Have you ever sat at your computer desk, mindlessly clicking away, and stopped to think: “you know what? This whole experience would be made a lot better if I wasn’t using this mass-produced mouse. Something a little more personal, a little more me”? If so, then you were probably thinking along the same lines as Reddit user letitbesb, who made a working mouse out of wood.
If you want to do the same you might have to be a dab hand at woodwork, since the video showing him making this bespoke contraption features a heck of a lot of woodworking tools. But if you’ve got access to them, or can come up with reasonable substitutions, the result does look stunning.
And if it’s the guts of the device you’re worried about – the integrated circuit, infrared sensors, all that techy stuff – then fear not. You can simply take these components out of your old mouse and transfer them into their new wooden shell, wired up exactly as they were. There should be no problem with keeping your best gaming mouse’s super-accurate sensor.
The video shows the Reddit user first carving out the body of the mouse from a chunk of wood and sanding it down into shape, and then getting to work hollowing it out for the internal components to fit inside. Following this, the button plate and bottom plate are fashioned and fixed to the mouse body, along with fittings for the internal circuitry. Finally, the button plate is added to a newly hollowed section, as is the scroll wheel, and the whole thing is varnished for the finishing touch.
There might not be many of you that have access to the tools required to make a homemade wooden mouse, but for those of you that do this video can serve as great inspiration. It’d also be the perfect project to go alongside this wall-mounted gaming PC project. With enough time and dedication, one could presumably fashion an entire bespoke gaming PC setup – although perhaps a pre-packaged DIY kit like this one would do the trick, at least as far as the keyboard is concerned.
Of course, there are reasons why pre-built mice exist, and not just because it’s easier for the consumer. It’s also because manufacturers have the resources available to design and make comfortable, feature-rich, durable mice with pinpoint-accurate machinery. But if you’re looking for something more personal and unique, you can do much worse than making your own wooden mouse like this one. It’ll definitely be a conversation starter for anyone that sees it, at least.