2 Cut the Box and Make Shims
64 MA XIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2006
how 2 IMPROVING YOUR PC EXPERIENCE, ONE STEP AT A TIME
After you’ve marked the three sides of the
box that will be cut, it’s time to don your
safety goggles and fire up your jigsaw.
Variable-speed jigsaws work best; you’ll
need to start slow in order to keep from
melting the plastic, or creating jagged
edges. We recommend using a multipur-
pose bit, suitable for metal or plastic. If
you don’t have a variable-speed jigsaw,
any hacksaw will do the job—it will just
take a few minutes longer.
Cut the sides of the box first, then
cut the bottom of the box (as shown in
the image). You’ll want to support theedges, and be very careful not to move
your fingers in the path of the blade. Be
sure to stop your cut before you reach
the edge, the lower portion of the blade
shouldn’t come in contact with the uncut
sides of the box.
Once you’ve finished the main cut,
you’ll want to cut a couple of excess
pieces of plastic to use as shims. Cut the
shims to be about the same size as your
case’s drive rails. The box we’re using is
just a touch too narrow for a standard drive
bay. We’ll use the shims to fill the gap, and
make a nice tight fit for the drawer.4 Mount the Handle
3 Mark the Rails and Glue the Shims
Be very careful when you’re cutting with
a jigsaw. Cut on the slowest speed at
which you see any progress, to avoid
jagged, uneven edges on your drawer.Next, you’ll want to slide the drawer into the case, to see where you
need to place the drive rails. Leave enough room at the top of the
slot to slide the drawer out, and make sure that the bottom of the
drawer clears the slot cover on the bezel below. With the drawer
placed where you like it, scratch a mark that aligns with the top edge
of the drive rail’s slot in the case.
Remove the drawer from the case, and measure the distance
from the top of the drawer to the mark you made. Make another
mark further back along the drawer, and repeat the marks at the
same height on the other wall of the drawer. You’ll use these marks
to align the shims and the drive rails when you mount them.
Next, you’ll want to glue the shims to the outside of the drawer.
Don your rubber gloves and apply a small amount of multi-purpose
adhesive down the length of the shim. Using the marks you made,
mount the shim on the drawer, and clamp it into place. Let it sit until
the glue has cured—usually five minutes—then repeat on the other
side of the drawer.Slide the drawer
into the case, and
mark where the rail
slots on the case
meet the drawer.It’s a good idea to give the glued shims 10 or 15 minutes to cure
before you start drilling, so we’ll use the break to mount the
handle on one of the case’s bezels. Mounting the handle is pretty
simple, but you need to measure carefully to make sure you
don’t end up with an off-center handle. You may also need to
use the Dremel to shorten the screws that come with the handle.
They’re usually mounted through a few inches of wood, so they’ll
be much too long for our millimeters-thick case bezel.
Mount the screws in a vise (if you don’t have a vise, you can
use a pair of pliers), put a cutting blade on the Dremel, and cut
all but a half-inch or so off both screws. Then, using a Dremel bit
that’s slightly larger than the screws that came with the handle,
drill two holes for the handle in the center of the bezel. Mount the
handle on the two holes—it’s a good idea to use a large washer
on each screw, so that you don’t accidentally rip the handle off
of the bezel.If you first glue
the shims to the
drawer it will be
easier to drill
through them
when mounting
the drive rails.While you’re waiting on
the glue from the previ-
ous step to cure, you can
mount the handle on one
of your case’s bezels. First
you’ll drill a couple of holes
through the bezel.Then you’ll screw the handle
onto the bezel. Be careful not
to over-tighten, or you’ll warp
or crack the bezel.