When the newest Mac Pro was announced by Apple in June, people were ecstatic. Not because of the computer’s maximum CPU capacity of 28 cores/56 threads and 2933MHz memory, but because the hardware was a return to Apple’s tower design after years of a thermally limited, although quite compact, ‘trash can’ style design. Featuring a new grille/grate design, the computer transfers heat faster than Tim Cook shedding his shirt on a hot summer’s day.
While tech reviewers and computer savants are itching to see what this new computer can do, maker, adventurer, and space enthusiast Winston Moy has a bigger, more important question in mind: Does Apple’s new design work as a cheese grater?
Finally, proof that it completely stinks as cheese grater, although it’s still likely doomed to forever be referred to as a cheese grater. How did he replicate the design? Well, for us, that’s the more interesting aspect. Here’s how he did it.
Since the Mac Pro won’t be out until later this year, Winston re-created the odd hemispherical cutout pattern. By repeating and offsetting their positioning on top of one another onto a small, single block of geometry using Fusion 360, Winston was able to get the initial design pretty close to what Apple unveiled to the public.
After an error in the initial CNC machining results with the holes cut in the wrong areas, Winston goes back to his design and decides to split his second model into two parts: one with the top cutouts and one with the bottom cutouts.
He runs a rounded file through the prototype to smooth the rough edges before giving the whole thing a satin finish and anodizing it to give it the look and feel of an official Apple product.
Does the Mac Pro Grille Grate Cheese?
Now for the moment of truth: the actual cheese grating experiment. Unsurprisingly, the grille does a pretty poor job when used as a kitchen utensil. While it does grate off large chunks of hard cheese when you apply lots of pressure to it, you can say the say the same for just about anything with ridges on it. Still, the amount of effort you have to exert isn’t proportional to the few slices of poorly grated cheese you get in return.
Instead of using the Apple Mac Pro grille in the kitchen, Winston finds a better use for the tool as a soap dish. It allows excess water to pass through and keeps your bar of soap stationary while you take a bath.
To see more of Winston Moy’s DIY nonsense, be sure to check out his YouTube channel.
