plexiglass case

warnockm · 07-25-2005, 05:38 PM

I've been reading about making plexiglass cases. I just picked up 6 piece of plexiglass i had cut to make a box. I've been reading about drilling it slowly to not melt or break it. I haven't seen too many specifics on other aspects. For instance, is there a recommendation on putting it together? I assume i put holes in it before assembling it, or am i wrong? also, i know how to drill it, but is there a way to cut square holes for the motherboard connections? I want holes for the fans and wires, most can use drilled holes, but i may want some rectangles. I have a dremel w/ a ton of bits. Should i masking tape anything to keep it from cracking? Should i leave teh protective paper on?

any advise would be helpful. thanks!

samis · 07-26-2005, 06:59 AM

I hate saying but do a search.

Plenty of info on here.

Anyway I have made a plexi computer case for my MB.
I have used a Jigsaw for rectangles and file it down for a good finish.

I coping saw will be good also.

I have tried a cut off wheel on a dremel but it produced some heat and slightly melted the edge of the plexi.

Always leave the protective cover on it until you are 100% finished.

PatO · 07-30-2005, 10:18 PM

Small holes are a pain... I've done them once, never again. Better idea: cut a rectangle big enough for all the ports to poke through and use the metal hole cover that comes with most motherboards.

But, if you still want to do it, dont worry about heat from cut off wheels or high speed bits from your dremel. Go back over your cuts with a mini butane tourch. Just a touch with that will melt any rough edges. Lighters might also work, but I like that the butane under pressure gives a straight flame - at any angle - good for small holes. Lighters also burn dirty - you have to clean up the soot afterwards.

There was also a thread on here about a guy with a laser cutter... Probably 6 months back...

SickVette · 07-31-2005, 04:19 PM

Laser cut would be the way to go exact clean cuts. If you do not have access to a laser cutter. It is best to cut the holes with a jig saw and then file to fit. It is impossible to cut a square hole with a round bit.

Yes leave the paper on till all work is complete.

Drill the holes with a sacrifical board behind the plexi. It is best to clamp the plexi to this board. Doing so will help prevent blow out. Blow out is when chunks of plexi break off when the bit exits.

warnockm · 07-31-2005, 07:57 PM

thanks for all of the tips. I had great success for my first try! I had the glass pre-cut from the glass store. I traced out lines on the paper and cut them out w/ the dremmel using a drill bit. i cut holes and then moved it slowly to cut a line. finally, i went over it w/ the sander disc and smoothed it out. i made one hole for the entire motherboard and one for the connections on the connections on the power supply, but contored it to match every port/connector. I then drilled holes for each screw hole on the MB and epoxied the little motherboard risers. when i connected it, i connected a wire from the ground of the MB to the ground of the PS just as an extra connection. I drilled holes for the holes on the power supply and hard drive. I bought small bolts from Home Depot to attach. i epoxied the thing into a box using 5 peices. i still have to attach the top. i'll probably use a hinge or something. I just took my time and measured a bunch of times. I have a cordless dremmel and used it on speed setting #4 or almost everything. It definately melted a couple times, but you just stop and continue, nothing was damaged by any means. I'm going to keep this in mind for other projects! Quite a success!

TruckinMP3 · 07-31-2005, 09:14 PM

Post some pics if you can.

donde · 07-31-2005, 09:23 PM

How strong is the box being held together with only epoxy?

CavityCr33p · 07-31-2005, 09:27 PM

As far as getting the store to do it, what did they charge?

How many cuts did you have made by the store?

warnockm · 07-31-2005, 10:14 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by CavityCr33p

As far as getting the store to do it, what did they charge?

How many cuts did you have made by the store?

I'll post pics along w/ the whole project soon. i've been bad about that. As for the plexi, i bought 1/4" clear plexi. it was going to be $24 for the sheet w/o cuts but $48 for the glass cut into 6 peices (they charge $8 a peice for the glass, not by the cut). i opted to get the pieces they cut. i have no idea if this was a good buy or not, but i'm very pleased. they cleaned up the edges and such as well and knew a lot about it. they answered all of my questions about working with it.

TruckinMP3 · 07-31-2005, 10:28 PM

If you are happy with the price, must be a good deal

warnockm · 07-31-2005, 10:33 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by TruckinMP3

If you are happy with the price, must be a good deal

oh, it'd probably be helpful to note that i made the case 12x10.5x4 inches.

MatrixPC · 08-01-2005, 01:26 AM

To weld plexiglass correctly, use Weld-On #4 or #16.
An alternative and cheaper (not as good but doable) to Weld-On is MEK and you can buy it from HomeDepot, Lowes in paint section.

Bugbyte · 08-01-2005, 02:33 AM

I've had great success with Household GOOP. It seems to hold quite well.

I had to cut a number of very small holes, square and round, for my plexiglass Mac Mini dock. I used a Rotozip saw and it worked extremely well, no melting. The bits for the Rotozip will also fit the dremel and will work better than your drill bit. For pics, see my worklog link.

SickVette · 08-01-2005, 03:07 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by warnockm

I'll post pics along w/ the whole project soon. i've been bad about that. As for the plexi, i bought 1/4" clear plexi. it was going to be $24 for the sheet w/o cuts but $48 for the glass cut into 6 peices (they charge $8 a peice for the glass, not by the cut). i opted to get the pieces they cut. i have no idea if this was a good buy or not, but i'm very pleased. they cleaned up the edges and such as well and knew a lot about it. they answered all of my questions about working with it.

That is pretty good price. You made out well. I know places here that charge alot more.

Acrylic adhesives like Weld On make a chemical bond. They aactually melt the two pieces of plexi together. Done properly it is very stong bond. I highly recommend throughly reading the instructions on the Weld On can before using the product. Though it works very well it can cause a huge mess.

MatrixPC · 08-01-2005, 03:55 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Bugbyte

I had to cut a number of very small holes, square and round, for my plexiglass Mac Mini dock. I used a Rotozip saw and it worked extremely well, no melting. The bits for the Rotozip will also fit the dremel and will work better than your drill bit. For pics, see my worklog link.

I use Rotozip spiral saw to cut these holes.