Local guy doing some cool stuff with wood

B

bobcrotch

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
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Don't think this is a repost cuz he's only been in business for like 9 months now..but check it out


http://www.exoticwoodcrafts.com/


Not the typical case mods that i see here, but i think this is really cool. I dunno how many people know what burl wood is but thats what he is using. Red Wood, Madrone, and another one i can't remeber. But i talked to him today for the first time and told him he should talk to Tech TV or something.

Kinda odd because we have smooth creations and now this guy here in the rogue valley.
 
the craftsmanship on those is obvious, but nearly $600 for a computer case!? even if it was embossed with diamonds i wouldnt pay that much. interesting, though
 
Thats retail, but if you supply the case he said the cost is about 320 dollars. Wich really, considering the craftsmanship and the materials isn't bad at all. He's talking about building us one for a demo at the shop. If he does i'll be sure to get some nice pictures to show you guys.

I'm not really trying to sell them or anything i just was really blown away by them, figured a few other people might dig em too.

Edit: Note that these are primarily designed for nice offices and such. Think of a big law firm or something with a nice P160 or something sitting on the desk with a similar LCD or something.
 
i remember seeing that exact same style of case on ebay over a year ago. and the cost was alot less too.

if i ever wanted wood on my case i would just glue some sticks onto the case myself.... but if thats the kind of thing your into, im sure it could look pretty nice.
 
wow what a good idea to get up da post count lets just quote another persons post! lol just kidding around its all good
anyways i dont like em much either... it would be fun to set on fire though
 
man i like a couple of those but not for the price. funny thing is there is an amish shop around where i live that i showed some pics like those to the builders there, they said they would make one unfinished for $65 :p just a wee bit cheaper than that place, but still nice work on his part.
 
For the different types of veneers, and the quality of work it looks like a good deal. Would look good in executive offices.
 
Originally posted by Xeese
For the different types of veneers, and the quality of work it looks like a good deal. Would look good in executive offices.
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Good deal?!?! Did you even google for veneer?

Here is some beautiful olive ash burl veneer (unfinished) for $5 per sq ft. I would say there was probably 5 Sq Ft in a case but I will say 6 just to be safe. 6*5= $30. Not $600.


Edit: Carpathian Elm Burl here for that truly "executive" look you want. Gonna have to pay a whole $7 per sq ft for that baby.

Edit again: well.... I must admit and retract my above statement, there is probably more like 12 sq ft in a case, so then your lookin at 60-80 dollars in wood... still not $600 tho.
 
With the post about it being $300 or so if it is your own case, pricing isn't too far off. They have some cases on eBay for the $300 range. Basically paying $60-80 for the veneer then another $220 for labor including the finishing of the wood. Looking at the pictures where optical drives, case details, and other small areas were cut around shows the details. It is quite possible someone could pay their neighbor with a woodworking shop in his shed $50 to do the same job, but the final product may not come out looking as good.

Yes, they are expensive, but the price is reasonable for the professional job that is done. IF I was having a veneer put on a case and wanted to be sure it was done right the first time, I would probably send it somewhere like this shop.
 
It's not like you cut the wood out and glue it on or something....you need to have worked with veneer quite a bit to be able to pull off a nice finish on things. I'm obviously no expert but what the guy does involves quite a bit of skill.
 
Originally posted by bobcrotch
It's not like you cut the wood out and glue it on or something....you need to have worked with veneer quite a bit to be able to pull off a nice finish on things. I'm obviously no expert but what the guy does involves quite a bit of skill.
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This guy rips his stock from actual trees and stumps which is way cool in my opinion and a lot of work (that guy is the woodworking equivilant to [H]ard). I'm sure, though, its about a tenth the cost, even figuring in cost of labor and machine, than purchasing veneer from a wood place. That said, I give the guy kudos for making money off of a finely honed skill.

You learn by doing. :) Like I said earlier in the thread, I personally dont think vaneer on a metal case looks that good so I'm not even going to try. BUT, my point is that you can do it yourself for a lot cheaper than $600 AND you might find a new skill for yourself you didnt think you could do! With the added bonus of being [H]ard and doing it yourself. :D Honestly, how hard is it to get some vaneer, go to homedepot and buy a coping saw, hand saw, sand paper + sanding block, and some laquer.

Oh, and bobcrotch, it is "like you cut the wood out and glue it on or something". Thats what veneer is... its like putting on a wooden sticker to cover up the metal only you use diferent glue insted of sticker glue and clamp it up. Cut the wood to the size you need making sure you also cut the wood out for holes. Then you glue it on. I personally would not use laquer, I would use tongue oil as it does a better job of bringing out the natural colors in the wood as well as smelling rather dandy. It also looks more professional that way.

Also, the other thing that royaly turns me off on this guy is in his pictures he has a "Fine Woodworking" mag right there as if he's saying "Look, I get this mag so I am a pro!". I mean puuhhlease. If you have to advertise your a fine woodworker by showing that you own a copy of a wood working mag, then I guess I'm an expert at all things science since I have a subscription to "Seed".
 
Seed is kind of a cool mag =b

They make all the stuff them selves, so it's litteraly not just glueing wood to a case. But it doesn't matter i was just showing everyone cuz i thought it was sweet hehe.

This guy's actually has his BA in ME and this was just a side project for him that started making him money.
 
Originally posted by BiGWooDy
wow what a good idea to get up da post count lets just quote another persons post! lol just kidding around its all good
anyways i dont like em much either... it would be fun to set on fire though
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he said it best
 
I'm sure there is a heck of a market out there somewhere for this. A lot of people want to concele their cases because they believe them to be ugly and don't care about the price.
 
Originally posted by cambio
I'm sure there is a heck of a market out there somewhere for this. A lot of people want to concele their cases because they believe them to be ugly and don't care about the price.
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Oh, I'm sure! Just look at all those people out there paying litterally thousands of dollars for a CHAIR just becasue they think a normal looking chair doesnt go with their decor.
 
I think you mean Tung Oil not tongue oil. Imagine trying to squeeze oil from people's tongues. LOL JK

I think his work is detailed and I do admire fine handcrafted furniture. I don't think he had the average user from the [H] in mind when he developed this idea into a product though. I think businesses and other high end offices that deal with big clients would find find this more useful.

With a better website and marketing he could really do well. There is always HGTV or This Old House!

Do you think the case might be quieter because of the veneer?
 
Originally posted by Darkeone
I think you mean Tung Oil not tongue oil. Imagine trying to squeeze oil from people's tongues. LOL JK
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*lol* Oops, my fingers get faster than my head sometimes. hehe
 
Ya he said it runs a bit more silent than a normal case, but it also works as an insulator as you could imagine. But for the average computer, low end VC single IDE drive and non OC'd proc with a good circulation that wouldn't much matter. Ya actually i think he's gonna contact HGTV or something as well.
 
For the people complaining about the price....

A black walnut tree, what the rounds come from, full grown, 80 yrs old is worth about 30k...
Gotta love having a few.. ;)
 
Originally posted by bobcrotch
Ya he said it runs a bit more silent than a normal case, but it also works as an insulator as you could imagine. But for the average computer, low end VC single IDE drive and non OC'd proc with a good circulation that wouldn't much matter. Ya actually i think he's gonna contact HGTV or something as well.
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He would be better on the DIY network. They have little 30-60 second spots between the shows called "I did it myself" that this would fit in pretty good I would think.
 
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