I'm thinking of selling my final template for the Home Dock shell. Once that happens, it will be near impossible for me to ever make another Home Dock.

So, before it vanishes.. does anyone else here want to buy a Home Dock shell (unwired wooden shell only)? Details of construction and wiring are (for now) still available at the Home Docks link above.

Please post here ASAP if you think you might want a bare dock shell, before I effectively "destroy the mold." Cost per unit would be somewhere under US$100, S&H included.

Thanks

Why "destroy the mold" at all? Could the "mold" and process be sold to someone else for later production; a la 303 fascias (though the second run never came around, the potential was there).

Or are you trying to maintain quality controll and rarity of your creation? Or has it simply reached market saturation (within reason)?

I think the supply/demand curves have intersected, and I have the one remaining complete parts set taking up space in the shop. Either I barter them as-is, or I do another small run of them before doing so. That's all.

Cheers

Mark,

I would like to take your last unit off your hands. Please PM me. - Sean

I'm interested in a bare dock shell.

Rod.

caseyse,
I was trying to work a deal with ML for his last dock (and parts) which is what prompted him to make this thread. I would trust that ML would honor this IF he decides not to make another run...Mark?

I would be interested in 2 more docks!

If you make more I am interested in buying one.

Anyone else want one?

I'd be interested in a dock, shell or complete.

<AOL>Me Too!</AOL>

I'd like another dock if you wanted to make some more.

If you could be convinced to do a last run of real wood (those cherry wood ones you did where beautiful) I'd take one.

-Mike

Eeeks! More interest here than I'd expected!

Okay, so here is what is happening thus far:

I have about 10-15 (not sure.. gotta recount to confirm) inner and outer back panels, which are/were very fussy to cut out originally. I will NOT be making any more of those, ever.

And I just came back up from the shop, where I've cut out enough side panel blanks (MDF) to match the inner/outer back panels. Lots more work is needed to finish those (nine more machining operations per blank).

That leaves tops/bottoms, of which I currently have exactly one set (MDF). So I need to make more of them to complete this series. And those can be made of pretty much any materials.

Fancy wood increases my/your costs (materials and labour), but not by a whole lot. I don't want to spray finish anything, though, as things are still pretty busy around here and that stuff really soaks up time.

I don't want to get into doing the wiring or even supplying the parts for that (docking connectors, fans, pins, RCA jacks, DC-power jack, serial port connector..), so this run will be all unwired SHELLS regardless.

Note: perhaps somebody in the USA could consider being "point man" for the parts, doing a single bulk order from DigiKey, and then redistributing them to the other purchasers when the time comes. Whoever takes on this role first will automatically get onto the list for a shell.

* * *

In summary, I have started up a new batch of around 10+ unwired dock shells, which will have MDF side panels like all previous docks (including the cherry ones).

I have not decided what to use for tops/bottoms, but anything other than MDF will increase the cost by perhaps $20-$30 over the sub-$100 price for plain MDF tops/bottoms. MDF is best for painting, whereas real wood is best finished with something clear (shellac, polyurethane, etc..).

Those of you who have expressed interest (and those who want to), please post again and say what your top/bottom preference would be: MDF ($85), or unfinished real wood ($115), or finished real-wood ($140). Those are approximate SHIPPED price estimates, which may vary in the end by $5-10 up or down.

In the meanwhile, I'll continue to putter along in the shop, and when I have some to sell, I'll go through this thread to figure out who gets first shot at them.

Cheers

I'd take a fancy real wood dock.

If available, I would love a real-wood finished dock.

I would like a MDF dock if it's not too much trouble.

Mark, is there anyway to make a fancy wood one minus the back? That way I could slip my MKI into it.

1 shell, MDF works for me.

Oh, shoot.. forgot all about yours, Laura! Do you still want just a sleeve to encase your Mk1 metal sled?

EDIT: and do the Mk1 units have cooling holes on the lid? How should the airflow work for that.. wouldn't want to cook it, ya know!

Cheers

Disclaimer: I'm not posting this as a request for either myself nor am I speaking for anybody...

Mark, would you be open to letting someone borrow the design to make more copies in the future, giving you a cut and still calling them "Mark Lord Docks"? With all of the resources shown lately in new facias and button kits, there seems to be the posibility that someone here could keep the docks going. We all understand that you are pressed for time and are not able to invest many hours into future runs. The more time I have spent using the two docks I've purchased from you, the more I realize you spent a lot of time and care designing them (ie, they are not simply a wooden box). Because of this, I think that if anyone else made docks, you should get some money on each unit sold to compensate you for your design. I also think that if anyone made docks, they would be "borrowing" your design which would still belong to you if you ever decided to make future docks. It would be a shame to see these no longer made. The two I have now are great, but I could see myself need another in a year.

Fair enough!

As long as there is something sitting around for you to reverse engineer, that'll work! I'd just hate for you to reinvent the wheel a year from now.

I'm interested in an MDF shell.

Thanks,

Rod.

I'll take a unfinished real wood shell please.


EDIT: ARRRRG unfinshed, unfinished, I'm needing more sleep than I've been getting...Or just more caffeine.

i'll take one MDF shell please

Nevermind Mark. It doesn't just slide into the shell like I thought it would. The sides would have to be notched differently. It does have holes on the lid though.

I would like both to be MDF.

Thanks

I'm still in for one unfinished fancy wood shell. I'd be upgrading an existing dock so I guess I really just need the top and bottom panels if that would save a couple bucks (and not be a pain for you).

-Mike