Make sure it's white oak, not red. Red oak is pretty much garbage, if you've ever worked with it. White oak is supposed to be commercially extinct, and I think they're using rubber wood as a replacement. But you can still find it, just maybe not in the big box stores.
Regardless, the heat inside the cage will probably lead to some warping. That's difficult to avoid under the conditions, unless you use mdf and veneers.
I'd use plastic card guides in any case, rather than cutting slots, for the reasons you mention.
Personally, I'd use black walnut, but then I've got a stash of it that's 25 years old. Much nicer to work with, and none of the problems associated with finishing oak.
Regards,
Matt Turner
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:54:38 -0700
From: vincemu...@gmail.com
To: n8vem...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [N8VEM-S100:4565] Oak S100 card cage
(I posted this in the wrong group originally, sorry)
I'm thinking of making an oak card cage for my 18 S100 slots. I've got the original IEEE-696 physical parameters, is that good enough for all modern N8VEM projects?
Nice thick oak to be non-flexible. Thinking a short "U" with the board at the bottom and slots cut in the arms. Probably not coming up all the way on the side of the cards. That rather firmly bolted to standard rack mount shelf (heavy duty) bolted inside a steel rack case
Poly coated on all surfaces for humidity stability and it'll live in a stable climate controlled area at constant temp/humidity anyway.
Will live inside a ventilated steel chassis I have access to for EMI/RFI whatever. Thank you PCI/DSS financial regulations for forcing the production of cool little networking device cases with great ventilation and locks and access on all sides etc.
I have more than enough 'leet table saw skills to pull this off.
I'm thinking of two MBs one on top of another in the rack case. I've got 12U of space to hold these two MBs which will make a tight fit vertically but probably survivable (Will have to model that extensively, maybe I can get access to a 16U case...)
Crazy? Sane? Better idea? I can' t be the first guy in 40 years to think of oak as a card cage material. Also are all the N8VEM cards under the IEEE size standards around the perimeter? I've seen some mighty full cards with "stuff" right up to the edge.
Curious if anyone tried it and the tannins in the oak made their pcb corrode or poly finish sticks to rosin flux or something I haven't even considered yet.
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