Vertical PC Dock: Progress

The original version of the stand looked fine in CAD, but once I started holding up the actual material and thinking about how everything would fit together in real life, I realized it needed some serious tweaking. The footprint, for example, was too narrow for a full-size PC—especially when factoring in airflow and stability. I also noticed that some of the alignment tabs were too short or thin to be reliable, so I strengthened those while I was updating the model. The overall shape hasn’t changed much, but I’ve made a lot of small refinements—adjusting thicknesses, clearances, tolerances, and slot placements—to make sure everything fits together cleanly and feels intentional.

This week I also worked with Pat to go over my designs and help him prepare the files for the router table. Since the router only accepts 2D DXF files, all the depths have to be programmed manually, which adds another layer of planning. I also made the decision to switch from using brass threaded inserts to just using wood screws. The inserts can be tricky to install cleanly and are easy to mess up, especially in plywood. Since I won’t be changing the thickness of the stand once it’s assembled, using wood screws will be more straightforward and totally fine for my use case.

Some of the design updates also involved reworking the slot and pocket geometry. In the original design, the slots went all the way through the wood, but I decided to only slot from the bottom instead. The outer face of the wood has a decent slant, and I was worried that cutting all the way through would leave the material too thin around the pocket area. Reducing the size and depth of the slots and pockets also makes machining way faster—the deeper the pocket, the more passes the router needs to make, so this change should save a lot of time during fabrication.

Looking ahead, the only component I still need to source is the felt lining for the interior. I’ve already found the perfect option online, a protective felt with a strong adhesive backing. This will help prevent any scratches or marks on the devices when they’re placed in the stand, while also giving the interior a clean, finished look.