Making a Charging Station from Walnut & Brass | I Like To Make Stuff
Вставка
- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- With my 4 kids doing school at home lately, I've needed to make a charging station for all of their school computers. This project was made from materials I had on-hand and took a day to build. Go check out your scrap bin and make something awesome!
TOOLS & SUPPLIES WE USED(affiliate links):
kit.co/iliketo...
kit.co/iliketo...
MUSIC: share.epidemics...
Due to social distancing right now, my whole team is working from home. That leaves me to produce and shoot the videos, just like in the old days. Another unfortunate result of the distancing is that I can't go to the store to get material for my upcoming projects. For this build, I'm using some left-over material I have on hand to solve our new laptop charging problem. Recently, I made a new Credenza out of walnut plywood and I have some offcuts left over. I decided that I could use some of these funky shaped pieces for our charging station and the odd shapes would actually help produce a cool visual style. Besides the 3/4" walnut plywood, I have some brass flat sheets and a length of 1/4" brass rod that I can use as accent pieces later on.
I know that a stack of dado blades is not easy to come by in a lot of places, but I really like using it to make that perfect little pocket for shelves and dividers. Starting with the taller side walls, I cut a dado across the middle that will hold the computer-holding shelf. Armed with a modified capital letter H, I planned on splitting up the center area into four separate stalls for the computers to sit. I measured out the exposed area and marked off three dado slots that I cut on the table saw. Perfectly, the three divider walls locked into place.
Now that the walls were structurally ready, I wanted to add that decorative design element to the charging station. Because of one of the scrap pieces, I decided to add a continuous slant to the front of the charging station. To ensure that the cut it the same across the five uprights, I bundled them together, justified to the top, with some tape and ran the stack through the bandsaw. Before I brought the pieces together, I applied some wipe-on polyurethane to the hard-to-reach areas. I used some walnut edge banding to cover the exposed edges and assembled the pieces using some glue and brad nails.
To add a little flare to this walnut box, I wanted to add some brass accents. In the upper computer-holding spaces, I needed to add a rear limit so the laptops don't push out of the back. After drilling some continuous holes through the uprights, I drove in the 1/4" brass rod to act as a rear stop. The chargers, an essential element in this charging station, were hot glued up into the lower space of the upper-case H. The opening of this space on the front of the charging station is open and you can see the nest of charging cables. Using some brass sheets, I cut a panel to cover this area. I marked and drilled four elongated holes so the USB-C plugs can come out the front and plug into the laptops. To add a matte finish to the brass, I used my orbital sander to lightly scuff up the front.
In most of my projects, I tend to make things more square and don't really care about visual aesthetics. In conclusion, the left-over material I used forced me to add a visual elements because of its off-cut shape. I was really pleased at how I was able to design this charging station around those pieces and it turned out super nice! It is really functional, the kids area using it every day. All four chargers are plugged into a power strip that plugs into the wall.
I hope you can go out into your shop and use some scrap material to solve a problem in your home. Right now, we all may not be able to go get exactly what we need, but we are resilient and creative and we can make it work!
Subscribe: bit.ly/ILikeToM...
Check out my TopVideos!: bit.ly/ILikeToM...
Learn 3d modeling, get digital plans, and cool merch at
iliketomakestu...
Want to support ILTMS? Get exclusive content and more...
www.iliketomake...
FOLLOW:
/ iliketomakestuff
/ iliketomakestuff
/ iltms
#ILikeToMakeStuff
About I Like To Make Stuff:
We have lots of projects including woodworking, metalworking, electronics, 3D printing, prop making and more!
These videos are our attempt inspire and empower others to make the stuff that they want to have. Hopefully you'll see something here that will inspire you to make something that you're passionate about!
Making a Charging Station from Walnut & Brass | I Like To Make Stuff
• Making a Charging Stat...
I Like To Make Stuff
/ iliketomakestuff
Lots of (valid) questions about the heat generated by the power supplies. I honestly considered adding a small PC fan to vent the underside of this, but they don't create as much heat as I expected. I think it has something to do with the fact that all 4 of them are rarely charging at the same time, plus the open area in the back allows venting. We haven't had any issues over the last 4 weeks that these have been in use.
Great information, thank you! Keep up the good work. Love your channel and videos.
Thanks for sharing! We need to create a charging station for our nonphone devices and this could work.
Came here to ask about heat management, but thought chromebooks might not take too much heat.
Also love the 'scrap' aspect of this project as someone who is looking at some rough scrap to make some garage shelves and a spice rack for the cabinet this weekend.
Keep up the good work and stay safe!
Yea, the only time laptop power supplies generate a ton of heat anyway is if you're charging from empty and the power supply has a smaller casing than necessary to get rid of the heat it generates efficiently (and Chromebooks probably aren't that demanding power-wise anyhow), though you probably will experience an issue long term, even with the small amount of heat it does generate and the hot glue, but since you're probably not planning on moving the charging station any time soon, that really doesn't matter. It won't get hot enough to outright melt the glue, it'll just eventually lose most of its adhesion through the thermal cycling and you might have to tack it again later when you eventually notice. Whoop di doo.
I work in a school and we do basically the same thing with chromebook chargers, they're all just packed into a relatively small space with no active ventilation. It's been over a year with over 400 chargers and I think maybe one has failed. If anything, the charging stations with fans built into them usually end up being more of a hassle because the bearings in the fans start going after running nonstop for months and they get really loud. of course, ymmv, I've never stuck a thermometer in these things or anything
Mate, such as in the old days, 6 years ago I used to watch and create all I saw here with my dad. He passed away but your videos are still the same. Thanks for the amazing content.
May your dad RIP.❤
Rip
RIP
That's fantastic Bob, and I love the retro feel of "just Bob in his workshop, shooting this all himself" - I was wondering how much back catalogue of content you had before you'd be putting out the solo stuff!
Projects that solve niche problems are my favorite!
Ronald Finger hello u make good vids
Ronald Thumb hello u make good vids
You need to come up with some sort of grommet for the brass plate; over time -- and it won't be that long -- the wires will chafe down to bare conductor (you can also hot-glue them in place, right before, or over the opening).
This is absolutely the content I love to see from this channel, "I want to make a thing and I'm going to make what I have work for the project."
I took industrial technology this second semester which is basically wood shop. Watching these videos before that class was helpful because I already knew everything. Keep up the great work!
Hey, its another Roberts!
@@alderkliffkeep1169 This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them!
@@alderkliffkeep1169 Great last name!
@@einflinkeswiesel2695 I love your beard master. How do you have time for it when you're always cleaning up after Anakin?
@@Legbookformer I bet his answer will be Dollar Shave Club
Love the throwback ILTMS music at the beginning. Very Bob filming himself :)
This video is a lifesaver thank you so much for making it. I am a small business owner and a pastor. I have 2 phones, 2 Tablets, and a laptop to keep charged and this charging station makes my life so much easier. Thanks s bunch
Nice to have some of the old days style every now and then
Hi,
Great job.
It is useful, nice design, compact.
Thanks for sharing.
Keep it safe.
Willy from Belgium.
😷😷😷
Looks great. The only change I'd make is make the slots the same width as the notebooks, then fit the USB-c charger plugs into the base. That way you slide the notebooks into the slot and it automatically plugs in. No trailing wires
This was literally on my TODO list for this weekend. Thank you!
It was quick but I liked how you worked out how much space to leave between the uprights:
Squish them all together, measure the gap left and divide that by the number of uprights.
I like it because it doesn't matter if your uprights are different widths.
You should do all the videos this way. I like that camera is not moving on gimbal - it's easy to see everything. And also it's great to reuse material! Do that often please :)
You are obviously a devoted father. Stay safe and I wish you and your family the very best.
I've been watching for a really long time and as much as I love Josh and Anthony it's cool to see you filming by yourself again like the old days
This video is a testament to how good you are at making videos on your own
I really love these quick practical solutions to storage and/or charging solutions 💖
Glad you like them!
Thanks for sharing Bob! A nice project for some leftover material.
A powered USB HUB would work and would reduce all the cords underneath and you would only have one cord coming out the back.
That is what I use to charge everything.
Great vid as usual Bob!
Hey Bob, I like to make stuff too, but I don't have a big shop. I like to make electician work. And I love it to finish a project, for example wall sockets oder chargings devices, with stuff I have laying around in the basement, Have a nice day. Hauke
I wasn’t inspired by this video, per se, but by your other videos to go out in my garage and throw together a raised garden bed for growing potatoes. I used scrap wood that I found on the side of a mountain road, and nails&screws from the dollar store that I had laying around. It would have been a free build if I had remembered that I have bags of dirt under my deck from the previous resident, but oh well! My craftsmanship is shoddy but I’m chalking that up to building outside in the strong winds with pieces of junk.
Seeing all the makers, doing projects with stuff they have laying around the place, just makes me think of Iron Man, when Obadiah says "Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!"
One of the reasons I started to follow your channel and to be inspired by you is the retro music which you composed. Not that it gave your videos a distinct quality but it also gave some mystical atmosphere... Hope you will return to it more. It is your "signature move".
Fantastic video! I'd like to be carpenter as good as you !
Greetings from DR.🇩🇴
Me tooo !🦸♂️
Bob, I'm 100% gonna make one of those. My kids are just a bit younger than yours and aren't on laptops yet, but we've needed a storage/charging solution for their Kindle Fire/ipads. I have some extra cedar laying around from some Adirondack chairs I built and some dowel cutoff that should work. Unfortunately, I will need to order a 4 port usb charger with a cable that can live underneath. It would also be handy if I could find a way to hang two pairs of over the ear headphones on it. Thanks for the idea!!
Man, awesome! Very nice look that walnut!
that's very convenient ! How about some projects indoors, like mini-optimization projects. Like You're walking through rooms / kitchen / bathroom, and realize, that You can optimize some things or organize some space in a better way? I think , that You can offer some really brilliant ideas!
best dad ever!!!
Great build!
Only thing that makes me uncomfortable is those bare wires right on the sharp brass edge. Might never be a problem, but it hurts still😁!
Keep up the good work!
-Arttu
Well it's not bare wire, but I agree the charging cable shouldn't be resting on that edge. Filed down or not.
@@45Lotos
I ment a wire without any outer protection against the brass, but you got the point!
I’d at least run a bead of hot glue along the edge so it’s not resting directly on it.
Drill 2 holes and filing, this was a great chance to show off the Bridgeport 😉
i build a large top for a desk for having more room when i work from home. i used old furniture panels, cut them to size and glue and pocket screw them together for a 220 x 86 cm (86x34 inches) size desk
*
cool, start production I will be the first buyer*👍👍👍👍😉
Great idea. Walnut is such a beautiful wood anyway but the brass adds a lot to it. I want to try working with brass sometime. Thanks!
I built a charging station for my family a while back, just a place to collect all the phones and headphones and everything. It’s something similar to your station, but I’m glad too see you having roughly the same idea. I used a usb charging station hub that had six usb-ports. Heat have never been an issue. THANK you for great stuff. I also really like how you share when things don’t turn out the way you planned. It is more inspiring than looking at people that figure out everything beforehand to show off a perfect project. 👍👋
Very Cool Charging Station , Sir !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just love this build. Think of schools, workstation charging at night before you take it out to customers, library and others. Look so great, and help in a good way
Schools use carts with laptops in them.
Looks great. I think you should consider putting some ventilating holes on the sides, 4 big charges working at the same time might produce a considerable amount of heat and reduce their lifetime
Cool project. I’d add some sort of grommets or rubber to the hole where the charging cables come out. The wire rubbing on the metal will strip the insulation off over time creating a shock/fire hazard.
Love it Bob. My favorite projects at work are always when the boss sets me loose "its gotta look something like this, use scrap and make it up as you go along"
Your kids have no idea how fortunate they are in life to have a dad who can whip up custom made pieces of computer furniture and the like. But they will grow up and then one day they will realize. Nice job.
I totally like this and will make it for my family right after my bed project. Thanks for this.
I love the use of the different colored LEGO decals for identifying who the computer belongs to.
I like this idea. Time to start picking out scraps.
Loving the old style music as well. 👍
I had a similar issue with the quarantine. I used all recycled piano material and purchased the outlets to wire in.
I would like to see you make a custom charger that can charge them.
I built a similar charging station using a shoe box.
Inspired by this video
Thanks for inspiring. I've done something quiet similar with a spot for the the modem and our NAS. So thank you very much from France
I'm less than a minute in and I hear the old music from wayyy back when. A lovely touch! 😄
I love how the Chromebooks are already personalized per child. As someone who also covers things in stickers/decals, I highly appreciate 👏
This is absolutely beautiful. Walnut is my favorite wood and I love the use of brass as an accent. I can see myself buying something like this, even though we only have two laptops and don’t have a need.
Nice!
I'd put some kind of foam or fabric at the bottom so that the chromebooks dont get scratched/scratch the wood.
One idea for power could be to use a powered usb hub, it'll slow charge the chromebooks, but if they're just used for schoolwork they can trickle charge overnight without issue, then the actual chargers could be used if they need. And it would be a single cord solution, pretty easy to update after you get the hub and cords from amazon or whatever.
Brilliant. Great seeing so many making use of whats around rather than always getting things in. Can be very liberating and get the creative mind going!
In regards to the brass holes, maybe 3D print a plastic collar to prevent the cables cutting against/exposing the wires?
I was just telling Alyssa how we need to be able to use what we already have to be able to create what we need! And what do ya know 10 minutes later this video comes out and My son says, “ hey daddy, you just told that to sissy!!” 😂😂😂 thank you Bob for helping drive home the lesson of the day 😉
What you just did is how I do about 90% of my projects. LOL I like it though. I might make this project an exception, and use your "plan." :)
Fantastic design. Great project. Thanks for sharing.
Love how your kids are always at the forefront. Nice job Bob.
Only one thing I probably change is to not make the real hole for the brass limit tube pass thru the outside panels but lock inside the inner panels...great job!
I was inspired by another of your videos two years ago to make a walnut charging station for all of the phones in our house. This project came out very nicely, and I really like the combination of walnut and brass. Stay healthy!
Necessity is the mother of invention! Nice job. Thanks Bob.
It looks and works great. The only thing that I would do is put some sort of rubber feet on the bottom for a little air flow and to keep it from sliding around, but then again I might be a little over cautious lol.
Love the brass detailing
Excellent solution 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😉 could include a heatsink to take away heat from transformers.
Thanks for the video. Keep safe and stay well.
If the cable is falling out the small hole just make something with a 3D printer something like a plug!!
thanks I love your videos
Abraham Herzog Or tie a zip tie around it behind the brass plate :)
Finally got around to watching this video, straight after watching a classic ILTMS with the foldable guitar stand and both use Brass. It actually looks like the same piece of scrap brass plate 3 years later 😀
I think I will build one this weekend, although I don’t have fancy brass! I am using a hacked up wire file folder stand right now.
Awesome project! I'm a german beginner in carpentry so i'd prefer to watch german videos to stay in familiar terminology but your builds just always look awesome. Most German youtube do projects that are really well thought out and well build but just look like crap in the end. Keep it up!
That music brought me back to 2014 when all of this was orange groves and there were no beards. FIRST!
When’s the next no instructions?
I would have added some foam or filt to the inside of those channels, to avoid scratching the laptops
because you DO think that kids care about scratches ?
That was my concern too
Don't think poly-stained walnut has any scratch potential at all. Foam or felt is more likely to collect debris and scratch the laptops. Anyhow, they're ChromeBooks, not MacBook Pros, who cares haha.
@@philipperostin nope, do you think they care about a charging station?
@@edgararrow4390 idk how much the wood is supposed to scratch, but having used felt for pc storage I can tell you that if you use decent stuff no debris at all..
Hi clever man. I would make the sidewalls a bit higher and leave some aeration for the chargers. They tend to get warm. Even move them to stand against the wall or floor to
cool them otherwise, GOOD JOB!!
You can always add the initials on the brass plate so they know who’s is who’s and you also know who didn’t put theirs away. Looks great Bob
Funny see a video like this and it brings up so many bad memories about Convid -19. Glad we lived in Florida where we never were locked down. Thank you God. Good video nonetheless.
I like the look of the brass, good job
Great video Bob. It just so happens that I have my granddaughters here for a few weeks and they have those same chrome books. This project has given me a great idea for a project with my granddaughters.
Keep the great videos coming.
Thanks for sharing and God bless
Nice solution Bob, thank you for posting this.
Keep up the good work 👍🏻 Custom holders for gear and other life hacks are my favourite kind of projects. Also to watch. Getting organised is the best stress relief 🙂
Beautiful! And I love this "old" style of camera (on tripod), it make us focus on what you are doing.
👍
Just a suggestion: Perhaps a right angle USB C Female to Male adapter would reduce the cable from hanging out so much and lessen the chances of it being snagged and breaking.
I like the idea with that piece of brass.👍
A nice addition would be extensions for the USB C cables built into a backboard (instead of the brass rod) that is lined up with the position of the port on the chrome books. That way, you could just slide them in and they'd connect and charge. It would eliminate any wires hanging out of the front and using extensions would also allow for the chargers to be removed and used elsewhere. Great video as always!
Hi Bob.... I love watching your videos you're an absolute genius.. 👍👍👍👍👍
Walnut and brass is always a good combination. Very clever and nice job!
I think the success you've gleaned from your efforts is laudable, and well-earned-and your largesse is especially great-but I have to admit that it was nice to journey back to the one-man-show era of your channel.
You don’t need a power strip in there. Just connect all 4 charges with one split cable.
You can also add a power button on the mains line to turn off the chargers while not in use.
And yes, you may need to add a fan to cool the chargers, also powered through the same button.
Another thing that I would change (but you need materials) is add female usb C terminals on the front plate and use short usb-C cables to connect to the laptops. It would look way better and high tech.
And it can double as a phone charger if those chargers can manage the output voltage (5V, 9V, 12V) and I think they can.
Nicely done. Stayed home. Be safe.
I've spent the last 5 days sitting in a beautiful shed my father built decades ago listening to audio books, rubbing downing, repairing, and re-glazing the windows. Anyone might think I was being paid by the hour I've dragged it out so long.
Bob, another design for this build would be to flip the Chromebook around and hot glue the USB C cable in where the brass rod is. then treat it like a docking system. this way there aren't any cables seen from the front. and it charges when not in use. I would recommend using some kind of felt so it wouldn't scratch the Chromebook. but overall I like the design.
Nice job Bob! Keep the videos coming! Stay safe!
Nice video!
Thanks!
the Bob that I i started with :) all by your self :)
Put a small gasket (plastic, rubber, whatever) around the brass opening to prevent the edge of the brass from wearing/cutting into the cable
5:36 Did anyone notice how his wipes landed perfectly on the drum beats?
Damn! Now I have you buy 4 chromebooks...
I am so going to make this for my crew's IPads at work. Another great video keep up the great work.
Awesome! Thank you!
Very cool design, and great execution!
Is always great to see you taking charge