Author Topic: Someone name a different material other than MDF to build a cabinet out of (Read 8026 times)

egomaniacal1 · « **on:** February 12, 2004, 01:56:26 pm »

Hello all

I'm new to this board and quite happy to be here. I'm very interested in trying to build a cabinet and went to Lowe's the other day to look around and price tools/material i will need. Well i get to the MDF($18.75 for a 49"x97" sheet) and it looks good but it was much heavier than i thought it would be!!

Anyway it got me to thinking about using another type of light wood for this project. So the question is what is a light(but solid wood) wood that could be used for building my cab.? I was thinking Poplar maybe but not sure that would hold up. Suggestions please.

JamesS · « **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:01:53 pm »

Well, I think most people say use MDF because of the weight. Also it is easier to paint if you go that way with it.

You will need three sheets, that is 50 dollars. Some people have used Plywood though. If you are going to cover it with something instead of painting I do not see a problem with it.

APFelon · « **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:06:50 pm »

Balsa wood with a thin steel exterior?

APf

Jakobud · « **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:25:28 pm »

Play-Doh

mp2526 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:26:12 pm »

Quote from: Jakobud on February 12, 2004, 02:25:28 pm

Play-Doh

You beat me to it.

Apollo · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:28:16 pm »

Tin foil, gummy bears and glitter.

egomaniacal1 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:35:39 pm »

LOL

Ok....thanks for all the replies guys....i'm still leaning toward the Poplar but the Balsa with sheet metal sounds good too. I only want to get away from the MDF's weight becuz i'm thinking ahead to having to move the thing!! And my design for the cab(actually a half cab....bottom part kinda like the console of the 6-player X-men arcade) as i have it thought up now is going to be massive.

Stingray · « **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:38:00 pm »

Being that I'm no carpenter by any means, but feel comfortable doing metal work, I seriously considered building a cab entirely out of sheet metal with a tubing frame. After I realised that I'd need a forklift to move it, I changed my mind and just bought an old cab and converted it.

-S

SirPeale · « **Reply #8 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:46:44 pm »

Butter. No, wait: goldfish. Not the cracker kind, real goldfish. No wait...Coke cans.

orntar · « **Reply #9 on:** February 12, 2004, 02:55:00 pm »

i built my cab with a sheet and half of 3/4" mdf and one sheet of 1/2" mdf. plus misc parts and 100lbs tv.

it has 4 swivel 3" or 4" casters (can't remember) so it weight like 300-350 lbs and i can move it rather easily. i prefer mdf. i dont trust ply wood for slotcutting the t-molding.

LoRDDeVO · « **Reply #10 on:** February 12, 2004, 03:25:47 pm »

What ever happened to using good old 3/4 plywood. :oIt is lighter and doesn't swell up and turn to wood chip mush when in contact with water. You can get the ply wood with the finished sides so it is smooth and straight. That what I am using for my cab.

PacManFan · « **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2004, 03:34:04 pm »

I'm suprised no one has mentioned cardboard boxes and duct-tape. C'mon just look how beautiful the TrashCade is!!!!!

-PMF

jimmyjet · « **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2004, 03:51:21 pm »

I have built two out of particle board. It is cheaper and a bit lighter than mdf. Home dept calls it "woodstalk." I have also seen it labeled as carpet underlayment in other stores.

Snarbald · « **Reply #13 on:** February 12, 2004, 07:50:44 pm »

Quote from: Peale on February 12, 2004, 02:46:44 pm

Butter. No, wait: goldfish. Not the cracker kind, real goldfish. No wait...Coke cans.

You're giving me all kinds of bad ideas about filling Dr. Pepper cans with some sort of a structural foam or something to make a cab or an end table or something. Well that was a run on sentence...

NoOne=NBA= · « **Reply #14 on:** February 12, 2004, 08:48:38 pm »

I actually did the carboard thing.

I started my cab by building what basically amounted to a rolling table with a 2x4 frame. Once I had that part done, I covered it in cardboard so that I could get everything the way I wanted it before committing to wood.
Once I had the dimensions/shape right, I converted everything over to 3/4" plywood.
I live in Washington State, and was actually more concerned about the possibility of the cabinet getting WET in a move, than the weight.
I'm also not a big fan of WORKING with MDF.
It just kind of disappears when you work it, and turns to that obnoxious dust.

I'm guessing, based on the framing job I did on this, that I could probably slide mine down a few flights of stairs without hurting anything but the paint job.
I've got 2" casters on the bottom, so it moves really nice when I need to.

As a side note to this, I tend to overbuild everything.
My brother-in-law and I built a "baby" bed for his daughter one time.
It was sized to hold the crib mattress after she got old enough not to need the crib.
We built the entire bed out of bolted together 4x4's and put a piece of 3/4" plywood in for a bottom.
After both of us jumping up and down on it repeatedly, we decided it MIGHT be strong enough for my niece.

slicer_d · « **Reply #15 on:** February 12, 2004, 10:25:34 pm »

Popsicle sticks, rubberbands, and duct tape!!! With that you can build/fix anything!!!!

Wienerdog · « **Reply #16 on:** February 12, 2004, 10:55:40 pm »

Quote from: egomaniacal1 on February 12, 2004, 02:35:39 pm

LOL

Ok....thanks for all the replies guys....i'm still leaning toward the Poplar but the Balsa with sheet metal sounds good too. I only want to get away from the MDF's weight becuz i'm thinking ahead to having to move the thing!! And my design for the cab(actually a half cab....bottom part kinda like the console of the 6-player X-men arcade) as i have it thought up now is going to be massive.

Let me save you some time and just tell you to stop looking at Poplar. If you were at Lowes pricing tools, you don't have the tools needed to build a cab from solid Poplar. At a minimum, you would need a joiner and planer, about six 4 foot bar clamps, and some experience doing a glue up (a six foot board is not easy). I give you credit for picking the right wood though, Poplar is the right choice for a solid wood that you are going to paint. It's just not practical unless can glue up panels in your sleep.

As for the weight problem, I totally agree. I laugh because I made three trips to the big orange box (HD) to pick up 3/4" MDF. Each time, I went home without it because I couldn't beleive how heavy it was. After a couple weeks, I would think "everyone else uses it, I'll just tough it out and get it home." I'd go back to HD and start the cycle over.

After working on my upright cab for a while now, I can pass on something I learned. I would have HD strip down all of the wood to my width + 1". I decided to bring home the 4x8 sheets because I don't trust the store to cut it right. It is very difficult to handle a 4x8 sheet of 3/4" anything. Even if making the sloppy cuts causes you to buy an extra sheet of wood, DO IT.

NoOne=NBA= · « **Reply #17 on:** February 13, 2004, 12:21:30 am »

I've also been thinking about doing an entire cabinet out of Legos.

I always thought that would look really great, especially If you could work the sideart into the Legos themselves.

paigeoliver · « **Reply #18 on:** February 13, 2004, 12:51:26 am »

I wouldn't even think about building a cabinet out of anything other than plywood. Go to an old warehouse and pull out 2 game from 1981, one made from plywood, one made from something else, and compare the difference in condition.

Oh, and for the guy talking about a metal cabinet. I am pretty sure Bally made some metal Sac-1 cabinets. It wouldn't be that bad weightwise if it didn't have a frame.

Other unique cab materials include.

Plastic (Williams Duramold, some import cabs).
Fiberglass (Computer Space, some 70s Shark game, perhaps others)

Snarbald · « **Reply #19 on:** February 13, 2004, 12:51:58 am »

Quote from: NoOne=NBA= on February 13, 2004, 12:21:30 am

I've also been thinking about doing an entire cabinet out of Legos.

I always thought that would look really great, especially If you could work the sideart into the Legos themselves.

Why didn't anyone say that while there was still a lego store in the mall? (you could buy legos by the liter as opposed to buying a bunch of buckets and ending up with a million spare parts in the end)

Felsir · « **Reply #20 on:** February 13, 2004, 03:35:07 am »

Quote from: Snarbald on February 13, 2004, 12:51:58 am

Quote from: NoOne=NBA= on February 13, 2004, 12:21:30 am
I've also been thinking about doing an entire cabinet out of Legos.

I always thought that would look really great, especially If you could work the sideart into the Legos themselves.

Why didn't anyone say that while there was still a lego store in the mall? (you could buy legos by the liter as opposed to buying a bunch of buckets and ending up with a million spare parts in the end)

You might want to contact Eric Harsbarger, he creates large scale Lego sculptures, like this working grandfather clock: http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/clock.html
http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/portfolio.html
(I'm not just a MAME fan, I collect Lego too

)

Lilwolf · « **Reply #21 on:** February 13, 2004, 05:50:42 am »

I was going to say legos... was a little suprised it didn't come until 1/2 way down the thread...

but I dont' think Legos would do it..

You would need an erector set to handle the extra weight of the monitor.

It WOULD be ideal for hotswap control panels... As long as you didn't pull off too much...

paigeoliver · « **Reply #22 on:** February 13, 2004, 06:00:14 am »

Oh, I almost forgot, Midway made a few demo Ms. Pac-Man machines out of plexiglass back in 1981.

That would be AWESOME, but you would have to be as good as oscar at wiring (not picking on oscar, just remember seeing a picture of a control panel he wired, and it looked cleaner than most dedicated games).

abrannan · « **Reply #23 on:** February 13, 2004, 08:29:51 am »

Quote from: egomaniacal1 on February 12, 2004, 02:35:39 pm

LOL

Ok....thanks for all the replies guys....i'm still leaning toward the Poplar but the Balsa with sheet metal sounds good too. I only want to get away from the MDF's weight becuz i'm thinking ahead to having to move the thing!! And my design for the cab(actually a half cab....bottom part kinda like the console of the 6-player X-men arcade) as i have it thought up now is going to be massive.

If you're just building a large console/pedestal Control panel, why not look at a cheap desk from Wal-Mart or the like. You can modify the construction slightly, but you get a lot of free hardware in those kits for a really cheap price.

Stingray · « **Reply #24 on:** February 13, 2004, 09:09:12 am »

A lego cab would be nothing but cool! I can't imagine how much that many legos would cost, but man it would be cool!

-S

NoOne=NBA= · « **Reply #25 on:** February 13, 2004, 03:55:41 pm »

Quote from: Lilwolf on February 13, 2004, 05:50:42 am

I dont' think Legos would do it..
You would need an erector set to handle the extra weight of the monitor.
It WOULD be ideal for hotswap control panels... As long as you didn't pull off too much...

As far as monitor weight, I was thinking more of a shell of Legos over a subframe, so that wouldn't be a problem.

And I am SERIOUSLY thinking of using them for the modular system I'm working on.
I just haven't come up with exactly the right way to incorporate them yet.
I've toyed with the idea of using epoxy to hold them together, or using them over a wood or sheet metal base, etc...

CIA_Guy · « **Reply #26 on:** February 13, 2004, 04:19:49 pm »

I'm using 1/2" plywood and 1 x 2s for framing. That's smaller wood than most use, but I've only got a 19" monitor to go in it and I had to keep the weight to a minimum. (I'm military and I move a lot.) The cabinet is probably 1/2 complete (structurally) and it seems easily sturdy enough to survive the moves. As I add the monitor and CPU shelf, it'll get even firmer.

As for the finish, I bough the type that is sanded fairly well on one side and rough on the other. A little wood filler over the screws and a couple of passes with the random orbital sander and the outside is nice and smooth.

Plywood will suck the paint in, so use a good sealer. One trick is to have the sealer tinted to the right color to get things started off right (assuming the cabinet is mostly one color). Of course, I have yet to get to that step.....

egomaniacal1 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 14, 2004, 04:11:48 am »

OK...first things first. Someone REALLY needs to sticky the msg that talks about problems related to login!! i've been locked out for 2 days before i found(or stumbled upon) that msg!!!!

Now i wanna say the ideal for the Lego cab.....pure genius. It would definitely be awesome!! Although i personally don't have the patience it would take to assemble that many legos its still a great ideal. I think i have decided to go with.....drumroll please....Plexiglass!!!

I have envisioned a very lightweight cab with use of plexi and also a very modular design as well. Now all i need are pointers as to how i should approach working with plexiglass as i've never worked with it before. Can i cut and drill on it as i would do with wood? Do i need special sawblades or bits?

Wienerdog · « **Reply #28 on:** February 14, 2004, 11:50:04 am »

Quote from: CIA_Guy on February 13, 2004, 04:19:49 pm

I'm using 1/2" plywood and 1 x 2s for framing. That's smaller wood than most use, but I've only got a 19" monitor to go in it and I had to keep the weight to a minimum. (I'm military and I move a lot.) The cabinet is probably 1/2 complete (structurally) and it seems easily sturdy enough to survive the moves. As I add the monitor and CPU shelf, it'll get even firmer.

As for the finish, I bough the type that is sanded fairly well on one side and rough on the other. A little wood filler over the screws and a couple of passes with the random orbital sander and the outside is nice and smooth.

Plywood will suck the paint in, so use a good sealer. One trick is to have the sealer tinted to the right color to get things started off right (assuming the cabinet is mostly one color). Of course, I have yet to get to that step.....

One downside of 1/2" is the T-Molding, another is that the cab might look flimsy. I don't think the weight is an issue. I think you could use 1/4" wood for the side panels, as long as there was a 1/2 frame to keep the cab from swaying side to side.

CIA_Guy · « **Reply #29 on:** February 14, 2004, 04:32:11 pm »

I didn't try to use T-molding on the 1/2" (although it is available). I used oak veneer to hid the edges. I was a little concerned that the 1/2" would look cheap also, but it looks pretty good. I think a lot depends on the style of the cabinet.

bluGill · « **Reply #30 on:** February 14, 2004, 08:45:57 pm »

My idea was to use 1/4 inch plywood for the sides, but use 3/4 board on the outside edge, similar to cabinet construction. The plywood would be set back 1/2 inch so it would look like you intentionally did that. Much lighter than MDF, in large part because the sides don't have the mass.

The 3/4 board means you can still use t-molding, and you have something a little easier to work with where you do your joints. And if you plan ahead you can do the hard work on small easy to manover pieces of wood instead of big awkward MDF panels.

IF you just might try to get this into the livingroom (as opposed to the basement) look closer at your cabinets, if the cabinet matches your decor you have a better shot. Oak plywood is common, and you can get 3/4 board in just about anything.

Safron · « **Reply #31 on:** February 14, 2004, 11:04:28 pm »

How about carbon fiber on a custom aluminum frame?
that should be light and strong.

Your local aircraft manuafacturer can point you in the right direction

GroovyTuesdaY · « **Reply #32 on:** February 15, 2004, 01:55:06 am »

Oh MAN, you guys forgot the obvious....BUBBLE GUM WRAPPERS heheeh

groovy~

Oldskool · « **Reply #33 on:** February 15, 2004, 02:09:49 pm »

How about a dedicated Pengo made from ice?

Not very light, but it'll keep the beer cold.

rampy · « **Reply #34 on:** February 15, 2004, 08:38:59 pm »

Quote from: Safron on February 14, 2004, 11:04:28 pm

How about carbon fiber on a custom aluminum frame?
that should be light and strong.

Your local aircraft manuafacturer can point you in the right direction

Someone around here did do a quasi showcase cabinet built out of fiberglass (forgive me if is was subtely different materials...it looked like fiberglass to me)
oooh.. here's a link to valence's thead
*Shrug*
Rampy

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #35 on:** February 15, 2004, 10:14:26 pm »

Quote from: egomaniacal1 on February 12, 2004, 01:56:26 pm

Hello all

I'm new to this board and quite happy to be here. I'm very interested in trying to build a cabinet and went to Lowe's the other day to look around and price tools/material i will need. Well i get to the MDF($18.75 for a 49"x97" sheet) and it looks good but it was much heavier than i thought it would be!!

Anyway it got me to thinking about using another type of light wood for this project. So the question is what is a light(but solid wood) wood that could be used for building my cab.? I was thinking Poplar maybe but not sure that would hold up. Suggestions please.

good old plywood... it's the best choice for the job, but it'll cost ya if you want it smooth... it's lighter, sturdier and more water resistant than mdf.

btw balsa wood is used for props, you can't even skin with it

SirPeale · « **Reply #36 on:** February 16, 2004, 09:01:37 am »

Quote from: egomaniacal1 on February 14, 2004, 04:11:48 am

OK...first things first. Someone REALLY needs to sticky the msg that talks about problems related to login!! i've been locked out for 2 days before i found(or stumbled upon) that msg!!!!

It is stickied. Right in the 'Board Discussion' forum.

Nannuu · « **Reply #37 on:** February 16, 2004, 09:19:12 am »

3/4" MDO is really great stuff. It is plywood with a smooth veneer on both sides. Just as smooth (smoother?) as MDF and because it is plywood it is stronger. It'll cost you about $50 per sheet though $:-\$ .

Lilwolf · « **Reply #38 on:** February 16, 2004, 10:02:12 am »

On the Pengo in Ice idea...

how about something more realistic.

Pengo dedicated (maybe snowbros too) in those glass blocks that people use in showers and old 70's apartments!

Would look REALLY cool!

egomaniacal1 · « **Reply #39 on:** February 16, 2004, 01:44:29 pm »

Peale: I never go to the Board Discussion Forum so what good does it do to have a sticky that regards logging in to ALL Forums if that sticky is just located in one Forum?!?!

Lilwolf: I don't know how heavy that ideal for a Pengo machine would weight(i'm thinking very VERY heavy) but its definitely a cool ideal.

Rampy: Thanks for the link to Valence's cabinet project!!! That looks kinda like what i'm meaning to build...just a bottom half of a cabinet. The base to his is kinda small tho...i wonder what happened to Valence. Looks like he might have just stopped working on that thing altogether.

Nannuu: Never heard of MDO but if its lighter than MDF than i might look into getting some. I said i was going to go with an all plexi machine but thats still up in the air seeing as how i've never worked with plexi before.


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