My latest project

[cradom]

So I was at Lowes buying some root killer for the sewer and I saw this.
A dim light went off over my head.

This is a stemware rack. You hang it from the ceiling for Champagne glasses and such.
It looked just the right size for something else.
So I bought it and a piece of poplar and went home. Started sanding and staining and poly and whatnot...

Mounted the rack onto the board...
Anyone figured out where this is going yet?

Turned out fairly good if I do say so. Glued some leather to the bottom and a couple of rubber cushions on top and
Ta Daa!!!

 

[chscag]

Very ingenious Craig. I thought for sure you were going to show off your Stemware collection. Nice job, looks really good. One question - How snug is the fit and any danger of marring the case of the MacBook Pro?

 

[cradom]

Thanks.
It's resting on rubber and the rods are round and plated so I don't think they'll hurt anything as long as I'm careful.
The fit was just a smidge loose so I squeezed the rods together a little.

 

[TattooedMac]

Hey Craig that looks awesome. Who needs wine glasses anyway lol I love seeing how some people think outside the box, and look like the MB has now got a nice home, and well out of you way.
Seems to be one problem though . . . .

 

[cradom]

Hey! I prefer Android. So sue me
Oh and chscag, it's not a pro. That was the last year they made the plastic unibody Macbook.

 

[TattooedMac]

Couldn't afford it

 

[chscag]

That was the last year they made the plastic unibody Macbook.

I just noticed. Actually the plastic case will hold up better against being scratched or marred. Aluminum scratches and dents a lot easier. And nothing wrong with using an Android even if they are inferior. ;P

 

[pigoo3]

The fit was just a smidge loose so I squeezed the rods together a little.

Very nice Craig. I always love DIY solutions to things. And this one is so very simple/straightforward (not many parts)…that it looks very professional…and not at all "DIY"!

I was also going to ask you how snug/loose the fit was…but you answered it. I have a 17" MacBook Pro that I may try the same/similar idea with. In my situation…the problem is my 17" MBP is in a Speck hardshell case…so the additional thickness of the hard case makes it too thick for off-the-shelf clamshell laptop holders. So a DIY solution is what I need.

Thanks for the inspiration!

- Nick

 

[cradom]

Secondary benefit: When I was using it laying down on the desk and playing Minecraft or Second Life, the fans would ramp up and get kind of loud.
I've already replaced one, $40 worth of fan. Using it like this, so far playing Minecraft I haven't heard the fans once.
Haven't tried Second Life yet. Heck it would ramp up on Netflix. Not any more

 

[pigoo3]

Less fan noise/lower temps is always a nice bonus. Why haven't you tried this sooner!

- Nick

 

[toMACsh]

Very clever! Looks like there would be room for the phone to go on the board next to the Mac - unless there's a danger of CyberWar breaking out...

 

[cradom]

Nah, they get along fine. Phone even shows up in Finder. Stopped using Airdroid when I got this one.
Samsung Galaxy 3

 

[vansmith]

Stands are a great way to save space if you organize them properly. I've got one which I used to push my MBP off to the side of my desk (it's now under my desk on my filing cabinet).

All I could think the whole time when looking at that picture was "there's way too much going on there!" When you see what my desk looks like, you'll understand why. And before people start circling things (*cough* TattooedMac *cough*), yes, that's an old Android phone (I need to start testing my apps on actual Android devices).

 

[Slydude]

There's something seriously wrong with that picture. It's way too neat.

 

[vansmith]

Oddly enough, I'm very bothered by the messy cord situation underneath my desk. It's driving me crazy...

 

[Slydude]

If that bothers you I won't show you my desk or the wire situation underneath. It would make you positively catatonic.

 

[pigoo3]

Oddly enough, I'm very bothered by the messy cord situation underneath my desk. It's driving me crazy...

Velcro.

- Nick

 

[vansmith]

Oh yeah, Velcro's a good way to go. Good idea Nick.

The real bother for me is the existence of the power bar itself. My feet inevitably hit it but it's sort of stuck where it is as I've got cords stretched in either direction. Perhaps I need to make use of Craig's recent interest in building solutions. Craig, feel like building me something to hide the mess?

 

[pigoo3]

Oh yeah, Velcro's a good way to go.

Computer electronics places sell cord organizers/tamers made of velcro. Just wrap around...and good to go.

The real bother for me is the existence of the power bar itself.

Here's a solution:

- Nick

 

[vansmith]

Computer electronics places sell cord organizers/tamers made of velcro. Just wrap around...and good to go.

In the meantime, I used some old brackets that I had and screwed them into the wall underneath my desk. It's not elegant but it gets the job done.