Here's a spot to share the way we do things....let's keep it to DIY tho OK 😉
I'll start the show: I am a notorious "build on the fly" sort. I rarely if ever "make a plan and follow it" as a result I spend lots of time refitting 🙄 I don't mind a bit. Every change in design is the result of new knowledge or just a gut feeling. When I decide on the location of a component I do my best to be precise on it's mounting (even if it's the wrong location LOL). I tend to build things that are "modular" as I think this concept is the best for my particular "no plans" plan of attack
Modular stuff just seems to come apart and be re-used elsewhere easier. I suppose you could say I'm part "Borg" "resistance is futile.. you will be assimilated"
Lifter: Did ya follow me in? I "plotted" the hole for my LCD from the engineering drawings. I layed out the cut lines, drilled a start hole for the jig saw. Then using a fine toothed metal cutting blade as slow as my variable speed jig saw could go I made my cuts. When I use the saw this way I don't hold it by it's handle, I hold the motor casing. DON'T do this folks! Safety shields and guards and good shop practice are essential to keeping all your fingers and toes!(if you loose a finger it's not my fault) That being said...I do this because I find it allows more controll of the blade.
Tips: Drill 2 start holes in opposite corners (kitty corner) after you make your first cut you'll see why. Work at a decent height...hehe...I use the top of our chest freezer. Rest the elbow of the arm that is controlling the saw...makes the saw an extension of your arm this way...MUCH better blade controll. Every saw I've ever used tends to run to either the left or the right (pull naturally to left or right) find out which way your saw runs on some scrap (appropriate to what you intend to cut) Put on some safety glasses! (I wear mine as prescription so it's easy to forget to tell others) Get close to the work (my wife says I look like a "jewler" when I'm working...always asking me if my glasses need replaced LOL).
Well I've burned up some time now...and hopefully started a base for us all to build on.
zardoz
I'll start the show: I am a notorious "build on the fly" sort. I rarely if ever "make a plan and follow it" as a result I spend lots of time refitting 🙄 I don't mind a bit. Every change in design is the result of new knowledge or just a gut feeling. When I decide on the location of a component I do my best to be precise on it's mounting (even if it's the wrong location LOL). I tend to build things that are "modular" as I think this concept is the best for my particular "no plans" plan of attack
Modular stuff just seems to come apart and be re-used elsewhere easier. I suppose you could say I'm part "Borg" "resistance is futile.. you will be assimilated"
Lifter: Did ya follow me in? I "plotted" the hole for my LCD from the engineering drawings. I layed out the cut lines, drilled a start hole for the jig saw. Then using a fine toothed metal cutting blade as slow as my variable speed jig saw could go I made my cuts. When I use the saw this way I don't hold it by it's handle, I hold the motor casing. DON'T do this folks! Safety shields and guards and good shop practice are essential to keeping all your fingers and toes!(if you loose a finger it's not my fault) That being said...I do this because I find it allows more controll of the blade.
Tips: Drill 2 start holes in opposite corners (kitty corner) after you make your first cut you'll see why. Work at a decent height...hehe...I use the top of our chest freezer. Rest the elbow of the arm that is controlling the saw...makes the saw an extension of your arm this way...MUCH better blade controll. Every saw I've ever used tends to run to either the left or the right (pull naturally to left or right) find out which way your saw runs on some scrap (appropriate to what you intend to cut) Put on some safety glasses! (I wear mine as prescription so it's easy to forget to tell others) Get close to the work (my wife says I look like a "jewler" when I'm working...always asking me if my glasses need replaced LOL).
Well I've burned up some time now...and hopefully started a base for us all to build on.
zardoz
Very nice. When I first saw your picture (before you explained how you did it), I thought of this.
Pick out a piece from a hardware store. Draw the opening. The metal piece of the monitor will work. Draw a line from the corners of the opening to the corners of the wood. Cut the wood into 4 triangular shaped pices. Then, using the wood's straight edges as a backing, have the hardware store guy perfectly straight lines. Glue it back together and your set.
Pick out a piece from a hardware store. Draw the opening. The metal piece of the monitor will work. Draw a line from the corners of the opening to the corners of the wood. Cut the wood into 4 triangular shaped pices. Then, using the wood's straight edges as a backing, have the hardware store guy perfectly straight lines. Glue it back together and your set.
i kind of figure things out as i go along, although i do have exact ideas of what i want to do overall... just not exact dimensions 
i do have some advice for people new to wood working. when using a saw (table or handheld), let it spin up to it's full speed before starting the cut.. this will reduce the side effect of splinters on the sides of the cut. blades with more teeth produce a smoother cut. almost all blades produce a 1/8th inch wide cut, so keep that in mind when figuring out dimensions. cut with the good side of the wood facing you because the opposite side will have more splinters. the same goes for drilling.
if you need to make a square in the middle of a piece of wood, the best thing to do would be to draw out the border of it, then drill holes in all four corners so that the edges of the hole is just touching the boarders of the intended square. then insert a jig saw into of the drill holes and you'll be able to cut along side the borders of the square, leaving you with a nice square once you are done. you could also use a router to produce more straight edges.
i can't wait to show you guys my semi-finished case... i should get done with the main structure of it tonight. it's a much different approach than yours, zarodz.
i do have some advice for people new to wood working. when using a saw (table or handheld), let it spin up to it's full speed before starting the cut.. this will reduce the side effect of splinters on the sides of the cut. blades with more teeth produce a smoother cut. almost all blades produce a 1/8th inch wide cut, so keep that in mind when figuring out dimensions. cut with the good side of the wood facing you because the opposite side will have more splinters. the same goes for drilling.
if you need to make a square in the middle of a piece of wood, the best thing to do would be to draw out the border of it, then drill holes in all four corners so that the edges of the hole is just touching the boarders of the intended square. then insert a jig saw into of the drill holes and you'll be able to cut along side the borders of the square, leaving you with a nice square once you are done. you could also use a router to produce more straight edges.
i can't wait to show you guys my semi-finished case... i should get done with the main structure of it tonight. it's a much different approach than yours, zarodz.
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