Uncle Aaron's "Unique Challenges" Juke Build (looking for art help)

[alarsuel]

Hey guys.  I lurk here often and have gotten some great ideas from the crowd.  I'm starting a new build for a friend and I want to document it here, as well as give myself a place to ask questions about certain aspects of my build.  

A little background on me:  I would say that my woodworking skills are a mixed bag.  I grew up doing construction so I am familiar and comfortable with framing, electrical, plumbing, etc.  The reason I saw mixed bag is because I am not as comfortable with finished work.  I can do it, but not as well as regular construction/ home building.  I have a table saw, router, etc. so I should have everything I'll need.  If not I'm in HD 5 times a week (remodeling my house, too) so I'll grab whatever.  I used an elo for an in-wall juke with a receiver in my equipment closet and speakers hidden in columns, so I'm not a complete juke novice.  

A little background on this build:  This is going to be built for a friend.  This is where the build goes from normal to unique.  Let's just say that my boy is REALLY tall and has enough money to buy whatever he wants.  He has commented on my juke and about how he has always wanted one.  He is impossible to buy any presents for (for obvious reasons) so I decided to make him one.  He loves cars, so this will have an automotive theme.  Particularly, I'm going to try to implement the look of some elements of a '69 Mustang Boss 429, his favorite.  The overall shape will be similar to the famous mountain jukes.  I'm thinking black with chrome as the overall color scheme.  Probably black laminate, chrome t-molding, possibly some carbon fiber.  I'm thinking of a speaker grille with the emblem and possibly headlights and maybe car speakers (the front end of the Mustang has 2 sets of lights).  I know I want an ignition button to power the unit and will need help wiring it up.  Also, possibly some gauges so that it looks like a dashboard.

My friend's height presents some unique aspects to this project.  I went back and forth on size of the juke, but I have settled on free standing.  I am going with a height of 5 feet, as this seems pretty standard for floor jukes.  I am going to need the monitor to have a slight angle, as even a 60" juke would be a challenge for him if the monitor was straight on.

Sorry for the long first post, just wanted everyone to be able to see the thinking behind the project.  I'm confident that if I take my time, with everyone here's help, I can make something that both my friend and I are proud of.  I'd love to hear any comments, ideas, or suggestions now or throughout the build.  I hope to document the build fairly closely with pictures so everyone can follow along and help....  I'm going to need it.


Aaron  

  

[alarsuel]

Got started yesterday cutting out the front panel.  Went with the pivot point pencil method to draw the curve then cut with jigsaw and sanded to the line.  It all went quite well, actually.  I got a late start so I decided to pick back up today.  Not quite as successful today...  I got the back panel traced out and cut close, ready to be flush cut with the front and had router problems.  For some reason the router only powers on with the shank unlocked.  I also, sliced my thumb pretty good trying to get the bit out of the router to see what the problem was.  So, instead of flush cutting the back panel I decided to build the bottom panel and the inner ribs and component shelf.  Tomorrow I'll grab a new router (wanted one anyway) and we'll be back in business.  I have pics of the process so far if anyone is interested. 

Not an immediate concern, but I'm looking for suggestions on how to trim out the area around the monitor once it is angled.  It will be tilted up slightly and I'm not sure how I want to to handle the area behind the face that will be seen on the sides and top of the touchscreen.  Perhaps I could get away without angling (mounting directly to the face of the juke) given the height of the cab, but my friend is 7' 1" so I want to make sure it is comfortable for him to use and view the screen.   Hope my question makes sense.

[jmike]

Everyone around here loves pics 



 

[JohnEDollar]

 

Please.

[alarsuel]

Here are the pics that update til now (I did a bit more earlier today).

Pic 1 shows the beginning.  It always starts with a single sheet of MDF

Pic 2 shows the front panel cut to width (32") with the curve traced on top.  Used a straight edge and circular saw to cut my width square.  I didn't really want to bring my table saw outside.  I couldn't find any string so I initially tried I piece of wire I had laying around with a pencil in it.  The wire wouldn't hold tight enough, so the pencil wouldn't stay in line.  I ended up screwing a scrap piece of wood where the center of my circle would be.  My diameter is 16" so the middle of the circle is 16" in from either side and 16" down from my full height of 60".  I drilled a hole in the wood to hold the point of a pen at 16" from the pivot point and drew my half circle.

Use jigsaw to cut close to the line and you get pic 3.  Sand to the line and you get your final curve which is in pic 4

Don't feel like making attachments smaller, so I'll continue in next post...

[alarsuel]

After getting the first panel sized I had the aforementioned router problem, which led to the purchase of a new toy!!!!  I got a great buy on a Ridgid router at HD that was on clearance and open box.  It cuts like a dream, is quiet, and I really recommend it so far.  I used it to template cut the second panel, which is seen in attachment 1.  I've noticed that the pics are better and probably more interesting if they show more detail as opposed to the overall project where it might be hard to make out what I'm specifically doing. I'll try to take more detail shots from now on.  Anyway pic 2 shows where I am currently.  I have built an interior frame or skeleton for some structure and to hold the bottom shelf and a shelf to aid in mounting the touchscreen if I decide to use a mechanical mount of some kind.  Also, I put a second "stud" in the bottom cavity to attach hinges to for an access door.

I need to make some decisions before I can proceed with covering the sides and top.  I'd love to hear ideas and suggestions.

1.  I'm going to use the marquee cut out to clamp the curve.  I think I'm going to do a half circle similar to mountain's, but I wondering about how to hold the plexi in place.  mountain uses glazing points on his http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=79817.msg842898#msg842898 fantastic build, but I am nervous about the clips casting a shadow.  Maybe I'm unclear about the marquee process.  I was planning on a print sandwiched between a clear plexi and a frosted plexi.  The frosted plexi would diffuse the light and the clear piece in front wouldn't effect the color.  If there are better ways, I'd love to hear them.

2.  If I want to tilt the touchscreen to make it more easily usable would you

a) recess the top into the juke and leave the bottom even with the face
b) leave the top even and extend the bottom away from the face
c) mount the whole thing flush with the face (stop making this harder on yourself)

Keep in mind that the juke is 5 ft tall, but the primary user is 7' 1".

I have had a few other ideas about the monitor if anyone thinks they are winners.  I could mount it parallel to the face on a low profile lcd swivel like this http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082801&p_id=6524&seq=1&format=2.  It would be easy to do and would tilt, but only 15 degrees and wouldn't look as clean as flush.  Another option is mounting it flush, attached to drawer slides and a hinge.  The idea is that it would be flush against the face, but if you wanted to, you could slide the monitor out like a drawer, then tilt it to whatever angle you wanted.  I think this idea is decent, but I'd have to find a way to keep the drawer and hinge in the profile of the monitor, so that it would just look flush mounted normally.  What do you build and design gurus think?

I've got a million more questions, but these should be good for now.  Also if anyone loves designing art or has recommendations for those who do, a custom marquee is down the road.  Sorry for the long catch-up post... hopefully short and sweet from here.

[jipp]

looking good man.  will be following this with great interest  

i have my cab right now jammin the tunes.. meatloaf!!      music for the win

chris.

[pj14701]

As far as your concern for the view angle why not separate the faceplate and make it 2 panels having the screen bezel angled back at the top for better viewing for your friend ...and it could also possibly tie in with your dashboard or instrument panel /car theme

edited for typos... phone was being a pain during lunch break lol

[alarsuel]

PJ, how do you mean?  Are you saying use some bracing inside the cabinet to fix the monitor at an angle, then have the bottom of the bezel flush with the face and the top of the bezel recessed into the cab?  Perhaps this isn't what you mean and I'm just dense... very likely.  If so, explain further.  Glad some are taking interest in the project.  Thanks for the ideas.

[alarsuel]

I was working on laying out the back panel, and I had a couple thoughts I wanted to get some opinions on.  First I think I'm going to use 2 red led computer fans for cooling (even though I doubt I need it in such a huge cab) and lay them out so that they look like brake lights.  The other though I had was using a license plate frame mounted to mdf as my access panel.  Then I have a bunch of options for the theme.  I could actually get an old plate, or I could use a solid Mustang frame.  Either way the screws to attach the plate to the frame could hold the panel in place and wouldn't look out of place.  My only concern is if the size is big enough?  The opening would be 6" X 12", but the mounting holes are inside of this, so the usable opening would be in the neighborhood of 6" X 9".  Thoughts?

[alarsuel]

Ok, updated progress.  Of course there have been highs and lows, but here is where I am now with some pics:

I was semi-concerned about the strength of the curve, so I flush trimmed so extra bracing without a hitch.



Next on the list was cutting on an access panel for the back which I did with the router, using 4 straight edges to get the correct size.



I was happy with how this turned out , but I knew I'd have a hell of a time getting a door cut to fit back in.  I wanted something with 1/16" all the way around, but I couldn't get the corners right with the router.  I liked the rounded corners of the cut out due to the corners being inside.  I didn't have an extra piece big enough, so I had to go with outside corners, causing 90 degrees corners.  I'm sure this isn't making any sense, but let's just say that I ended up making the door with about 30 seconds of tracing, 1 minute of jigsawing, and 1 hour of sanding .



After the sanding and test fitting and sanding and test fitting and sanding, I ended up with something I happy with.

Next up mounting the door hardware and setting the door.  I found some cabinet hinges I had laying around and mortised out some room for them in the door.  After a little adjusting it was swinging nicely.



I didn't want any handle on the door because I wanted the possibility of putting the back up against a wall, so I used a magnet and spring catch for the inside of the door.  I think these are normally used for bathroom medicine cabinets, where you push in to release the magnet and the spring pushes the door out.  It works perfectly (after adjusting, of course).



I finished the day by cleaning a piece that I got from ebay for the front of the juke.  I won a Mustang emblem off of an actual 1969.  It was dirty and some of the paint and chrome was gone, but cleaning it helped bring out the shine.  Here is a before pic:



It looks much better now (I still need a pic of after), but definitely "used".  I go back and forth between wanted to get it re-chromed and painted etc., and really liking the authentic old feel to it.

Next up:  It starts going downhill.

 

[alarsuel]

I decided to continue on the back panel after feeling good about the access door.  I decided to use computer fans with red leds to simulate brake lights on the back of the car.  I purchased both 80mm and 120mm to decide which I'd go with.  I thought the 80 looked too small so I was all set to go with the 120 until I looked at a picture of the 69 Stang back end to determine placement.  Mustangs of this vintage don't have round brake lights, but rather 6 rectangular lights grouped in 2 sets of 3.  More work... put away the hole saw, get out the straight edges and router with straight bit.



So far, so good, but I said this was where it started to go downhill.



 
Left side cut out (if you are paying attention, you can see the problem).



 
Both sides cutout with both problems.  

Problem 1 is that the studs I used to mount the door hardware run right through the tail light openings.  Problem 2 is that the router skipped off the guide on the far right hole ruining the edge.




Here is another shot from the inside detailing problem 1:

 

I was pissed, but luckily I don't think either problem is that tough to solve.  Just time and money, right.  The first solution was cutting out the studs above the hardware but below the light portals and creating a header.



The second problem I haven't touched yet, but I think some Bondo should do the trick.  Next I went to check the new lights I got instead of the fans, but 1 of the 2 cold cathode tubes had 1/4 of the lights flickering.  I'm going to exchange for a new set tomorrow.  Next up is making a bracket to hold the lights.  Then hopefully I can get to the front.  I'll I needed was the touchscreen which arrived today... with shattered glass .  I said it was going bad.  Hopefully it'll turn around starting tomorrow.

[alarsuel]

Got started back up today, but have a question.  I have tried many different configurations for the touchscreen, but the only option seems to be having the monitor flush with the front face on a drawer so that it can slide out and then tilt once away from the face.  Mounted flush won't work (it is too low).  I had my wife stand on a ladder at the recipient's height and we decided that the monitor needed to be tilted at least 37 degrees for it to be usable at intended height.  The problem with this is that the top becomes hidden in the cabinet or the bottom protrudes out 7 inches or so.  I think this would look funny (perhaps not).

What do you guys think of the sliding drawer-monitor idea.  Not sure if I want it to tilt all the way to parallel with the ground or if I should stop it at some degree.  The other issue is how to pull the "drawer" out.  I'll have some sort of bezel attached to the monitor which sits on the face, but how do I get the drawer to slide out?  Pull on the bezel?  That seems clunky.  Any other ideas?

[alarsuel]

I have mocked up a monitor solution to get opinions on.  There are 2 questions I have.  First here are some pictures of the sliding/tilting monitor idea:


I'm thinking of having this skeleton on a sliding "drawer bottom" as you an see in the pic.  The skeleton has a 31.62 degree angle cut on the top for the monitor to sit on once pulled out.




You can see a hole drilled in the mounting block.  This hole goes through the skeleton and out the corresponding hole on the other mounting block.  Right now I just have nails through each side so that it tilts (works fine) but my final solution is a single dowel running through each piece.  My 2 questions are:

1.  How do I pull the monitor out.  I will have a bezel, but it seems pretty amateurish to pull on the bezel.  Any other suggestions while trying to keep the front as flush as possible?

2.  Gravity is fighting me once the monitor is tilted back.  It naturally wants to return to perpendicular to the floor.  Can I embed magnets in the angled support piece to hold the monitor at 31.62 degrees?  I think they would be strong enough, but I'm afraid of the magnet harming the monitor.  Other ideas?  A spring mounted to the top back of the monitor, attached to the sliding shelf would pull the monitor back from the top, but then it would be hard to tilt the monitor  back to 90 degrees to slide it back to the face of the juke.  Looking for the great mechanical/engineering intellect of the community.  Thanks!

[alarsuel]

Have done some more work.  I'll have pics later (although, not sure if anyone cares about the build), but I have a question still if anyone is out there.  I have mounted the monitor and I have it so that it stays in place once tilted (no magnets needed).  I also have it sliding out, but it is pretty heavy and doesn't slide very easily.  I have heavy duty industrial slides with bearings, so I don't think the slides are the problem.  What I am looking for is a creative solution for getting the monitor to slide.  I am hoping to avoid a cutting a hand groove on the underside of the bezel to pull on.  I think this won't hold up and I don't really want the bezel that deep.  What about a linear actuator?  Perhaps wired to buttons on the front for forward and reverse.  Not sure how I'd accomplish the wiring and it seems a bit expensive ($100 or so for an actuator), but this is the cleanest application I can think of.  Any thoughts on the actuator or other great brainstorms?

P.S.  The monitor assembly weighs around 20 pounds and needs to slide out between 7 and 8 inches.

[BobA]

I think that one of your problems with sliding out the drawer is due to its heavy construction.   If you could cut it down so that it weighed about 1/2 of what it does now it would slide alot easier.  Is the bottom of the drawer touching the bottom of your cab?   

[alarsuel]

I think that one of your problems with sliding out the drawer is due to its heavy construction.   If you could cut it down so that it weighed about 1/2 of what it does now it would slide alot easier.  Is the bottom of the drawer touching the bottom of your cab?  

I think that does have an impact.  The bottom of the assembly is about an 1/8 inch off the bottom of the cab.  Not sure how much of the weight I can cut down.  That 20 lbs includes the monitor itself, which I would say is half the weight.  ON the other hand I am a notorious over-engineerer.

[DaOld Man]

I like this project. The Mustang remembrances will be great!

As for your question about magnets near the monitor, I dont think it will matter with an LCD monitor, but others on here are more experienced in monitors than I. They can tell you for sure. (But looks like you have decided to go another route away from magnets anyway.)

Also, as to your boo-boo on the tail light cutout, I have used Bondo to fix many a screw-ups. On my first couple cabs I used wood putty to fix them, but trust me bondo, although more pricey than wood putty or filler, is a much better and faster way to fix wood cutting mess-ups.

Good luck with your project. I will be watching this as it progresses.

[alarsuel]

I've made some good progress recently and thanks to some of the guys here (gryhnd, and DaOld Man) my wiring is mostly done.  I've got an engine start button to power the computer and an actuator on a rocker switch which extends and retracts the monitor away from the face of the juke to give it room to tilt.  I also completed and mounted the grill and mustang emblem.  I'll put some pictures up on the progress to date tomorrow.  Still to do:

Route recess for marquee to sit flush with face
Make a bezel
Wrap viewable inside areas in Carbon Fiber Vinyl
Wire power inlet (I have a piece which mounts to the face that accepts a standard computer cord.  This will be wired to the smart strip inside.)
Skinning sides and curve
Neaten up wiring and inside of cab
Laminate
T-Molding

And the thing I fear most:  Artwork for the marquee.  I would say I'm above average with photoshop, which means I have NO skill whatsoever.  I can use it to edit stuff, but creating is entirely different.  I have some thoughts rolling around in my head but very little artistic creativity.  If anyone wants to help I'd love it.  I think I'll go beg in the Art forum, too.

[DaOld Man]

Id like to see a pic of the start button. A key and ignition switch from a 69 mustang would be great! But it might be hard to find, and it would be more work to get it to work with your computer. I think the 69 had off-on-and start (dont think it had ACC, I think that came later). But you could wire to the part that makes on start position of the key..

[alarsuel]

Just posted in the artwork forum begging for marquee help.  If anyone has any time and can help, let me know (it shouldn't be too tough for anyone with skill exceeding mine).  Also I'll get those pics up tonight, including the engine start button for DaOld Man.