Have you guys ever made mistakes in building your cab?

[Funnel]

I'm asking this because I've made a lot of mistakes in cutting, measuring, drawing and whatnot. And it's slowly killing my motivation to go on with work on my cab. Any feedback guys?

[leapinlew]

all my cabs have been perfect, everytime. 

If those are the kinds of mistakes your making, go buy a cabinet and convert it for your use. You'll build up your skills and before you know it, you'll be able to build your own cabinet.

[DolansCadillac]

When I put my first cab together I hadn't done anything involving tools since high school shop, so I was in the same boat as you. Stick with it though, I found out that any mistake that isn't disastrous (meaning if it doesn't fall apart on you) usually needs to be pointed out to people before they even see it, once it's built. Plus the feeling once you get in the groove and things start coming together makes it worth all of the frustration.

[BobA]

Always measure twice and cut once. 
(Repeat)
Always measure twice and cut once.

That hopefully will get rid of your first 2 fustrations. 

Drawing is highly dependent on if you are using a drawing program or just sketching things on a piece of paper.  It is hard to use a drawing program for the first time to design something for the first time as well.  Cardboard and some tape will give you the overall feel of a cab you are designing very quickly.  You can build small scale mockups of floor standing cabs or full size mockups of bartop sized cabs.

[Edwards80]

Mounted the monitor shelf too high so my I can't get the bezel/glass in properly yet. The monitor sticks out by about half a cm. </idiot>

Still need to get round to fixing it, rest of the cab is done so I end up playing the thing instead.

What makes this worse is the Turnarcades built the cab, all I really had to do was the shelf :S

[ragnar]

I made a few errors with tilting the router.  I know about the imperfections but others will never notice them.

Also, my templates were near perfect, but not perfect.  So when routing, the edge of my plywood got dented in two places.

I also wish my P1 controls were 1" farther to the left.

All minor though.

[Smeghead]

You could do what I did:


measure once
measure twice
cut once
cut twice
cut three times


get someone else to do it

[SavannahLion]

As long as you learn from your mistakes nor kill yourself doing it, then you shouldn't let it kill your motivation.

[TOK]

I'm asking this because I've made a lot of mistakes in cutting, measuring, drawing and whatnot. And it's slowly killing my motivation to go on with work on my cab. Any feedback guys?

I made 3 different control panels for my first cabinet. The first one was so bad (marble contact paper and all) that I'm embarrassed to even show a picture of it. I wasted lots of material by goofing stuff up too.

Its easy to get bummed here, because most people only post their successes. Its also why a project thread documenting overcoming mistakes or unforeseen problems is always the most fun to read. Really the only advice I can give you is to stop when you're burned out. My biggest screw-ups always seemed to occur when I was sick of working on the game or trying to get something done fast.

[lilshawn]

i have been converting old golden tee cabinets to 42" big screen pedestal cabinets. the first one went perfectly, no issues at all... Ive done it about half a dozen more times now, and I've screwed up something on every one. (pieces too short or cut too long, breaking pieces argh!)

[Hurray Banana]

When gluing and screwing the lats on the inside of my two side pieces I had almost done before I realised and had created 2 left hand sides (glued the lats to the outside of the right hand upright piece).

I had to tear the pieces off, taking half the plywood with em because I only noticed after the glue had completely dried and the plywood I used for this project was crap practically weatherboard, which did not help.

Took loads of filler to repair the holes, felt like a right tit.

Here's a picture of the right hand side once I had repaired the holes.

[Mikezilla]

I screwed up when I made the bezel for my cab. I thought it wasnt too noticeble, but when I asked my girlfriend to come check it out the first thing she said was "what the hell did you do to the bezel, have a spasm when you were cutting?" 

Yeah. Sooo...Dont get too frustrated. Your cab isnt going to look like some of the beautiful cabs on this site. I cant compare mine to that, cause my first one isnt all that great. My next one will be good, you gotta learn sometime.

[vorghagen]

Measure twice. Cut once. The best rule to follow in woodwork

But....

It doesn't matter how many times you measure if you added up the numbers wrong and are measuring the wrong distance. I got confused with all the different fractions of inches and ended up cutting my base 4 1/2" short. Needed to do a quick re-design to stop the whole cabinet toppling forward after the control panel went on. 

Keep at it. It'll be that much more satisfying when it's finished and you know what you had to do to get it right.

[EvilNuff]

I'm a big fan of planning out and modelling it out in advance.  Google sketchup is a free tool that's fantastic for that.  The more detail you put in the better the end result. 

[JustMichael]

I'm a big fan of planning out and modelling it out in advance.  Google sketchup is a free tool that's fantastic for that.  The more detail you put in the better the end result. 

Exactly!
1. Figure out what kinds of games you want to play on the cabinet.

2. Next go here for some examples of what not to do!

3. How many players at once?  I personally recommend 2 players.  A 4 player cab with enough room for 4 adults can get quite big.

3. What kind of controls?  Most people will go with a joystick and 6 or 7 buttons per player for a 2 player setup.  As for joysticks, there are microswitch, leaf switch and analog joysticks. Everyone has their favorites.  There are "rotary" joysticks as well.  Trackballs and spinners are available too.  You might want some "admin" buttons also.  The only two buttons I find that I use a lot are enter/exit game and pause.

4.  Now that you know how many players and what controls, time to draw your cabinet and plan its construction!

[TOK]

I'm a big fan of planning out and modelling it out in advance.  Google sketchup is a free tool that's fantastic for that.  The more detail you put in the better the end result. 

I always thought the opposite. Maybe I just notice them because its always been a peeve, but so many guys seem to get in that CAD rut where they plan and plan, but never actually build anything.

[drventure]

Mistakes? Heh. Just read my thread  . It's chock full of em!

Seriously, though. I look at mistakes as just reasons to rethink what I've done, or improve things.

For example, I put my CP together, used a gold ink to stamp the artwork on and then thought "I'll spray this with clear coat to protect it"

Yikes. The clear coat came off in sheets, after I'd completely assembled the cab.

I had to completely disassemble the CP scrape off the clear coat, use alcohol to get all the remaining artwork off. But then, since I had it all torn down, I added indicator lights for all the buttons, vastly improved the stamping technique and designs, and found a much better clear coat, so, a little more work, a lot better result.

[orchidius]

I'm nearing completion on my first project now (also my first real woodworking project), and there is literally not ONE single part in/on there that didn't require multiple tries and/or involve serious frustration... In my eyes it's full of little mistakes, but when I have friends over, they don't even notice (I guess that's just how it is with these things).

Making mistakes isn't necessarily a bad thing though. I learned more from my own mistakes then a teacher could ever teach me! And since nothing/nobody is perfect no matter how hard we try, I'm pretty pleased with the second best thing

Don't give up! You'll always regret it, and if you do finish, that cab is gonna be the source of so much fun you'll soon forget the frustrations!

[EvilNuff]

I'm a big fan of planning out and modelling it out in advance.  Google sketchup is a free tool that's fantastic for that.  The more detail you put in the better the end result. 

I always thought the opposite. Maybe I just notice them because its always been a peeve, but so many guys seem to get in that CAD rut where they plan and plan, but never actually build anything.

This is absolutely a danger, but the point to my suggestion was how to avoid problems... Set yourself a time table and you won't have never starting issues.

[Rick]

...so many guys seem to get in that CAD rut where they plan and plan, but never actually build anything.

 

(Just kidding.  I'll start soon.  I promise!)

[leapinlew]

I always thought the opposite. Maybe I just notice them because its always been a peeve, but so many guys seem to get in that CAD rut where they plan and plan, but never actually build anything.

Agreed.

[bkenobi]

Maybe I'm alone on this, but I don't understand why the cabinet is that complicated.  You basically draw a shape you like on a piece of plywood, clamp it to another piece, and cut it out.  After some sanding to your liking, you use bracing and rectangular plywood to give it the needed width.  The innards are obviously more technical, but the box itself is just that...a box.

Granted, I haven't built mine from scratch because the cab's I wanted are a bit more complex, but a basic cab doesn't seem like it would require tons of planning.   

[JustMichael]

I always thought the opposite. Maybe I just notice them because its always been a peeve, but so many guys seem to get in that CAD rut where they plan and plan, but never actually build anything.

The two things I see stopping most people from building a cabinet are RL (real life) stuff and lack of "extra" money.  Yes I know there actually is no extra money, just money that hasn't been spent yet.  Until those two get straightened out, I hope they do keep planning and dreaming...

[Rick]

The two things I see stopping most people from building a cabinet are RL (real life) stuff and lack of "extra" money.

For me, it's the RL stuff.  I have almost everything I need - gaming parts are in, router is bought, bit is on order - all I'm missing is wood and time.

[Hurray Banana]

When gluing and screwing the lats on the inside of my two side pieces I had almost done before I realised and had created 2 left hand sides (glued the lats to the outside of the right hand upright piece).

I had to tear the pieces off, taking half the plywood with em because I only noticed after the glue had completely dried and the plywood I used for this project was crap practically weatherboard, which did not help.

Took loads of filler to repair the holes, felt like a right tit.

Here's a picture of the right hand side once I had repaired the holes.

I did finish this cab and it was my best made so far, pretty sweet in the end and it did involve some very close tolerances. I always learn a lot from my mistakes and never make the same ones twice.

I probably enjoy making the cabs from scratch because of all the learning and problem solving involved in doing something different each time. I'm making a driving cab next.

[Ryglore]

When I started my SHMUP cab, I had little to no wood work experience. you can see a bunch of "whoops" moments in my thread on it. I cut the base too narrow, made the coin door holder too thin, made the next coin door holder too long and then cut it in half to make it the right size. Painted the CP stand w/ the t-molding in place (because I thought you couldn't remove it after it was on) and had to repaint after that was f'd up. haha it goes on and on.

Oh, and I glued the blocks on the wrong side of the Centipede bartop. Thus giving me 2 left hand sides... haha

[Funnel]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm afraid to post pics of my cab...  . Really when I started this project the only woodworking experience I had was from a high school workshop class using only hand saws and sandpaper. Right now, the things preventing me from finishing the cab are real life and money.

[Ryglore]

using only hand saws and sandpaper

The Amish can build a barn with only hand saws and sandpaper! Don't get discouraged. 

[BadMouth]

The Amish can build a barn with only hand saws and sandpaper! Don't get discouraged. 

They love their diesel generators too. 

[JustMichael]

using only hand saws and sandpaper

The Amish can build a barn with only hand saws and sandpaper! Don't get discouraged. 

I could swear they use chisels too...

[DrFrag]

I don't feel like I had a huge number of mistakes, but I'm very careful.  I also spent 2 years planning it, and filled a whole notebook with sketches and measurements.

• My first circle-bit holes were a bit of a disaster, because I didn't drill from both sides.  When I punched through it splintered the wood.
• I had to remake my control panel because I had some buttons too close to one side and they caught on the underside latch.
• Some of the ply bent after I painted it, because the drying paint contracted the wood on one side.  It's only noticable to me, and only really affects the panels that open.
• Most of my wiring is crap, because I used the wrong guage wire.  The admin buttons don't work, and the marquee doesn't light up at all.  But the joysticks and buttons work, so I've never found the motivation to finish the rest.

My best approach to the woodwork has been trusting my gut feeling.  Like if I measure a 13mm gap and it doesn't look right, then maybe it's 18mm and I was looking at the wrong mark on the ruler.  Or if lines that are meant to be parallel have a wrong feeling about them, then I re-measure rather than trust myself that I got it right first time.  So it's gotta measure right, but it also has to look and feel right.

It's good to take a break if you're feeling lazy or tired, because that's when you make the dumb mistakes.  The rest is a learning experience.  Don't be hard on yourself over your first cab. 

[leapinlew]

I also spent 2 years planning it, and filled a whole notebook with sketches and measurements.

To me, this is way too much planning. I've built about 10 cabinets in a 2 year period.

[lilshawn]

using only hand saws and sandpaper

The Amish can build a barn with only hand saws and sandpaper! Don't get discouraged. 

I could swear they use chisels too...

i think their wives come out to help once in a while too. so.... i dunno... yeah.

[isucamper]

On my Ikari Warriors cabinet, I was trying to test a spare board and I plugged the connector in backwards.

That sucked.

[isucamper]

Ooo thought of another one.  The control panel of my Project Arcade scratch build wasn't deep enough for the Happ Rotary sticks I got and I had to cut big holes in the bottom of it to make room.

[lilshawn]

Ooo thought of another one.  The control panel of my Project Arcade scratch build wasn't deep enough for the Happ Rotary sticks I got and I had to cut big holes in the bottom of it to make room.

ouch

[PsychoMikey]

Made the biggest mistake last week. I used laminate on my cab, and everything was in mint condition.  Then i screwed in some bars to hold the tv bazel and what do you think.....

i used screws that where just a tiny bit to long and went straight trought the laminate on the outside.  Man, i could almost cry when i found out.  Was all happy about getting the bazel almost done. BAM!

Well,  fortunatly it's realy minor and i was already planning on adding some sideare so that can cover it.  But still, seeing my beatifull laminate screwd up put me back in my place.

Also made some faults using the router a couple of time. Was my first time using a router so wasen't to carefull. slot-cutter upside down, slot not 100% in the center etc.

Learned alot and when i get this cab done, i'm gonna do another one with my new router skills!

[DaOld Man]

Ive made quite a few mistakes. One that comes to mind is on my second upright arcade cab, I cut a wrong angle for the control panel in one side, so I had to redesign the control panel because I didnt want to have to use another piece of MDF.
That sucked.
Another was on my Mountain JukeBox Copy, I was routing a 45 degree bevel on the attached laminate edges on the front and somehow the router bit got off and I gouged out one corner. It turned out not to be that noticeable but i just about died when it happened.
And there have been several close calls on personal safety, thank the Good Lord that I have not hurt myself yet on the power tools. The possibilities to loose some human tissue is abundant in this hobby.

[Ond]

I don't make mistakes.

KIDDING!!!    Actually I've made so many mistakes in my various projects that I've come to accept it as part of the process.  Some mistakes you just take in your stride, it's the heartbreaking ones that mean having to redo all over again something you took pains over the first time around, they are the ones that define perseverance.

Planning can go a long way to mitigating errors during construction but some problems during the build are inevitable.

There are some things I've laboured over for days which just didn't work out and they ended up in the bin, theres a sick kind of feeling that follows that along the lines of "I wasted all that time for nothing".  It's not wasted though, the skills stockpile grows.

[CapriRS302]

I actually think that most of the clever things I've came up with in my life (not just on my cabinet) are a direct result of me having to think critically to cover up or integrate some irreversible mistakes...

But I'm with some of you guys, I don't plan, at least not traditionally.  I get an idea straight in my head and go with the flow.  The end design is almost never what I initially intended, but it is usually better.


For the most part though, I never make misaches.