Marvel at this gorgeous Apple Mac Mini hand-made wooden case
Apple Mac Mini fans with a penchant for carpentry will love this beautiful DIY project by architecture student Henri Lacoste, who came up with an idea for a portable container designed to house Apple’s smallest desktop Mac, along with all of its accessories.
The project was initially thought out as a gift to Lacoste’s girlfriend, for last Christmas, which then prompted Lacoste to create a complete, step by step tutorial on Instructables.
The initial design for the case was created as a 3D model in Rhinoceros, a popular 3D program with CAD capabilities. While Rhinoceros 3D retails for a hefty price tag, it is also available as a 30-day trial. With that said, there are also plenty of free options, for Mac and PC, including Blender, among some of the most popular 3D design programs freely available.
The materials required to accomplish this feat aren’t hard to come by, namely any 800 x 23mm slate of oak or hardwood, a 200 x 200 mm sheet of grey felt, two 18mm Zysa hinges, a small cam lock, and a 3mm x 25mm metal rod.
The difficult part of the tutorial comes in the way of equipment. Lacoste mentioned he was lucky enough to have access to a CNC machine, which is basically a computerized plotter that can be programmed to cut wood, or other materials into precise shapes. However, a bit of careful planning and proper, more traditionally accessible tools could suffice, provided adequate patience and will to get one’s hands dirty.
The result is quite impressive, largely thanks to the precision of the CNC machine, which was able to cut every component so precisely as to ensure that all hinges and parts lock securely into place.
The interiore of the case features three compartments for cables, the Mac Mini’s mouse, and a larger compartment, lined with grey felt, to house the Mac Mini.
At the very end of his tutorial, Lacoste made some observations in regard to possible improvements on his design, namely a larger case with a compartment capable of housing a keyboard as well, better finish and varnish, and thicker wood for better protection and insulation.
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