So I'm thinking of building a desk that is also a case from scratch, I'm throwing it together in Autodesk Inventor (Autodesk Student Community: Login) and below is an image of what I have put together so far.






There is a one inch space below the compy area for running wires, which is also the reasons for the larger holes around the motherboard, there also should be more of those holes when I decide where to place the 3.5" and 5.25" Bays, which I also hope to make completely removable. There is a glass top and bottom, also the area on the right I plan to put a drawer. So if anyone has ideas or has inventor and wants the files let me know I'd like as many good ideas as possible.

Quote: Originally Posted by The_Crank So I'm thinking of building a desk that is also a case from scratch....

That's a fine idea for a mod there

I did have some thoughts you might want to consider ...

First off, I don't see any gain in having a glass base, IMO it just adds cost & makes construction more difficult.

2nd, I think the glass top would need more support - something like a wooden panel with most of it cut out, with the glass sitting on top of that.

3rdly, I know no cable is as fat a 1" ... but you've got to think about getting your hands in there to route everything. I'd be thinking of an angled panel on the bottom (light guage as it won't be structural) starting at no gap 1/3rd of the way back, increasing to a fist-size gap at the back.

4th, what about legs? If you made the end panels much thicker, you could extend them downwards to effectively become the legs, you could sculpt the front edges to save some weight without loosing strength, and you could jigsaw some artwork in too - your team's logo, tribal shapes, Trogdor, whatever.
You'd need to think about some sort of cross bracing/panel on the back too, if you went that way.


I don't know how much experience you have with something like this ... my main tip would that a project like this will cost twice to four times as much as you think it will, and take 2 - 4 times as long.... it might be worth considering getting an existing desk & modding that - you can focus on the details then, not burn up all your enthusiasm on basic construction.

Yeah I've definetely thought about how much extra work it will be to build my own rather than mod my own, but for some reason i really want to build my own, I guess it just feels like it's more me if it's from scratch.

I actually was going to use some kind of semi-clear acrylic for the top and bottom, with some way to remove or move the bottom to make it more accessible.

Legs I'm not really sure about ATM, but I actually would like them to be removable so i could move it around easier, but I just came up with this a few days ago, and have been going with it so if you have ideas for removable legs, I'd love to know.

That's a great idea, Crank, you've clearly got some work to do on that drawing, though. Some more details in the image would help to visualize in what direction you're headed.

Like where would your monitor(s) be placed; location/number of fans if you're not water cooling; I like safety glass for the top, but agree with English about the base being some other material; legs could be joined by wood panels to enclose and for reinforcement of the whole desk while providing space below for more storage and to hide cables.

I like the whole idea though so keep us posted as you update your drawings and I for one will be tracking your progress with keen interest. Go for it!

Thanks for the input about the bottom, so what I have decided to do is kind of a case panel thing for the bottom. so basically thin sheet metal held on with thumbscrews, or possibly just regular old screws, that way i can take it off easily to access the wiring area when putting the comp together or when I need to change the wiring.