing
More updates to come later today (this was all from yesterday)
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dieseldog49
New member
This is my kind of build. Cant wait to see it finished!
Done rather well today, this is really an update, well it is, just without photos.
I cut out an area of the backplate, or big bit of wood at the back as it is for the PSU to fit inside of. I also marked where the motherboard tray is. fitted new wood for the hinges to get onto and I screwed the door on, finally. My words really don't do it justice as I'm writing this.
I cut out an area of the backplate, or big bit of wood at the back as it is for the PSU to fit inside of. I also marked where the motherboard tray is. fitted new wood for the hinges to get onto and I screwed the door on, finally. My words really don't do it justice as I'm writing this.
I did yeah 
but in my experience MDF isn't too good for drilling in and out of multiple times. The MDF board that I used was still usable, but it would only of got worse overtime. Also behind that wall is actually wood rather than proper wall.
Ok, now it's time for pictures.
Below is the PSU in place with the cutout for the 24pin and the 4pin to be hidden behind the wood out of site. I may consider getting a new PSU, but this has lasted 2 years this Feb plus 550W is enough pretty much. I have considered getting something better, but the GPU is more necessary to upgrade. The line above the PSU is where the bottom of the motherboard tray will be.
I found this old HDD cage from an old case. This no doubt will be sprayed matte black. A hole will be cut at the back just behind the HDDs for the HDDs. You can also see the new wood for the hinges, this stuff is working so much better
Here is the door from the front, I'm not too happy about having the hinges visible, it could of being done where the hinges are on the inside, but the screws I used were slightly too big, and came out about 2mm on the wood. I'd prefer for the screws to poke out on the inside rather than the outside. So that's why you can see the hinges. You can also see my drawing for the window, the section at the bottom will be mesh, there only the PSU and HDDs (not SSD) to be seen here which aren't too interesting to me. There will also be a mesh section at the top. In the middle will be the window which will have the entire motherboard visible.
but in my experience MDF isn't too good for drilling in and out of multiple times. The MDF board that I used was still usable, but it would only of got worse overtime. Also behind that wall is actually wood rather than proper wall.Ok, now it's time for pictures.
Below is the PSU in place with the cutout for the 24pin and the 4pin to be hidden behind the wood out of site. I may consider getting a new PSU, but this has lasted 2 years this Feb plus 550W is enough pretty much. I have considered getting something better, but the GPU is more necessary to upgrade. The line above the PSU is where the bottom of the motherboard tray will be.
I found this old HDD cage from an old case. This no doubt will be sprayed matte black. A hole will be cut at the back just behind the HDDs for the HDDs. You can also see the new wood for the hinges, this stuff is working so much better
Here is the door from the front, I'm not too happy about having the hinges visible, it could of being done where the hinges are on the inside, but the screws I used were slightly too big, and came out about 2mm on the wood. I'd prefer for the screws to poke out on the inside rather than the outside. So that's why you can see the hinges. You can also see my drawing for the window, the section at the bottom will be mesh, there only the PSU and HDDs (not SSD) to be seen here which aren't too interesting to me. There will also be a mesh section at the top. In the middle will be the window which will have the entire motherboard visible.
Update:
It's being a while, apologies for that, Ah well, a new update is here finally. I've cut the door out, cut holes for cabling, cut a hole for the power cable, cut out the I/O and PCI area from the wood, attached the mobo tray to the wall and mounted my SSD. All I need now is a 4/8 pin extension and a 24 pin extension.
Here is what the door looked like when I first cut into it.
Here is the door once sanded down and cut to the right sizes. I originally was gonna have rounded corners, but it was a tad difficult and my cuts were not too accurate because of the crappy jigsaw.
Here is a pic of where I drilled a hole for the HDD cables.
This is a really crappy hole I made for me to be able to power up the PSU with the power cable and that.
Here is my drawing where I cut the I/O and PCI bit out.
Here it is, all in, motherboard, cpu cooler, ram and the HDDs. Looks pretty smart to me. There are four screws on the I/O PCI at each corner, which keeps it very very secure to the wood there.
Muwhahaha, my SSD has legs
. Nah, thats going on the wall just like that, inspired by TTLs SSD mounting idea in Orca. It probably won't work quite as well, but hey.
I knew it, SSD mounting was a bit of a fail, only the top two screws are in, I deleted a photo of my 24 pin cutout and my 4/8 pin cutout by mistake. here is the SSD cable cutout with the SSD mounted and also fully cabled, will be getting black sleeving for all the cables there.
It's being a while, apologies for that, Ah well, a new update is here finally. I've cut the door out, cut holes for cabling, cut a hole for the power cable, cut out the I/O and PCI area from the wood, attached the mobo tray to the wall and mounted my SSD. All I need now is a 4/8 pin extension and a 24 pin extension.
Here is what the door looked like when I first cut into it.
Here is the door once sanded down and cut to the right sizes. I originally was gonna have rounded corners, but it was a tad difficult and my cuts were not too accurate because of the crappy jigsaw.
Here is a pic of where I drilled a hole for the HDD cables.
This is a really crappy hole I made for me to be able to power up the PSU with the power cable and that.
Here is my drawing where I cut the I/O and PCI bit out.
Here it is, all in, motherboard, cpu cooler, ram and the HDDs. Looks pretty smart to me. There are four screws on the I/O PCI at each corner, which keeps it very very secure to the wood there.
Muwhahaha, my SSD has legs
. Nah, thats going on the wall just like that, inspired by TTLs SSD mounting idea in Orca. It probably won't work quite as well, but hey.
I knew it, SSD mounting was a bit of a fail, only the top two screws are in, I deleted a photo of my 24 pin cutout and my 4/8 pin cutout by mistake. here is the SSD cable cutout with the SSD mounted and also fully cabled, will be getting black sleeving for all the cables there.
dalewakelin
New member
Looks nice, are you planning on painting that mdf? It will look awesome once you have some acrylic in and a few lights!
Yes, I certainly will. There are like three different wood colours, the actual shelving, the mdf and the wood the hinges are attached to. So I'm painting absolutely all of it. I plan on painting it beige, as I'll be filling it with Noctua fans and I thought they would match very well indeed.
Yup, going to be getting some clear acrylic, some mesh and then some white LED strips from NZXT.
Thanks for your comment
Yup, going to be getting some clear acrylic, some mesh and then some white LED strips from NZXT.
Thanks for your comment
It has been a while, my apologies for that. I've been very busy at university, I still am to be fair.
As you can see, the HDD cage has now being painted Matt Black. Believe it or not the motherboard tray has been painted Chrome. It was an idea from a friend so it would be reflective in the LEDs, but the chrome doesn't fit with the matt black. I do quite like the reflectiveness, but finger marks and various scratches are much more visible up close. This actually happened several days ago, the motherboard tray has now being sprayed matt black and is currently drying as I'm writing this update.
I've also now put in the extra support. I'm not so sure it will of made much difference, it does still sag a bit, but I'm expecting it really simply to sag no more than it is already.
Got me paint ready, the colours are very very close indeed. The entire shelving is going to be painted in this colour. The Noctua fan frame seems to be almost the same colour, which is good. It pretty much means I won't have to spray the fans, which I'd like to avoid.
If your wondering, I broke two of the blades, then decided to brake the rest, then I took the brown bit of entirely.
As you can see, the HDD cage has now being painted Matt Black. Believe it or not the motherboard tray has been painted Chrome. It was an idea from a friend so it would be reflective in the LEDs, but the chrome doesn't fit with the matt black. I do quite like the reflectiveness, but finger marks and various scratches are much more visible up close. This actually happened several days ago, the motherboard tray has now being sprayed matt black and is currently drying as I'm writing this update.
I've also now put in the extra support. I'm not so sure it will of made much difference, it does still sag a bit, but I'm expecting it really simply to sag no more than it is already.
Got me paint ready, the colours are very very close indeed. The entire shelving is going to be painted in this colour. The Noctua fan frame seems to be almost the same colour, which is good. It pretty much means I won't have to spray the fans, which I'd like to avoid.
If your wondering, I broke two of the blades, then decided to brake the rest, then I took the brown bit of entirely.
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Mgutierrez33
New member
Turning out great so far! Wish I had the means to do something like this (I'm in college myself... broke as fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu)... also no time x-)
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Thanks a lot mate, glad you like it.
Here is the pic of the motherboard tray now.
I have also now made a cover for the PSU to hide the cables and the PSU.
Still needs sanding
I found it very hard to cable things so I've cut out a big bit behind the motherboard tray to be able to cable things before putting the motherboard tray, it would still be somewhat difficult to cable, but not as hard.
Now I needed to bring the sander out. Everything was sanded down to a decent level. Now we are ready for painting. In the photo, I used a different paint, it's the same colour, but satin rather than gloss. Anyways, the photo below is after 2 coats, with the second drying. No undercoat was used, can said it didn't need it. Bullshiiiit!
It looked better after 4 coats, but still not perfect now. Needs a good sand as well
Here is the pic of the motherboard tray now.
I have also now made a cover for the PSU to hide the cables and the PSU.
Still needs sanding
I found it very hard to cable things so I've cut out a big bit behind the motherboard tray to be able to cable things before putting the motherboard tray, it would still be somewhat difficult to cable, but not as hard.
Now I needed to bring the sander out. Everything was sanded down to a decent level. Now we are ready for painting. In the photo, I used a different paint, it's the same colour, but satin rather than gloss. Anyways, the photo below is after 2 coats, with the second drying. No undercoat was used, can said it didn't need it. Bullshiiiit!
It looked better after 4 coats, but still not perfect now. Needs a good sand as well
Mgutierrez33
New member
holy shit four coats and it still has some light spots... NO one could POSSIBLY be that bad at painting, that paint was crap :-\
My painting is perfectly fine, It was last time I checked anyways. It's going to need sanding down or chipping at or something to get it off. It really needed the undercoat, although the tin says it didn't need it. This time it'll get the undercoat for sure. It should turn out better then.
Going to actually get a different colour, it's not even near the right colour. Something a bit darker.
Aye, I know there isn't too much attention to detail, but at the moment, my focus is to get it working, then it'll get treated with a bit more respect. Plus it'll be getting a new GPU (not with a red pcb), a lovely NH-D14 along with two NF-A15 PWM fans in the roof, which I had hoped would match the paint, but the colour is a fair bit different.
To be fair, I'm a student, the build isn't my priority
A big thanks goes to Noctua for offering me discounts.
Thanks for the comments
Going to actually get a different colour, it's not even near the right colour. Something a bit darker.
Aye, I know there isn't too much attention to detail, but at the moment, my focus is to get it working, then it'll get treated with a bit more respect. Plus it'll be getting a new GPU (not with a red pcb), a lovely NH-D14 along with two NF-A15 PWM fans in the roof, which I had hoped would match the paint, but the colour is a fair bit different.
To be fair, I'm a student, the build isn't my priority
A big thanks goes to Noctua for offering me discounts.
Thanks for the comments
tbh i'd put some wc in there. at least an aio kit. the noctua nh-d14 is effective but it looks like hell really.
I certainly agree.
My mind is changing all the time, My plan was to eventually do it. I'm not too keen on the AIO stuff really.
I could fit a 360 in the roof, the gap between the top of the wood at the back to the roof is precisely 14cm, so I'd like to get a 360 monsta rad in push pull with 1cm to spare, I did it especially for that.
So one of those, with an EK DCP pump and res and an EK supremacy, bitspower fittings, tubing and coolant comes to £300, which isn't too bad and could be possible in about two months maybe.
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remember300
Active member
just get some cheap pva glue and run it thick over all you want painted, should only need 2 coats most then
