iPad 2 case out of veneer

[Stylis10]

Hi guys,

This is my first post on this forum, but I have been into woodworking for a while now although on a break due to being at university (I do all my woodworking in my grandads workshop).

Anyway, my question or rather what I need you advice for may so sound a little far-fetched. I want to make a thin back cover for my iPad 2 out of wood. It's just something I have the urge to do and even though you can buy them I'm one of those people that has to make it themselves. I was thinking that thin wood vaneer would be ideal and I could either get flexible one or normal and soak it in hat water to be able to bend the edges of it to get the shape to fit the iPad 2.

I would like other peoples thoughts on this. Normally I wouldn't be asking on a forum but my grandad himself, but sadly he passed away recently and I don't know where else to ask. It would also have to set pretty stiff so that it doesn't come back off the device.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[cutting42]

I don't think that veneer by itself would work. It would not hold the shape by itself and the curves would need a former. You could try carving from solid but getting the fit right would be a huge challenge and it would be hard to get it very thin without breaking.

Other way would be to get a hard plastic cover and try to veneer that

 

[condeesteso]

An interesting challenge. I fairly agree with Gareth, but there was a technique I have seen in boat-building which may be worth thinking about. Bear with me on this, but on some really high end race yachts (millions worth) the deck is sometimes made by wetting balsa sheets in a low viscosity epoxy, and laying laminates up over formers. Super-light and amazingly strong, imagine the loads going into a rigged deck like that.
So, the thinnest balsa you can get, maybe in strips say 1" wide. Make a mould first (clingfilm the iPad, and settle into any mould material). Then build up 2 layers of thin balsa with epoxy, running the strips diagonally and each layer opposite the other. Remove from mould and veneer, which will need to be wetted to flex so maybe a water-based adhesive?
The epoxy is a special one - SP Systems SP320 is the one used.
There's a but though - loads of work, and several stages, plus that low viscosity epoxy is expensive. But the technique interested me a lot. A guy in Canada made a racing skiff that way, and it is thunderously fast. neat eh??!!

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Hi guys,

This is my first post on this forum, but I have been into woodworking for a while now although on a break due to being at university (I do all my woodworking in my grandads workshop).

Anyway, my question or rather what I need you advice for may so sound a little far-fetched. I want to make a thin back cover for my iPad 2 out of wood. It's just something I have the urge to do and even though you can buy them I'm one of those people that has to make it themselves. I was thinking that thin wood vaneer would be ideal and I could either get flexible one or normal and soak it in hat water to be able to bend the edges of it to get the shape to fit the iPad 2.

I would like other peoples thoughts on this. Normally I wouldn't be asking on a forum but my grandad himself, but sadly he passed away recently and I don't know where else to ask. It would also have to set pretty stiff so that it doesn't come back off the device.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

It's nice to see new blood, not literally of course. :lol:

You have a very significant problem with your idea. That is that the iPad 2 back covers are held on with very small moulded lips. Wood by itself isn't going to be strong enough if it's thin enough for your cover. It will break at the corners and edge and that is where it holds on. The idea of veneering a plastic cover is the only one that is likely to work.

You can get low priced covers to play with from dx.com. The 0.9mm would be ideal.

However I would suggest that veneering a large panel in the centre would be a better idea.

(FWIW) this has been written on an iPad 2 with a dx.com smart back case