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Bartop Cab Build Log - From Scratch - **FINISHED**
i64X:
Found a countersink bit in my random toolkit full of drill bits. Didn't know I had one. Ah well, one less thing to buy. :-)
I was also able to move the support pieces for the control panel, so that sits nice and level now and is very sturdy. To keep it held in place I'm going to do something similar to what I've seen other people do and integrate a female threaded standoff in to the rear corners of the CP that will allow it to be held in place by threaded bolts that come up through the bottom of the cab. The standoffs will be hidden by the CP art and the plexi.
I'm envisioning something similar for the bolts that will hold the joystick in place. I want to avoid visible bolt heads on the top of the CP for a cleaner look.
MTPPC:
When I see all those screws, I can't help but think how much easier it is to use glue and an pneumatic brad nailer. I think I got my combo compressor and nailer for about $60. I've seen guys use a bunch of angle brackets and screw everything from the inside too, but I don't think that works in the confines of the bar top. The beauty of a brad nailer is that you can sink the brads in from the inside or outside and the glue pretty much does all the work once it dries. Please don't think I'm busting on you. I think your project looks great and I'm looking forward to watching its progress.
Drnick:
That's a lotta screws, I count 42 on each side, Braver man then me screwing into the end of MDF :P Are you going to redo the CP as a 2 Player, If so are you going to add a 2nd coin up and start button. I put the coin up buttons on the front of the CP and the start buttons in the top far corners. As long as you have 20" or larger CP then 2 player will fit easily :)
i64X:
There are 19 screws on each side.
I used screws so I could take it apart. I originally planned on laminating the whole thing (still might). The top 3 lateral sections are glued together and smoothed out now. The bottom two pieces are as well. They come off as one solid piece each, and if I wanted to it'd be easy to laminate them separately, and laminate the insides of the side panels, put everything back together, and finally laminate the outsides of the cab - thus hiding all the screws. :cheers:
I don't know if I want to go through all the hassle of laminating it though, since I'd have to heat the laminate up and try to bend it - which I've heard is a mixed bag if you've never done it before. The last thing I want to do is ruin what I've worked so hard on thus far, so I think I may end up just painting it. At least being able to take everything apart like I've planned out (and explained above) would let me easily paint both the insides and the outsides with a roller. Obviously I'd paint the outer portions of the two side panels last, after I filled the screw holes with filler and smoothed it out.
I haven't had any issues with the MDF splitting with the screws yet. I'm pre-drilling all of my holes and using a screwdriver to do everything by hand. No screw guns. If you're careful it's fine.
Few more updates...
Got the standoffs installed for the joystick and for the two bolts that will hold the CP closed when it's not being serviced. This is my first time using these and they're pretty slick. Just drill a 5/16ths hole, drop it in, thread a bolt in from the bottom (with a washer on it) and tightening the washer pulls the standoff in to the wood. As you can see, they work pretty well and are a lot flatter than a bolt head:
This is the bottom of the control panel. Button proximity doesn't get much closer than this. Like an idiot I didn't try this layout out on a test piece of material before drilling holes in my finished control panel. It's a tight fit, but everything worked out well (thankfully). Lucked out on this one.
I added two more stand-offs. We'll see what these are for in a second...
The bolts that I got are LITTLE too tall. I'll probably have to use a couple more washers under each bolt for the joystick in order to back them out a little. I could cut them down, but washers are 10 cents each and it's much easier than cutting.
Here's what the other two stand-offs are for. These guys hold the control panel shut tightly when the cab is in use. When I need/want to service the buttons, I'll just be able to flip the cab on its back, remove these two screws, and the hinged control panel will be accessible. :) This actually took much less time to pull off than I thought and was one of the things I was worried about.
Now to do something about those stand-offs sticking up. I really want them to be flush to the surface. You'll notice in previous pics that I traced them with a pencil. I ended up popping them out and routering JUST deep enough to where they'd sit flush.
I got as close to perfect as possible, but there was gap, so I filled it with wood filler and I'll be able to sand it off as soon as it dries. My control panel art will cover this up, so I'm not too worried.
This wood filler stuff is messy. I'm not a fan of it. Hopefully it works well.
Steven kurylec:
Good approach to your build, but the pressure is on i64x! Since you are being watched by unstupid..
Lovin the collection by the way :)
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