Building a case for my 3D printer

I figured I would show that you could build a reasonable case even if you did not have a shop or table saw. I suggest you use a Japanese style pull saw. For a beginner it is easier to cut to the line. Get one that has a fine cross cut blade for cutting plywood. You should also buy clamps so you can clamp the board to be cut to a low table, the just mark your lines and cut.

If you end up building your case a little at a time - make sure you keep the offcuts! Those little strips and pieces you cut off early on will be invaluable for custom tweaks of the case at the end.

As for securing all the pieces you cut - I just used gorilla glue and nails in a few places. As long as you wait for the glue to dry - a modern glue joint is usually stronger than the wood the glue is holding.

My case is a 19.5 by 23 by 24 inch cube. In the front face I cut 15 by 13 inch hole for a door. The front side has a 3 inch raised section for a keyboard to slide under the printer. The printer slides into the case from a larger door in the side.

I started making a rectangular base out of 2x4s and nailing down the bottom piece of plywood. From there I glued and clamped the side pieces. Once the sides were mounted, I glued strips of plywood to the sides to provide support for the top piece, and give thicker areas for screwing in components to the outside of the case.

So I strongly suggest you load up on clamps for your shop. They are cheap and you will be amazed at how often you find yourself using them once you have them.

I built the case a wall at a time. This lets you square each wall, one at a time, waiting for the glue to dry.

By putting painters tape over the cut line, when you make the cut the finish side of the plywood is less prone to tear out. Obviously this is quick and dirty cabinetry - but we might as well keep it looking decent.

Here you can see the finished-for-now case. I still need to add the front and side doors to close off the case. The air filter will still work with the doors off, but the other reason for building the case was being able to stabilize the operating temperature for the printer while the temperature in my shop is swinging by 40 or more degrees over the day.