Intel NUC Case Design Competition 2014: The Finished Projects

Hanging in the Balance by Chris Albee

Project Log: Here
A word from Chris:

Hanging in the Balance was uniquely designed and hand crafted with one foot firmly planted in years gone by. Old world technique and new world technology collide in this distinct computer case. The solid wood stock was all flattened and dimensioned using hand tools, and the joinery was cut and fitted by hand as well.

There were a few tweaks that were made to the original design, to account for the added requirement of having to ship them. As a result of these tweaks, the finished case can be taken apart into three pieces and stored in a flight case for safer transport.

The case is all wood construction, save for a piece of aluminum for the rear I/O shield, and acrylic for the window. The main box that houses the Intel NUC hardware was made out of craft plywood and poplar square dowel. The enclosure was then veneered using a technique called “hammer veneering” and hot hide glue. The veneer used was Pommele Sapele, which is similar to quilted mahogany. The grain of the veneer dances elegantly as the angle of the refracting light changes. The arch that holds the case and the lower arm were made from solid African Wenge, with the upper arm and base made from Curly Maple. The curly maple was finished with a modified French polish technique, to really bring out the chatoyance of the grain. All of the pieces were finished with shellac for a nice rich tone, and glossy appearance.

Working with the NUC hardware was pretty easy. The main chassis is roughly the same size as the original case, so it was quite easy to still ha2ve access to all the ports, in their standard locations. I was also able to pull power off of the auxiliary SATA power connector to power some LEDs. Disassembling the NUC to get the hardware out was also nicely accommodated for, as there were just a couple of screws, and nothing glued together.








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