Cute Lowboy arcade

[Dr.Strangelove]

Hey everybody! I wanted to share the arcade I'm making, it's my second ever. I designed it to be similar to most lowboys, except much smaller to fit in my small rec room. It's about 48'' high, 23'' deep and 20'' wide. All visable seams are mitered, just so I wouldn't have to deal with painting side grain on MDF and the long process of getting it smooth. While it does look nice, I don't think I'll do it again, it's quite a frustrating endeavor! Next to do is level the gables again and cut the slot for t-molding. Unfortunately the gables got water damaged and swelled up and were very mushy. Using a trick somebody told me, I sanded it down and then solidified it with superglue. I had my doubts but it worked like a charm! Unfortunately I was a little bit overzealous with a sander while taking it down and it ramps down towards the bottom, usually I wouldn't concern myself with this. Sadly since it's about 1/32-1/16 and near the front edge I think it may be noticeable once t-molding is on since the plastic will stick proud

Front view


Side View


Close up of the bezel and play area.

[GregD]

I like it.  Clean lines.  Nice lighting in your shop by the way.

[Vidiot]

Very nice!  I really like the look of the lowboys. I'm looking forward to seeing more. Any idea what artwork you'll be using?

[Le Chuck]

I'm a big fan of that design.  Looks like it's coming together very cleanly.   

[Dr.Strangelove]

A small update! Things are going pretty smoothly on this. I bondo'd the step down on the one edge until it was nice and flat again. It was quite a bit of feathering, since it goes from nothing all the way to almost a 1/16th over 8 inches! I also routed a small little channel offset from the perimeter of the cabinet. I did it with a template and straight cut bit in a router with a templating sleeeve. It was a bit scary sometimes, since I knew I would have to slow down a lot at a few tight corners. There's not a lot left to do build wise now. I just need to finish the control panel acrylic, put a shelf in, and a few vent holes and fill some nail holes!

  Nice lighting in your shop by the way.

Actually, it's not my shop, but a volunteer ran woodworking co-op. So I do have access to a few nice tools. Although, fancy tools don't always mean good work!

Very nice!  I really like the look of the lowboys. I'm looking forward to seeing more. Any idea what artwork you'll be using?

I had planed to make this cabinet for around when SkullGirls was released. Keeping with their theme, I was going to go with something very art deco.

[quintinbiker]

Looks very good i like it

[emphatic]

Looks very good i like it

^^This.

[NIVO]

outstanding work so far. ill be expecting all the woodwork paletted and sent over. 

[Woodshop Flunky]

Very clean!  Love the size and that extra detail on the sides is awesome!

Going to have to follow this one! 

BTW... I'm jelous of your shop's floor space!

[Vidiot]

The more I look at this the more I want to build one. The finish on your woodworking looks so clean. It almost looks like plastic. You're doing a fantastic job. 

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Really clean. Nice, nice work. That's going to be a lot of fun when it's done! 

Soon as I (finally) put the finishing touches on my hybrid cab, I think a buddy and I are cobbling a PC together and building a lowboy for his beach house down in Asbury Park. I'm definitely following your progress! 

[opt2not]

Me likey. 

[ataruzzolo]

Superb!

[Razzer]

Hey everybody! I wanted to share the arcade I'm making, it's my second ever. I designed it to be similar to most lowboys, except much smaller to fit in my small rec room. It's about 48'' high, 23'' deep and 20'' wide. All visable seams are mitered, just so I wouldn't have to deal with painting side grain on MDF and the long process of getting it smooth. While it does look nice, I don't think I'll do it again, it's quite a frustrating endeavor! Next to do is level the gables again and cut the slot for t-molding. Unfortunately the gables got water damaged and swelled up and were very mushy. Using a trick somebody told me, I sanded it down and then solidified it with superglue. I had my doubts but it worked like a charm! Unfortunately I was a little bit overzealous with a sander while taking it down and it ramps down towards the bottom, usually I wouldn't concern myself with this. Sadly since it's about 1/32-1/16 and near the front edge I think it may be noticeable once t-molding is on since the plastic will stick proud

Hi,

It looks really great. I really like the design.

Do you by any chance have some detailed measurements/sketches of this cabinet that you could post? (mainly the side panels)

This would be helpful in recreating the design.

Razzer

[Dr.Strangelove]

Whoa! Long time no update!
Well what to say, I progressed really far from last time I posted. All the doors were hung and operate nicely with latches and push opens. I elected to put a large radius on the MDF, rather than t-molding due to cost concerns and that the tight radius may not take the t-molding so well too. Finally painted the thing too, I wanted something with a darker shade, but I like the colour and how it gives it a faded paint or vinyl  look. The white detail really makes it pop too! So far everything is about 90% done. I still need to place one speaker in, do some touch ups, and finally make a marquee. The system inside is a Sega Naomi I purchased at a garage sale of all things. To my surprise, it worked, despite the built up dust on it and even some rock salt. It just needed a little cleaning, the notorious cap replaced and new case-fans too.

[SpaceHedgehog]

If I had enough room, I'd make one just like that. Beautiful shape. Very nice indeed.

[Louis Tully]

.

[emphatic]

Sweet!

[popsicle]

Very, very nice indeed!   

[Eldritch1969]

Very nice build, however I have always wondered whether the monitor angle is suited for it if you play seated and not standing up

[chopps]

very nice!!     love these lowboys!
 

[Dr.Strangelove]

Thanks for the praise everybody, it's been a long project but I'm glad about the end result. I really learned a lot about ergonomics and plastic work too. Although, I always like to learn, and if anybody has suggestions, please say so! Even if there are some parts I don't like about it, I'm  going to take what I learned for another  "cute cab", for more arcade games I have, mainly the older ones that don't use the JVS standard, and need a converter to work with an LCD or CRT. It's not very puritan, but I'm only just starting a collection, and can only afford to make my own cabs


Speaking about ergonomics though,

Very nice build, however I have always wondered whether the monitor angle is suited for it if you play seated and not standing up

To answer, it can work with sit down stools, but the viewing angle makes the colours a little dark thanks to it being a LCD. I'm sure if you used my design adapted for a CRT, it would be near perfect for sit down and stand ups.



Finally, a little bit of an inside shot, I'm only just learning wire management, so it may not be the neatest of all things out there. It does how ever show the neat internals of an arcade

[Eldritch1969]

Yeah, I suppose it would be ok for a CRT. Anyway, your build is really gorgeous! 

[Acids]

Wow looks sharp   

do you have plans with dimensions you would like to share???

[surface tension]

Really nice looking cab! The side detailing works very well.

At that orientation, you're probably viewing the LCD's worst angle, which would explain the murky colours. A 178 x 178 viewing angle would sort that out.

[Dawgz Rule]

Love the detail and the clean, clean, look.  This is sharp.  Finish looks great too.

[spystyle]

Love it

[Gatsu]

 

Dude that is sweet. The cab is nicely done, AND a Naomi system. I'm so JEALOUS!