This re-covered iPod is almost like hugging a tree, except it fits in the palm of your hand. So perhaps it’s more like giving a tree a handshake and hearing your favorite tunes at the same time. Josh D, from Australia, took his Apple iPod Mini apart and built a brand new case from red cedar to update the otherwise outdated gadget into a stylish, natural, and woodsy example of heirloom design.
Rather than just recycling his old trusty iPod Mini when Josh got a new one, he decided to take care of a little mini project he had been meaning to do for some time. He took apart the Mini, removed the original cover and designed a new hardwood case using the original guts of the iPod. With the use of his trusty Dremel tool, he retooled a hardwood cover out of Australian Red Cedar and a clickwheel out of Camphor Laurel. Josh used brass plates for the bottom and top as well as brass screws to keep it all together.
The crafting of the clickwheel seems to be the most impressive aspect of the project. Josh shaved down the circular wooden piece to just a few millimeters thick and used double sided tape to adhere it to the iPod electronics. In his words, “the wooden clickwheel ended up being just as responsive as the original plastic clickwheel. I ended up shaving the clickwheel to only a couple millimetres thick, and the ipod’s sensor picks up the signal no worries.” There’s even wooden accessories to go along with it – Josh re-coverd the iTrip module in Light Red Cedar as well as the iPod mini dock in Camphor Laurel.
The result is a beautifully finished piece that is likely to long outlast its cheap plastic counterparts, and would go perfectly with a set of slick wood speakers. We hope John will continue to update the casing with the latest guts, and compost it once it has lived through its useful lifecycle.
+ Josh D’s Flckr Set
Via Designboom
I’m trying to decide if this is cool, or simply a HUGE waste of time. Either way the guy did a nice job.
hi!
thanks so much for the article on my wood ipod mini Bridgette! I’m glad you appreciated my little wooden buddy. And I hadn’t even heard of the heirloom design concept yet, but now that i’ve read a little on the subject, i think it’s really interesting. i doubt my grandkids will be too happy about me giving them an heirloom ipod with a pathetic 4GB hard drive though, by then it will most likely be terabytes of memory in these ipod things. ha!
thanks again, and yep, i’m dying to make some wood speakers as well, or maybe i need to fight my sometimes ocd tendencies and leave the wood converting for a while. hmmm,
see ya!
Josh D
where can i get one?
<3
Hey Neeki,
I’m possibly working out how i might be able to produce them in kit form, so people can buy the kits and outfit their own ipods. i’d love to be able to provide that as a service to the public.
josh
How much more energy did he have to expend to create this. Nice concept but is it worth the added carbon footprint?