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Author Topic: NES bartop with stand [done]  (Read 198172 times)

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edekoning

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included] [WIP]
« Reply #160 on: September 18, 2022, 09:08:08 am »
Wow has it really been 7 years ... the older you get the faster time seems to move  ???

Anyway, time for an update. This bad boy has been sitting on my desk all that time. Since I now have a smaller room, I had to change the L-shaped desk by removing the side part, making it a regular rectangular desk. And now the bartop no longer fits. So I decided to build a stand for it. Took a long time deciding on a shape, and now that I have I hope it will turn out sturdy enough  :lol

The stand will have a power socket at the bottom. A power cable will exit at the top to be plugged in the bartop above. That should keep cables neat.
The bartop had 4 rubber feet underneath. I will route out some space on the top plate for these feet. This way its easy to correctly position the bartop, and makes sure it won't move.

The top plate extends more on the front. This ensures the bartop's center of gravity is in the center of the central column. To find this center of gravity I placed the bartop on a broomstick  :P, and the moved it around until I could almost balance it. It does not have to be exact, so being off by 1-2 cm should be fine.

As you can see the the back is narrower than the front (14 degrees). This is my only worry, whether the central column will still be sturdy enough. Oh well, guess I'll find out.


Mike A

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Re: NES bartop [done] [build plans included]
« Reply #161 on: September 18, 2022, 09:30:36 am »
I hope that stand works out for you.

In my arcade room that bartop would be on the floor 5 minutes into one of my parties.

The stand does not look like it will be stable enough for arcade play.

edekoning

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP]
« Reply #162 on: September 18, 2022, 09:33:16 am »
Using 18mm (3/4") MDF for everything. I don't especially want to use MDF, but the bartop was also made out of MDF, and want to get a similar paint finish.

The back panel is rather narrow, so getting a 14 degree cut on both sides was tricky. I also decided I wanted more strength, and opted to go with some cross pieces and dado joints. Never did those before, and unfortunately my router bit was 16mm, so 2mm smaller than the 18mm wood. This meant 3-4 router passes for each channel, trying to make them really snug and too wide. I also had to make these dado joints line up perfectly between the front and back panels. As their sides have opposite angles, I just taped them together, so I could route both panels in one go. This worked really well.

edekoning

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP]
« Reply #163 on: September 18, 2022, 09:34:52 am »
Dry-fitting everything before gluing.

edekoning

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Re: NES bartop [done] [build plans included]
« Reply #164 on: September 18, 2022, 09:37:32 am »
While waiting for the glue to dry I started work on the top panel.

I used the router with a round-over bit on both sides, to give it a nice finish. And used a frostner bit to get the holes, where the case feet of the bartop will reside. Both the top and bottom panels will be glued and screwed to the central column.

Unfortunately, it has been raining all day long now, so can't cut the base plate yet. Will have to wait till next weekend.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2022, 09:39:41 am by edekoning »

edekoning

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Re: NES bartop [done] [build plans included]
« Reply #165 on: September 18, 2022, 09:42:25 am »
I hope that stand works out for you.

In my arcade room that bartop would be on the floor 5 minutes into one of my parties.

The stand does not look like it will be stable enough for arcade play.

I hope to know in a week or so. Do keep in mind that this will be placed in a corner of my room. So the bartop will sit against the wall. Also I am the only person playing this. But if its wobbly I will have to come up with something else.

Mike A

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP again]
« Reply #166 on: September 18, 2022, 09:55:04 am »
If you are the only one playing it, it will probably be fine.

The stand looks good.

leapinlew

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP again]
« Reply #167 on: September 18, 2022, 10:02:41 am »
This posts looks like "Tell me you don't have kids playing your arcade game without saying you don't have kids"  ;D

The front of the tower could be storage for NES games. Not sure if that would look good, or like clutter. I can relate to updating a bartop. I did something similar, At first I built a table, but I eventually just built it to be a cabaret style cabinet.




Just like before, you're doing quality work. Keep it up!

edekoning

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP again]
« Reply #168 on: October 01, 2022, 10:37:02 am »
Well I have one 15y old son, who does not care for any of this ...

Anyway, I decided on the base plate shape, cut it, rounded the edges, and then glue and screwed it in place. Tomorrow, once the glue has fully dried, I'll see how stable it is 8)

I can't find what paint color I used on the bartop, so instead I will use a darker grey on the stand. I'll try and match it up with the darker grey from front of the control panel. Should not really be noticeable then if the color is a bit off.

edekoning

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP again]
« Reply #169 on: October 02, 2022, 04:03:15 am »
Its slightly wobbly to the sides, like if you put your hand on the side of the bartop and start pushing it. But there is pretty much no movement in the front-back direction. So if I would redo it I would probably make the base pillar a bit wider and less narrow at the back, say 10 degrees instead of 14. But when actually (pretend) using the bartop on the stand, I don't notice any flex. Overall the height is quite comfortable for me, and I have enough free space to put my feet down. Overall quite happy with it -> next up paint prep.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2022, 04:05:26 am by edekoning »

BlueGhost

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP again]
« Reply #170 on: October 04, 2022, 09:37:27 am »
Very clean, but I can't help thinking of this when I see the pedestal.

edekoning

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP again]
« Reply #171 on: October 19, 2022, 03:00:41 pm »
Got two layers of white primer done. Now I am wondering what color I should paint the base. Should I go with the same overall light grey from the bartop, or the medium grey from the front of the control panel? I think going with the darker grey makes the bartop itself stand out more. Whereas the lighter grey will make it more a single piece.

yamatetsu

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Re: NES bartop [build plans included][WIP again]
« Reply #172 on: October 20, 2022, 01:36:41 am »
Or maybe option 3? Medium grey on the front, light grey on the sides. Makes it even more cohesive.

                  

edekoning

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Re: NES bartop with stand [done]
« Reply #173 on: October 25, 2022, 02:38:53 pm »
Or maybe option 3? Medium grey on the front, light grey on the sides. Makes it even more cohesive.

That is a great idea ... until I went buying paint ... 40 bucks for 0.5 liter ... so Instead went with light grey.

I found this nifty website where you can convert from RGB to nearest color standards. Including RAL which is a common paint color standard here. So I used that to convert from my side art to a pretty spot on paint color!
https://www.e-paint.co.uk/convert-rgb.asp

Anyway here are the results. Note hat I put the Bartop against the wall, which made it really stable. Quite happy with the results 8)

leapinlew

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Re: NES bartop with stand [done]
« Reply #174 on: October 25, 2022, 09:41:53 pm »
Good clean job!

You could add another base under that base, and make it bigger all the way around if it just needs a little more stability.