Vertical PC Dock Final Report: How

After finalizing the concept and initial CAD model, the hands-on process really took over. While I started out with a loose plan in mind, a lot of unexpected challenges came up along the way that pushed me to adapt.

The first real step was sourcing the material. I knew I wanted reclaimed wood with a lot of character, but finding the right piece turned out to be harder than I expected. Most suppliers either sold massive beams that were way too big for a project this size or priced things way out of reach for a student budget. After some digging, I found a barnwood supplier near Denver who had offcuts available. The piece I picked had everything I was looking for: tight grain, natural cracks, wormholes, and a weathered texture that felt earned, not manufactured. The only catch was that it had some embedded metal, probably from an old nail, which made cutting it down more difficult.

Once I had the wood, I moved on to rough cutting. Because it was reclaimed, the woodshop would not let me use the table saw, since hidden metal could trigger the SawStop system. I had to rely entirely on the bandsaw. It got the job done, but the cuts were not perfectly straight, especially for my initial cuts, since they piece of wood was so tall the blade would warp and cut into the pieces I wanted flat. I told myself that someone else probably wouldn’t see the imperfections without knowing it.

After rough cutting, I moved to the CNC router to cut out the slots and details. Before machining, I spent a lot of time refining the CAD model, double-checking that all the dimensions were clean and ready for export to 2D DXF files. I also worked with the Idea Forge technician to set up the toolpaths. This turned out to be a bigger step than I thought because it was the first time this particular CNC router was being used for a student project. Some calibration issues caused slight misalignments during the cut. The slots were off by a few millimeters in a couple of places, I tried to make it as uniform as possible so that it would be super noticeable.

In parallel, I also laser-cut the acrylic base plate. This plate connects all the wooden panels and gives the dock rigidity without adding visual bulk. Designing it was pretty straightforward, but making sure the slots and panel mounts aligned with the slightly imperfect wood pieces took some back and forth. I made sure to adjust things manually during assembly to preserve the aesthetic without forcing perfect fits that would have looked fake.

The final step involved addressing some issues that were left over from machining the wood. Since the front face wasn’t flat, there were sections where the bit didn’t completely reach the surface. To fix this, I used a sharp X-Acto knife to trim around the edges, ensuring I preserved the machined look while minimizing chips on the edges. I quickly realized I needed an extremely sharp blade, so I switched to a precision craft knife.

Assembly came next. Because the bandsaw cuts were not 100% straight and the CNC slots were slightly off-center, it became a bit of a puzzle to fit everything together cleanly. I made some minor adjustments to the baseplate slots and re-squared the side panels by hand where needed. In the end, the imperfections are there if you look closely, but they feel authentic rather than like mistakes.

A small but important detail was lining the slots with felt. This protects the laptops from getting scratched and also gives a nicer tactile feeling when placing them into the dock. It was a small upgrade, but it made the dock feel more intentional and finished.

I also added an adjustable center panel that can slide to fit different laptop sizes. You can loosen two screws underneath and reposition it. I am really glad I included this feature because it keeps the dock flexible without ruining the clean silhouette.

Overall, the final dock came out very close to the original vision. It feels grounded, natural, and minimal, and it definitely makes my workspace feel calmer and more finished. More importantly, it feels like an object with real presence rather than just another piece of plastic tech furniture.

Here is a visual summary of the timeline and process I followed throughout this project:

The timeline helped me stay organized, especially during the parts where multiple steps were overlapping, like CAD refinement while sourcing materials or sanding while waiting for the router machine setup. It also helped me break the project into manageable pieces rather than feeling overwhelmed by everything at once.

Reflection

Looking back, there are a few things I’d approach differently if I were to redo this project. First, I’d take more time at the start to ensure the wood was flat and square—this would’ve made both the CNC process and final assembly much cleaner and more precise. I’d also run a test cut on scrap material before machining the final pieces to catch any calibration issues early. Lastly, I would complete all the cuts on the CNC router, not just the internal features. Cutting the full profile on the router would have significantly improved the overall accuracy and consistency of the final product.

Despite that, I am proud of how it turned out. The dock fits exactly into the aesthetic goals I set at the start: rustic minimalism with a Wabi-Sabi influence, mixing raw and refined, old and new. It is functional, but more importantly, it feels personal. It adds a layer of warmth and intentionality to my desk that I was missing before. It is a project I will actually use every day, and it genuinely improves my space, which feels like the ultimate success for a design like this.

This project taught me a lot about how small material choices and slight imperfections can have a huge impact on how an object feels and fits into a space. I also learned the value of staying flexible during fabrication because no matter how perfect the CAD model is, real-world materials and machines always bring surprises.

Sources and Inspiration:

1. Oakywood. Dual Vertical Laptop Stand. Retrieved from:
   https://oakywood.shop/products/dual-vertical-laptop-stand

2. House of Forme. The Art of Wabi-Sabi. Retrieved from:
   https://www.houseofforme.com/mood/the-art-of-wabi-sabi

3. OpenAI. ChatGPT. Used as a writing refinement tool.