How much shop time does it take to make an Arcade Cabinet?

[jimfath]

SO... I found a local wood shop here in Los Angeles where you can rent time in their space to work on projects. It's a very robust woodshop with any and all the tools I could ever need at my disposal. I do have to sign up and pay for time though and I'm curious about how long the average cabinet would take to build. I want to be conservative in my estimate when I start building but I also don't want to over book and waste money.

Conservativly what would you say for someone like me who isn't a novice but isn't a pro cabinet maker.

[Slippyblade]

The bulk of the time in building a cabinet isn't the woodworking, unless you are trying for something unusual.  Are you drafting your plan as you go or are you going in with a fully dimensioned set of plans?

[jimfath]

I have a complete design in sketch up that I'll be using. It's a variation of Top Jimmy's Slim cabinet. It will be laminated as well.

[Slippyblade]

Honestly, if you have a complete set of plans with dimensions, I'd draft the pattern on the wood at home.  Then once you get to the shop, shouldn't be more than a few hours to get everything cut out.  If they have proper routers with pattern bits and such, there will be very little edge sanding.  Biggest thing to minimize shop time would be to go over, step-by-step, each part of the build and write out a plan. 

Do you plan to just do the raw woodwork at the shop and do the actual assembly and finishing at home? 

[jimfath]

I figured everything wood working wise would be done at the shop. The wiring and what not would be later. Though I would mount the controls for a proper fit. They do have table and hand routers. They start at 40 hour blocks of time.

[eds1275]

They start at 40 hour blocks of time.

...get one block, and gift half. I can put a cabinet together in an afternoon, not counting painting/laminating.

[Tithis]

Depends on your skill and organization too. Heck it took me 4 hours just to make my control panel.

[Wyo]

I want to say I spend about 100 hours per cabinet....which may be excessive? I dont know.  Anyway, that is about start to finish though.  Wood working alone is probably about 40-50.   I think with proper planning you could cut your time significantly.  But like with anything....its the little things that you cant account for that eat away at your time....(like a messed up cut, or needing to run to the store, etc)

[Dataman]

I think you could do it with only about 16-hours of shop time.  Like already stated - you would have to have a firm plan of action.
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Note:  They can really run up the clock with a lot of officious things - such as: a) having to wait to get tooling, b) having to wait to get tooling changed, c) having to wait to get underway while someone walks around inspecting your set-up.  I am not saying this is bad - you want them to promote safety, it's just that "they can really drag out the process" something they obviously learned from the government (state, city, county, federal - alien intelligence - who care...)
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I would use about 8-hours for the wood cutting, routing and poly carbonate trimming (actually closer to six hours - but I plan for the inevitable "mistake" - which could take time to sort out).  One time I was using a Table saw at an Air Force Hobby shop to cut relief grooves in a panel.  I had to go to the tool crypt to get something and while I was gone some one cut a board (changing the was) - just a quick cut.  When I came back with the new push stick (they require push sticks - and I was originally given one that looked like it had been pushed through the blade one time too many - but was assured it was OK - but it broke - hence the trip to the tool crypt), anyway, when I came back  I did not notice the saw blade height change (because I was irritated that I didn't get a new push stick to start with) and watched the saw cut through my panel.   Oops, that taint good.  So I had to re-cut a whole new panel and do it again.  The perpetrator came by and apologized.  He told me that he would have put the saw back but didn't know what my setting was.  He was only using the saw for one cut of a 1X6 board (He could have done "that" on the Radial Arm saw").  He figured I would recheck and notice that the saw wasn't correct and adjust it - but I didn't.
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My point is when using some one else's or a commercial "pay for time" shop, things happen.  Pay attention ( a lesson I have already learned so well).
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I usually laminate the wood before I cut and Route - this can be done at home.  As can the actual assembly (which would take another one-two hours of shop time - or at home).
The electrical would be another hour - maybe two (at home) , Installing the Monitor and Control Panel - another hour (at home), Putting the Control Panel Switches, Joysticks and Buttons on and Mounting it - another four hours - at home).  It takes time to punch out the holes and then mount the buttons - most of the time punching out the holes).
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I don't fabricate my control panels -  have them fabricated.  I have fabricated them, but I do not have a roll/slip press, nor do I own a sheet metal shear.  So for as little as $50-$80 I can have them fabricated.  If I were into this full time I would have twenty to fifty blanks fabricated at a time and as I understand it they would cost me 50-70% less per panel blank.  But I don't.
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Incidentally "I Am Looking For A Full Time Metal Fab shop/Person in Phoenix, Arizona.  My regular shop considers this a boutique industry, the owner sees my passion and does it for me, but unless I am willing to do 50 to 100 panels he keeps saying "he would prefer to not make them" for me - but does any way.  I smile a lot (I took my Niece with me once - He likes her Pamela Anderson Look and I guess he hopes I bring her back more often - but that is another whole story)...

[michelevit]

I've built a cab in 3 days. I build several a year and sell them on CL or to friends and family. If you have all the tools at your disposal and know what your doing, its pretty easy. The slowest part for me is waiting for paint and glue to dry.

[yotsuya]

(I took my Niece with me once - He likes her Pamela Anderson Look and I guess he hopes I bring her back more often - but that is another whole story)...

Pics!!!!

[marioxb]

The bulk of the time in building a cabinet isn't the woodworking, unless you are trying for something unusual.  Are you drafting your plan as you go or are you going in with a fully dimensioned set of plans?

It is for me. I suck at woodworking, drilling, painting, sanding, but I'm good at the electronics stuff. It takes me YEARS, no lie, just to refurbish my two old empty wood-only cabinets. I have no idea what I'm doing, no tools, no money and I'm lazy. One day I will start on them. There is no possible way in hell would I ever be able to build from scratch. I'm way too stupid at woodworking and again, I have no saws or anything and never will.

I figured everything wood working wise would be done at the shop. The wiring and what not would be later. Though I would mount the controls for a proper fit. They do have table and hand routers. They start at 40 hour blocks of time.

That's my approach too. Wood first. Make it look all new and shiny. Monitor, guts, controls later. Except I have no access to a shop and I don't have a garage. Everything would be done indoors.