Modders have attempted to mix woodworking and PC modding before, but the two crafts rarely meld to create a cover-worthy PC. Virgilius, the wooden computer case that owes its name to Dante’s “The Divine Comedy,” is one of those few successful fusions. Hailing from the Ukraine, Valeriy “ZhukArt” Zhuk decided to apply his craft of twenty years to a case for his PC. He chose the name Vergilius because, he says, “I recalled that Virgil was Dante’s guide to Hell and Purgatory in “The Divine Comedy.” For me as well, my Virgilius became a guide in the world of modding.”

Valeriy picked up woodworking in 1984 when his friend gave him a set of chisels. Since then, he's learned to use several machines, including the fretsaw and milling machine. Although he’s sold some furniture, he considers woodworking to be one of his hobbies. He’s created some elaborate wall hangings and a table for his home.

Rather than avoid metal, Valeriy incorporated it into his case. In fact, the interior of the system is a standard aluminum ATX case that had a plastic shell. He removed the plastic and then partially assembled the wooden case around the metal case. The front panel is particularly complex: It includes a base plate and three decorative plates. Finally, he affixed the wooden side panels to the aluminum side panels.

by Joshua Gulick

Zhuk used aspen to build the system’s wooden panels and decorative plates. He then used a black watercolor to tone the wood. The feet are birch.

This piece isn’t part of the Virgilius PC, but it offers another look at his craftsmanship. Zhuk builds these pieces as wall decorations.

The wooden front panel is removable. Zhuk extended the power switch to the front panel and created a vent for the intake fan.

A stylish case isn’t complete without a skirt and feet, Zhuk tells us. “I decided to make four feet on a lathe,” says Zhuk. “On each foot I glued a rubber shock-absorbent lining.”

“I think the top part must have something in common with the bottom part,” Zhuk says. You’ll see some of the same patterns in the mask at the bottom [of] the front panel and on the system’s skirt.

This is the inside of one of the side panels. Zhuk cut a hole into the acrylic panel so he could place additional lights behind the head (you can see the base of the head behind the hole).

The inside of the system glows a fiery red, thanks to red LED fans and cold cathode lights throughout the case. You can see the window’s webbing through the acrylic.

“I cut a window in the original metal panel with a fretsaw,” says Zhuk. “On the rear side of the metal panel I attached an acrylic window with two red cold cathode lights from Revoltec. On [the] front side of the metal panel I attached the wooden part of the left panel, which consists of the frame, a wooden two-layer web, vinyl paper and a wooden mask.”

The lower half of the front panel includes Power and Reset buttons. The mask partially covers an intake fan that attaches to the metal front panel inside the case.

The front panel includes several decorative plates, including one that bears Vergilius’ initial. Zhuk built a custom bezel for the DVD-ROM at the top of the system.

Zhuk used vinyl to darken the acrylic window on the right side of the system. He created the red glow around the head by placing some red LEDs directly behind the head.

Although Zhuk has much more experience with woodworking than he does with computer modding, he managed to mesh the two well and even work the metal case into the artwork. If you look closely at the side panel, you’ll see that much of the metal side panel is visible. It frames the more decorative wooden panel.

“The table is my work too,” says Zhuk. “It was made [a] few years before the case. Usually I don’t make furniture for myself. When there are orders I make furniture, masks, and decorative pieces.”

Zhuk tells us that he can remove the masks and add new ones if wants to (he hasn’t built any new masks at this point). He built a special faceplate for the front panel when he entered a recent Cooler Master case modding contest.

An AeroCool fan controller on the front panel adds to the red theme. “There is a rectangular button on this plate which turns on/off the light on the left side panel,” says Zhuk. “Under this button, on the base part, there are two other round buttons: Power and Reset.”

Aside from the aluminum chassis inside the wooden case, Zhuk built the case by hand. As with a regular ATX case, Zhuk can remove Virgilius’ side panels and front panels when he needs to perform maintenance. “The left and right panels were attached to specially prepared original metal panels with little screws,” says Zhuk. “All other panels were attached to a frame with the same screws.”

Source: Valeriy Zhuk