CNC work for materials cost + shipping and trade or low fees [US/WA/Seattle]

[bfauska]

Several years ago the shop I work in needed a CNC router and I managed to build a MechMate to fill that need.

I also started a build thread http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,67176.0.html for a cabinet several years ago and now I'm returning to that pursuit.

I'd like to offer my services as a draftsman/CNC programmer and operator up for possible trade for some components for my cabinet.

I can do design from the ground up, imitate an existing cabinet, or work with existing plans. I can work in all the standard cabinet materials. I can slot for t-molding and I can prepare the product to ship (flat packed or if you're really looking to spend some money via freight).

I'd offer to do all of this in exchange for actual material costs, shipping costs, and a moderate fee or potentially trade for some components.

I am in search of a spinner, a trackball, an LED controller, LED buttons, 4/8 way servo sticks, dedicated 4-way, light guns, and probably several other parts I'm forgetting. If you've got any of those things to offer, or equivalent funds for an item or two on the list shoot me an offer.

For example, I'd probably be game to cut a bartop from an existing cad drawing for a Seattle local in trade for about $30-50 in parts. Maybe a bartop based on a specific style without a cad drawing and that I have to deal with shipping on for $50-100 worth of parts. If you want a custom designed upright cut with specialty hardware accommodations packed flat and shipped I'm probably going to want you to give me most the stuff on my list, but who knows, I may also be willing to do a project or two for really minimal trade value in order to show what I can do. I'll also entertain requests for things like CPs or admin panels and even dimensional marquees if you don't need a whole cabinet.

Send a request and see what we can make happen, I know I don't have much sample work available but I'm also not asking for much in return for what would be very valuable services commercially.

[JimmyU]

I got a trackball that I might swap for a bartop.

[JamesX]

Might need some new sides cut for a full size centipede cabinet.   Picked up a salvage cabinet but it's in rough shape.   (I'm in the Seattle area).

May attempt repairs anyway but wanted to run this by you as well in case I decide to just replace the sides, see what you thought.

[bfauska]

A pair of new sides could be a possibility for sure. Centipede is pretty popular so getting the dimensions shouldn't be too hard, or you could give me one of the originals for me to copy. I wouldn't need much in trade or payment for something fairly straight forward like that, particularly since I wouldn't have to deal with trying to ship it.
Figure out if you want to fix and replace and let me know if you'd like my help.

[haku99]

hi

sent you a PM

thanks

[bfauska]

I've started a few projects for people now and have some images of the work to show. I haven't shipped anything out yet but hopefully once people get this stuff in their hands they can vouch for my quality work.

[pbj]

$?

[Generic Eric]

I've started a few projects for people now and have some images of the work to show. I haven't shipped anything out yet but hopefully once people get this stuff in their hands they can vouch for my quality work.

This looks nice.  How do you mount the monitor?  Is that less than 1/2 inch?  There is no t molding slot.

I'd enjoy seeing this populated with a monitor, speaker, marquee and light.  What would you say is the volume left after populating a monitor, how much room for adding a PC or whatever?  Thanks.

[bfauska]

This looks nice.  How do you mount the monitor?  Is that less than 1/2 inch?  There is no t molding slot.

I'd enjoy seeing this populated with a monitor, speaker, marquee and light.  What would you say is the volume left after populating a monitor, how much room for adding a PC or whatever?  Thanks.

That is 1/2" MDF. This order didn't include cutting the t-slot. The plan for mounting the monitor is to drill the monitor mount holes in the included monitor mounting board shown in the render and then using either angle brackets or battens/screw blocks attach that board to the sides of the cabinet. The monitor in the renders is a based on a 17" 16:10 LCD so as you can see there is a good deal of room inside the cabinet behind it, it'a a pretty large bartop cabinet.
The prices right now are all basically based on negotiations and I feel like I'm offering good deals to get some work as examples. Because the projects have all been one offs the prices are really a steal, the amount of work to just get this project into the computer was a few hours and then the cutting time and time it'll take to ship is a few more. For the Nintendo inspired cabinet in the example images with the "super-early-bird-discount" I charged 1 Happ trackball (~$25 value based on concurrent sale offer by my customer) +$70 +shipping.

I'm reluctant to include the sample price and have no intention of considering it as a precedent in future negotiations but at least you have an idea of how much work I'm willing to do right now to get some feedback. That price included the materials.

Though I'll be glad to do some repeat projects, my real value to the board I think will be the ability to do custom work. The folks who do the flat-pack kits have a great product at good prices and I'm not after their business in the long run.

Also, I'm going to take a look at the "retail" rules to see if I'm stepping over the line but this isn't my primary business and as I said I don't intend to start cranking out piles of the same parts. Mods, please let me know if I need to relocate to that sub-forum.

[Malenko]

do you have the plans for a 4 player xmen CP? I need the wood and plexi

[bfauska]

I don't have any plans but if you can get me measurements of either a CP or the space it goes in we can figure something out. The CP box shown in my post above is for a Spider-Man cab and is designed from measurements of the cabinet and images of the originals. Hopefully it will be in the hands of its future owner soon and we can see how well it fits.

[bfauska]

Bump

[thehammer12]

Dam I could use that bar top....PMing you.

[d00dness]

I just want to say +111111111 A+++++++ to bfauska for the patience and great communications while building my bar top cab!   He has been nothing but great in helping me decide the cab's design.   I hope to have it here by this weekend so I can post some pixs of the great work he has done.  Defiantly someone that I'll continue to use / recommend in future projects.  Tks bfauska ! 

[pbj]

I just want to say +111111111 A+++++++ to bfauska for the patience and great communications while building my bar top cab!   He has been nothing but great in helping me decide the cab's design.   I hope to have it here by this weekend so I can post some pixs of the great work he has done.  Defiantly someone that I'll continue to use / recommend in future projects.  Tks bfauska !

Please wait until product is in hand before you post things like this in the future.  Thanks.

[yotsuya]

I just want to say +111111111 A+++++++ to bfauska for the patience and great communications while building my bar top cab!   He has been nothing but great in helping me decide the cab's design.   I hope to have it here by this weekend so I can post some pixs of the great work he has done.  Defiantly someone that I'll continue to use / recommend in future projects.  Tks bfauska !

Please wait until product is in hand before you post things like this in the future.  Thanks.

 
Only because we've seen it backfire before.

[bfauska]

I just want to say +111111111 A+++++++ to bfauska for the patience and great communications while building my bar top cab!   He has been nothing but great in helping me decide the cab's design.   I hope to have it here by this weekend so I can post some pixs of the great work he has done.  Defiantly someone that I'll continue to use / recommend in future projects.  Tks bfauska !

Please wait until product is in hand before you post things like this in the future.  Thanks.

 
Only because we've seen it backfire before.

Even as the guy the risky praise is about I gotta agree.

The patience and communications part could be valid before the product shows up though. Thanks for the feedback, hopefully it stays true when the cabinet shows up, and certainly post pictures and/or a project thread.

[yotsuya]

I just want to say +111111111 A+++++++ to bfauska for the patience and great communications while building my bar top cab!   He has been nothing but great in helping me decide the cab's design.   I hope to have it here by this weekend so I can post some pixs of the great work he has done.  Defiantly someone that I'll continue to use / recommend in future projects.  Tks bfauska !

Please wait until product is in hand before you post things like this in the future.  Thanks.

 
Only because we've seen it backfire before.

Even as the guy the risky praise is about I gotta agree.

The patience and communications part could be valid before the product shows up though. Thanks for the feedback, hopefully it stays true when the cabinet shows up, and certainly post pictures and/or a project thread.

Glad you understand. I have no doubt you'll provide a quality product, we've just had it happen before where a guys says, "Oh yeah, XXX is great, buy with confidence!", then a few day later there are issues. Best to wait until the transaction is complete. 

[bfauska]

Some folks have been asking about custom CP work with flush mounted or recessed parts (trackball plates, joysticks, LEDs, etc) and I've done a few tests that I thought would show the kind of work available. The newest one I've done is figure out how I'm going to mount my HAPP trackball without the plate in a wood panel, the sample is in MDF and even with the little wood screws I've got holding it in place I'm pretty confident it'll stand up to an above average game of Golden Tee, in plywood or with t-nuts on the top surface it'd be even better.



In this one the gloss black makes it hard to see but these parts are super flush.


This sample part was for someone that wanted to see about flush LEDs and a flush db19 connector in his CP, the MDF cut is a bit rough but the size of these parts was pocketed into the wood really well and they were also very flush (around the connector the spot that looks like the metal housing sticking up is actually the inside edge of the plexi seen through the plexi around the hole).

[thehammer12]

I ordered a control panel from Bfauska and it arrived on friday, and man the quality is A+++++++.  The box was literally a perfect fit, I should have taken more pics but I was in a rush haha. The joints were solid, t-molding slots lined up and etc. I will be ordering from him again.

[bfauska]

I ordered a control panel from Bfauska and it arrived on friday, and man the quality is A+++++++.  The box was literally a perfect fit, I should have taken more pics but I was in a rush haha. The joints were solid, t-molding slots lined up and etc. I will be ordering from him again.

Thanks for the rave review. I'm glad the box fit so well, it's always nice when something fits based on photos with a tape measure and some basic drawings. 

[thehammer12]

I ordered a control panel from Bfauska and it arrived on friday, and man the quality is A+++++++.  The box was literally a perfect fit, I should have taken more pics but I was in a rush haha. The joints were solid, t-molding slots lined up and etc. I will be ordering from him again.

Thanks for the rave review. I'm glad the box fit so well, it's always nice when something fits based on photos with a tape measure and some basic drawings. 

I know right. I was like man I hope I didn't butcher it for you with the measuring stick haha, but I'm super happy with the results.

[Drakin]

PM'd

[iwc5002]

Hi there

Can you please email me at iwc5002 @gmail.com ??
Thank you!

[bfauska]

Hi there

Can you please email me at iwc5002 @gmail.com ??
Thank you!

Probably not with that vague request. But feel free to PM me here.

[PL1]

Welcome aboard, iwc5002.   

feel free to PM me here.

He'll need 2-4 more posts to do that. (Not sure what number Saint currently has the PM auto-enable set to.  )

There are some hints here on how to do that, iwc5002.


Scott

[iwc5002]

Hi there

Can you please email me at iwc5002 @gmail.com ??
Thank you!

Probably not with that vague request. But feel free to PM me here.

Hi there.

I am trying to a build a cabinet and registered today on this great forum.
Yet, I don't have access to other members' info including PM feature (can't even reply to your PM for that matter) because I am still new, I think.

Located in Los Angeles and just have a few questions.  That is all