Computer Keyboard #1: Over my head...

I was inspired by the Steampunk keyboards where people have stripped the keys off of vintage typewriters and modified existing keyboards with them.
I really like the look of brass and wood, so I thought I would make my own keys of brass and take the circuit board out of a keyboard. I chose mahogany for the wood.

Here is the current state of affairs:

(the black swirl marks on the wood are just rubber from some clamps I was using to hold it down while drilling. That will sand right off)

The keys are made from 5/8” brass hand cut using a pipe cutter. That is a lot of cutting… I wore out two pipe cutters.

I buffed all of the keys to shine with a dremel.
I used clear casting epoxy to create a lens in the keys that includes a concave end for comfort on the fingers.

I did not own a drill press, so that is why not all of the holes are drilled through. Turns out drilling straight by hand is tricky…
Also, the concave lenses turned into the bane of my existence. ;)

I now own a drill press, so I can finish the wood.

I became a little overwhelmed by this project and put it on hold to build my digital clock. Perhaps now that I have completed my first ever wood working project, I can finish this one.

-- Wes, Garland, TX