Since this worked out well I decided I would make another one for my main system. I decided on Oak as I had some available and it would go with the rest of the house. With only 24 hours in a day and more pressing things I kept putting this off. Finally after a couple of years I made it the project of the week and am very happy with the results. With PC's moving out of the Den and into the family room (my main system is also a well used DVR) I think the traditional metal and plastic will undergo some changes. I know my oak case with a solid 'table top' is more fitting and useful for my setup.
With the door hiding the drives, lights and switches, the tapered legs and the two toned Oak it looks more like a small cabinet than a comuter case. The solid top makes a great place to sit my Laptop.
The top is easily removed and the side panels slide making for easy access to the components. Adding RAM or changing a hard drive was never easier.
The motherboard tray and drive holders are out of old Packard Bell. The power supply is held in place with wood and the top, near the front, is a great place to sit the extra power plugs keeping the main area free of the usual clutter.
When I mention wood for a case one of the first comments is usually related to heat. I'm not sure why it's thought that heat would be an issue but I assure you it is not. The pictures were taken during the building process and are not complete. The rear fan holes were made a bit bigger and counter sunk on the inside for better air flow. Also, the bottom is filled in with an opeing at the front for intake. With a piece of an a/c filter on the hole the dust inside is a fraction of what I used to get. As the next picture shows temperatures and very good.
