USB Woodstick Guide

On my normal day to day web browsing I came across a news post about wooden USB sticks, I was intrigued by the idea of incorporating wood into a pc and it sure was a fashion statement… As was the price! A 1GB wood stick costs 70 Euros (or about $90 US).

So why not make it yourself for a fraction of the normal costs, all you need is a USB stick and some epoxy glue, that and the gift that nature provided trees? Remember to speak softly and carry a big stick.

Now I don’t want any tree huggers on my ass, nor do I want to chop down the rain forest, but just go out into the local woods and stare down on the ground until you find a piece of dead wood that you like, best is to take some samples with you about 1inch is a nice thickness, but if you want half a log that’s up to you as well… Just make sure that the twig surpasses the width and length of your USB stick.

Also, don’t forget to look up now and then or you’ll run into a tree (we here at OCMS aren’t responsible for cranium defects). Then again if you put a USB stick inside a tree then there must be something not functioning 100%, just like me ?

So after you have recovered from the mild concussion you got from not looking up enough, it’s time to sort the pieces you gathered. It’s all up to your imagination, cut the wood to the desired length, but keep in mind it still has to stick out of an USB slot so adding half a tree is a bad idea. In general it’s wise to use a miter box when possible to achieve a straight cut.

You also might want to inspect the wood’s quality. Make sure there aren’t any wood worms, the wood is not soft, or any other defects. If so, just discard the wood and get a new piece. Though the size of your twig isn’t the only important factor, mini USB sticks are easier to use than larger ones, since you can only go as deep as the shaft of your drill permits, so it’s wise to check out dimensions.

Once you’ve made up your mind about the length, pull out your trusty swiss knife and cut it down to length (or just use a normal saw and miter it down to size). Now just take your victim, errrrm I mean your USB stick and discard the plastic covering, which can be done with a flat screwdriver. To create the slot I used my trusty Dremel and accessories. I used a straight router for the rough cuts, but it sill cut away the wood very quickly, so a firm grip and steady hand is needed to freehand it (as in material in one hand, Dremel in the other). You can also use a clamp to secure the wood as you route your new slot.

Here are the tools you’ll need to complete this project:

• Dremel or other variable rotary tool
• Part number 650, 1/8″ Straight Router Bit
• Part number 150, 1/8″ Drill Bit
• Part number 9904, Tungsten Carbide Cutter

You don’t have to use the exact same bits I did, but it happed to be what I had lying around, and were the best tools to do the job. The good thing about the router bit I mentioned above is that it’s the exact width of a usb port.

Basically all you need to do is make a few pilot holes for the router bit, and carve out all the excess material until you can fit the internals of the stick. After the raw work with the router bit, you can smooth it off with the Carbide cutter. Just keep test fitting until your USB stick fits into the slot nice and snug. (The metal part of the stick should be a few millimeters inside the wood.)

Once you’re satisfied with the result, and you’re sure it fits the way you want, then break out the epoxy glue. You can also use Z-Poxy or any other epoxy resin, but I tested the Bison “DIY get it at every store glue” with an ohm meter and it measured infinite resistance (non-conductive). You don’t need a big batch of epoxy since its only a small gap to fill. I used Q-tips to coat the inside of the gap, and deposited a layer glue along the side.

Once that is done, go ahead and push the stick in and add more glue as needed. Take the stick out once or twice to add some, now don’t over do it, and remember that it’s easier to add glue then to remove it. Now just keep the stick and twig steady and aligned the way you want it while the epoxy hardens (about 5 to 7 minutes).

After that I just mixed up a few more drops to seal the edges around the stick, and left it to dry for 1 day so it fully cures into one hard mass. Do remember that you will not be able to remove the USB stick without destroying it. Once the mod is done there is no going back; but USB flash drives are so cheap these days that there is no great loss.

Now for the big moment… will it still work? I plugged in my new wood into a free USB port and voila! It worked just as fine as it used to. You may be wondering if there were any heat problems, but I have been using it as normal for a few weeks now and it has never failed, nor has the wood ever gotten warm.

So next time you want to impress that special someone with your new bling, just pop out your w00tstick and showoff what nature provided with all the best of modern technology.