On Wed, 7 Nov 2013, Jim Mueller wrote:

On Wed, 06 Nov 2013 20:51:22 +0000, gareth wrote:

If the individual circuit modules are in diecast aluminium boxes,
or in enclosures fashioned from blank PCB material, then there is no
need for the enclosing box to be of metal.

Wood is much. much easier to produce a fine finish, especially if French
Polished.

OK as long as the connections between the modules were appropriately
shielded and/or filtered.

That's the whole point. In the old days, the chassis was part of the
shielding, but it was heavy and bulky to work with. If you build as
modules (not weasy to do with small aluminum boxes, or boxes made out of
copper circuit board), the circuitry will get better shielding. And you
don't have to fuss about making it look "good" since you'll then put it in
a nice box that covers it all up.

Wood does have a tradition in amateur radio, back in the breadboard days,
but I can think of one SSB transceiver written about in QST in the early
seventies that used circuit board as the "chassis" and then put it all
behind a nice wooden case.

Michael VE2BVW