Wood Cases

I was thinking about machining a 60% wood case for my 60HE, could anyone provide any insight/tips on things like what type of wood to use, where I should cut it, etc. I’m thinking of gummy o-ring friction fitting it, but don’t know what the best thing to do for the sound would be. The ideal sound for me is a “creamy” sound profile.

3 Likes

I don’t think that pcb support gummyworm mount. For the same reason the plate is not allowed to flex, it’s important that the distance between plate and pcb stay the same all the time.

When it comes to the wood you want to use a dry piece so you don’t get warping. Personally I’m a sucker for Teak if you want to make me one. :smirk:

4 Likes

I’ve seen many people using the gummy o-ring mount, but idk if it is actually good for the keyboard or not. The plate has a lot of standoffs that separate it and the pcb though, which might make the gummy mount doable. I think I am going to test different types of wood to see which sounds best, and I’ll try your suggestion for teak.

Someday, I want to try making a gasket mount wooden case, but I worry that the top piece would be too fragile and subject to splitting or cracking over time.

More likely it will warp. I own 4 wooden keyboard cases. 2 are very expensive. All 4 have warped over time. It seems to me that a wooden case should probably be made out of engineered wood with a veneer.

3 Likes

Warping on wooden cases was a concern of mine as well. Sorry to hear you’ve had four cases suffer from it.

I think your point about using engineered wood could work; quality hardwood plywood is incredibly stable. Going that route and either embracing the plywood look or adding a veneer seems like a safer bet. May be trickier to get a clean finish with exposed plywood, but nothing a good saw blade or router bit can’t handle. Of course, adding a veneer could hide those imperfections.

A simpler cheat could be to just use a veneer over aluminum on a simple case shape like the Tofu. Obviously, you’ll loose any sort of wooden sound signature, but could still be interesting if executed well.

Together with the Wooting 60HE pcb? Can you link some?

You don’t mean o-ring burger-mount?

Gummyworm is something else.

Maybe you should talk to violin builders. They have a stock pile of extremely dry “resonant wood.” It won’t be cheap though.

Search up “valdemar wooting gummy o-ring” on YouTube. This guy did a comparison on tray mount vs gummy o ring mount with the wooting.

To be fair, warping in wood products is mostly down to drying and changes in climate. Ordering something from the other side of the world is nearly guaranteed to be problematic over time, even if the wood is dried properly. If you were to machine your own case (like zozaf is proposing) out of locally-sourced wood then warping would likely be less of a problem. Still a worry compared to metal, but less likely to be badly warped within a few years.

2 Likes

Hmm, I don’t know what to call this. :thinking:
The o-ring is only there to hold it in place instead of the screws but the PCB is still resting on the standoffs.

1 Like

Are you sure the standoffs aren’t cut out?

One option would be to “stabilize” the wood. Which is usually using a vacuum chamber and epoxy to turn it more into a composite.
How to Stabilize Wood with Resin? – Guide for Stabilized Wood.
However, we can assume that would change the sound characteristics of the case. This is usually what is done for high end knives that use wood for the handles.

3 Likes

U would need cut-outs on the edges of the pcb like this.

If you could cut those out without dmg any traces it’s doable… :person_shrugging:

1 Like

Are you taking about those little semi-circles on the edges? If so, I think I could do it but I would have to check the pcb

Came here just because I like wooden cases. They have a unique sound signature that I really like (I play the guitar, so I’m partial to the sound of tapped wood).

2 Likes

What type of wood do you think is best?

The driest wood is the best wood in this case. 100%

I mean, if it’s pie-in-the-sky talk here, I’d say go with quarter sawn exotic wood with really interesting figuration. Kiln dry it slowly and finish with a nice tung oil.

If it was me, I’d grab some plywood at home depot, maybe glue it up if it’s not thick enough, and get to routing.

I suggest going with whatever type of wood is readily available to you. You’re probably gonna screw up, so you want to be able to grab another piece and get to work again when that happens.

1 Like

My grandfather has tons of wood, like cherry and walnut and maple. I assume the best would be the most dense in this case. I think walnut would look best with the POM jelly keycaps I want to get.

2 Likes

walnut is a popular case wood. I have 2 cases in walnut. I like them

2 Likes