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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Whiskey in the Jar-o on Sat, 08 December 2007, 16:53:17

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: Whiskey in the Jar-o on Sat, 08 December 2007, 16:53:17

Which switches are these?

http://www.monodo.jp/hacoa/product/diykit/index.html

The top row looks like Cherry ML, not sure about the rest.

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: mr_sf_applet on Sat, 08 December 2007, 18:52:13

Don't have a clue about the switches, but my god, it's a DIY kit. I checked the Babel Fish translation, and it says the kit includes a saw and file (shown in those tiny photographs), so you can saw off and file/polish your keycaps for installation. Wonder what the cost is. Those crazy Japanese!

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: Whiskey in the Jar-o on Sat, 08 December 2007, 19:25:06

There are others:

marble keyboard mod: http://www.thiemo.net/misc/kezboard/

I think it's imitation wood, but anyway:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=WOODKYBMOU&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-daily_daily_html-_-01Nov07-_-WOODKYBMOU

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: chimera15 on Wed, 17 June 2009, 08:05:32

Currently $359...

http://www.m-infotec.co.jp/newproduct/index47.html

Does it include the keyboard, or just the wood parts to adapt a separate keyboard?

Looks like rubber domes...

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: lowpoly on Wed, 17 June 2009, 08:21:37

It's a DIY kit but contains everything, IIRC.

Edit: switch question hasn't been answered before:

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=4272&highlight=hacoa

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: chimera15 on Wed, 17 June 2009, 08:40:25

I think I've seen those keys on one of my boards before, but not sure at this moment which one....  I think it may actually be a similar Japanese board.

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: chimera15 on Wed, 17 June 2009, 08:45:06

Hehehe

1k...

http://cgi.ebay.com/100-Natural-Wooden-Keyboard-NoblessPremium-version_W0QQitemZ220405936941QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item335137b32d&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

Much more reasonable, but in the uk

http://cgi.ebay.com/100-Natural-Wooden-Keyboard-NoblessPremium-version_W0QQitemZ220405936941QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item335137b32d&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: lowpoly on Wed, 17 June 2009, 09:06:21

The better wood keyboards keep the structure of the grain:

http://tastaturdesign.de/index.php/gallerie?func=viewcategory&catid=3

(site in german)

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: chimera15 on Wed, 17 June 2009, 09:33:16

Quote from: ripster;97011

Those are nice - I really like the feeling of wood.  I'm still waiting to see some non-chiclet style keys though.  If those Korean guys can do it in metal I don't see why it couldn't be done in wood.

I wonder how long it would take to carve a set out by hand, wow that'd be tedious.  Assuming you took 30 minutes per key, for an 81 key board like the minitouch, it'd take you 40 hours.  Then you'd have to figure out how to do the labeling, or you'd have to carve the letters in too...hmm  Then a nice case would probably take you at least another 3-4 hours.

  It'd be almost impossible to get the keys shaped exactly right by hand too though, I wonder what sort of machinery it'd take to make sure each key was exactly the same...

  Maybe you could actually do it with just a mitre box though...  It'd be making the stems to fit the alps keys that'd be the hard part to keep exact.

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: watduzhkstand4 on Wed, 17 June 2009, 09:37:18

the 'marble mouse' is fake lol. You can see the sticker warping on the edges.

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: lowpoly on Wed, 17 June 2009, 10:05:19

Quote from: chimera15;97014

I wonder what sort of machinery it'd take to make sure each key was exactly the same...

I posted a link to the Roland scanner/mill in the aluminum HHKB thread.

Quote from: watduzhkstand4;97017

the 'marble mouse' is fake lol. You can see the sticker warping on the edges.

At the beginning of the page he said he used PVC marble and a hair dryer. A real marble case wouldn't be that hard to do either.

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: IBI on Wed, 17 June 2009, 10:16:33

Quote from: chimera15;96998

Much more reasonable, but in the uk

http://cgi.ebay.com/100-Natural-Wooden-Keyboard-NoblessPremium-version_W0QQitemZ220405936941QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item335137b32d&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

I think your link is wrong.

Quote from: watduzhkstand4;97017

the 'marble mouse' is fake lol. You can see the sticker warping on the edges.

He does say he uses marble printed plastic for the keyboard so I didn't think he'd got his chisel out to do the mouse.

I'm tempted to do it myself when I switch back to using a mechanical keyboard, the G80s are almost the perfect keyboard to do it with as they have little in the way of awkward corners.

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: itlnstln on Wed, 17 June 2009, 10:31:20

I don't really care for the marble keyboard and mouse.  I like the look of marble, but the PVC stuff is not a good facsimile.  That, and without a ridiculous amount of work, the keys don't match, so you don't get that seamless look that the wooden keyboards have.  I really like the wooden ones, especially the ebony version of the $1000 keyboard chimera15 posted.  It would be perfect if it were more glossy like the one lowpoly posted.

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: IBI on Wed, 17 June 2009, 11:10:02

I'm not keen on the wooden keyboards myself, they always look as if they've just picked wood because it's a pretty pattern and then used brute force to make a keyboard from it.

Title: Wooden keyboard
Post by: Rajagra on Sat, 27 June 2009, 03:13:31

Quote from: chimera15;97014

I wonder how long it would take to carve a set out by hand, wow that'd be tedious.  Assuming you took 30 minutes per key, for an 81 key board like the minitouch, it'd take you 40 hours.  Then you'd have to figure out how to do the labeling, or you'd have to carve the letters in too...hmm  Then a nice case would probably take you at least another 3-4 hours.

  It'd be almost impossible to get the keys shaped exactly right by hand too though, I wonder what sort of machinery it'd take to make sure each key was exactly the same...

  Maybe you could actually do it with just a mitre box though...  It'd be making the stems to fit the alps keys that'd be the hard part to keep exact.

Could use these. Might need lacquering to protect the lettering - or even take a Dremel to them and engrave the letters?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110404977302