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Author Topic: Nintendo cabinet build - Wreck-It Ralph  (Read 69160 times)

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UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #40 on: August 24, 2019, 05:48:58 pm »
I was using 240 grit when I was working on that repair piece, but for removing the mottled texture it's just been the 600.  As you've probably picked up from this thread, I'm no expert, so the experts may have better advice to give!  Just adding water to anything made from MDF made me nervous enough.

gingecko

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #41 on: August 25, 2019, 12:34:54 am »
Well, you managed to get a good finish either way.

Yea, water and mdf are pretty scary. I’m not sure if I’ll brave wet sanding. Anyways, should let you get back to talking about the cab build! :)

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #42 on: August 25, 2019, 03:56:02 pm »
:) the thing I found is that just sanding with 600 did the sanding job but left light scratches in the finish, but a little bit of water (I'm just spraying a very small amount from a bottle) seems to stop that.  So it's not soaked or anything, and so far my MDF hasn't exploded into a sponge.  I think there's enough paint on the surface to keep things safe now. 

Cabinet-wise I finished the spray on the second side and just went through removing the tape from that side.  Minor issues aside I'm ready to move on to the blocking...

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #43 on: September 01, 2019, 06:05:10 am »
Looking at the Gaetan plans for the blocking, which I'd used the 1:1 print of to transfer on their positions, it strikes me that a number of pieces of blocking aren't marked.  This means that I've couple of areas that are painted that ideally wouldn't be (nothing particularly structural) and a bunch of extra pieces of blocking that I need to cut in addition to the ones I knew about.  I've marked them on the picture.

The green line is the bezel support, which seems to be a thinner piece of support wood like the one that's used for the marquee support.

The red lines are all normal blocking:
- Support for the front of the upper and lower marquee area.  I need to figure out dimensions of these, or else just cut them short enough to give some support without risking them getting in the way of the marquee support pieces.
- The wood that takes the bottom of the bezel and the back of the control panel seems to need blocking behind it in order to allow it to be attached without screwing in from the outside of the cabinet.
- Similar story for the speaker panel - it would be adequately supported by the side keys, but that would then mean attaching through the front or else putting something like a pocket hole from the key.  Pictures I've seen seem to have blocking on top of the key.
- Underside of the key needs blocking in the recess to allow the small horizontal piece to attach.
- Something on one side only to support the area that holds the game PCB (same level as the coin bucket blocking but further back).

The blocking that holds the front door also looks like it should go higher than marked but I'll try it with the size shown and see how that goes. 
« Last Edit: September 01, 2019, 06:10:53 am by UnclearHermit »

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #44 on: September 03, 2019, 01:52:44 pm »
Blocking.  Not the most exciting of topics.  I've only got as far as creating the ones that I needed according to the plans, and even then not QUITE all of those and none for the front etc. where others are probably needed.  I'm avoiding the monitor supports for now because I haven't really thought through monitors yet...

Cutting the wood to length wasn't a particular event, but I knew that drilling straight holes through the wood was going to challenge me and I wanted to make sure these things were sitting level.  So I invested in a cheap dowel jig for a few quid with the sole intention of using it to guide my holes nice and straight.  With the wood marked up to show the centre of each drilling hole it was then a case of diagonally placing the tool across the blocking so the that centre of the middle hole lined up with my hole mark.  There are plastic bits sticking out on either side, which keeps my hole position in the middle so long as those two bits of plastic are touching the top and bottom of the blocking.  This makes drilling straight holes trivially easy.





Output of this was a bunch of these.  The excessive countersinking comes from the decision to use plasterboard screws, which I keep reading are good for MDF.  I have plasterboard screws that are way too big and others that are too small, so recessing the holes allows me to use the smaller screws and still get a decent bite into the MDF.  Everyone says the strength is in the glue anyway...




UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #45 on: September 13, 2019, 06:15:10 pm »
Been working on a base as a bit of a distraction.  I used Chance's video as a great guide for this.

Grabbed some wood from B&Q for this, which wasn't in the best condition but I could get enough decent cuts out of.


Support pieces:


The base itself:


Four bits cut and laid out:


It was at this point that I found that the mitres weren't looking good.


You can see how the cut is off here:


My saw is fine enough but was a no-brand item that I picked up on eBay years ago.  I've tried to calibrate it better before and failed.  Some of that is me, I'm sure, and some of it is that it's not that adjustable.  In the end I just adjusted the angle of the cut up a degree and that seemed to make things better, if not perfect.


This wood is pretty rough, but a quick sand over got it a lot smoother.


The hardest part, not helped by my dodgy mitres, was getting the thing together and square.  I seemed to spend an eternity moving four pieces of wood around.  I ended up banging some nails in the corners along with the glue and ended up with something okay.


I then glued and screwed all the support pieces in.



The only thing I'm really doing differently from Chance's video is that I masked the top of the wood before spraying.  I figure this will give me a better bond for the glue when it gets attached to the cabinet.



gingecko

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #46 on: September 16, 2019, 12:15:48 pm »
That base is looking pretty nice. Will you be adding wheels and/or feet? I used wheels similar to what Chance used, and they were a little tricky to get situated.

jennifer

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #47 on: September 16, 2019, 01:06:02 pm »
I have never seen a mill tag like that in MM even,That lumber was grown really fast, you can tell by the wide ring spacing on the end grain (most likely a sustainable tree farm)...Anyway like what I  seeing, you actually give some thoughts to the build and know what you are capable of, (the water in the spray bottle comes to mind) keeping water localized and clean as opposed to dragging out the garden hose good job...When Jenn attempts difficult cuts I make multiple pieces 2 even 3 times as many as needed, and then use the best ones and recycle the leftovers into making assembly jigs...Again good job man. 8)
« Last Edit: September 16, 2019, 01:10:31 pm by jennifer »

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #48 on: September 16, 2019, 05:47:06 pm »
Gingecko - thanks.  There will be wheels once I've got something to attach wheels to and found relevant bolts to attach them with.  I think I've found a wheel that's pretty much what I need but I need to check measurements.

Jennifer - I'd not noticed the wide rings until you mentioned them!
I've still got plenty of stuff left to do that I consider tricky (speaker holes come to mind) and they'll certainly be getting some practice on spare wood before I go anywhere near the more carefully cut bits.  Thanks for the encouragement :)

I have been working in odd moments at attaching some of the blocking, using the spacer pieces I made much earlier in the drawing stages to try and get the things in the right positions.  I'm moving slowly with this bit to try and make sure everything is going in the right place on the two side panels, and also to figure out the positioning of the stuff that comes NEXT and will actually be visible.






I've also had to cut a lot more blocking pieces for the bits I mentioned before.  I think it was about another 15.  More on that another time.

jennifer

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #49 on: September 16, 2019, 06:34:19 pm »
Cutting big holes is not that bad...Just do it slowly so if the hole cutter binds it doesn't hurt your wrist, That and clamp or weight it down so it doesn't move, And start the cut about halfway through, and then flip it over and using the pilot hole finish the cut that will minimize tearout, and leave any misgivings in the hole...And work on rags and blankets/clean plastic when you can during assembly  (I noticed you already are) that will help minimize surface damage to your workpiece and save you work on paint day.

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #50 on: September 28, 2019, 02:32:05 pm »
Ah, actually I was meaning the speaker grille, which looks to be all kinds of fun.  But thanks for the hole drilling tips!

A quick couple of questions about t-moulding.  I need to acquire some at some point, but right now I just need to get the slot cut.  Is it likely that all t-moulding will use the same size of slot, or do I need to know which t-moulding I'm going to buy in order to get the right size of slot cutter?  Some of the sites that sell it don't seem to mention the width of the slot needed.  Secondly, I remember reading something in the past about the t-moudling on Nintendo cabinets starting at the top rear corner but finishing SOMEWHERE underneath the cabinet and not actually going all the way around to the back.  Does anyone happen to know how far back it's supposed to extend so that I don't end up cutting a slot that will have nothing in it?

I'll have some more photo updates soon, but a quick one on MDF sealant.  I think I mentioned earlier about the primer I've been using on painted surfaces to-date.  But for surfaces that will be unpainted (a lot of the interior) I don't really want to leave bare MDF because it's not the nicest material to leave exposed and it increases the chances of it getting marked etc.  So I've been trying out an MDF sealant, which goes on pretty much like water and which then leaves a light varnish-like finish that you can still paint over if you want.  I was also interested to know how well it painted over because it's SO quick and easy to apply.

So a quick test.  A bit of spare MDF with some of the sealant put roughly in the middle.  You can see how it dries and leaves it just looking a bit like it's varnished, which makes it much more resistant to marking.



And then a quick spray of black over it to see how it takes.  You can clearly see where the sealant stops the paint absorbing.



So this stuff will definitely get used for MDF surfaces that I don't paint, and I'll quite likely use it for areas that I DO paint, just because it's really fast to apply it.

Finally, I don't think I ever did a picture of the finished base.



UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #51 on: October 04, 2019, 04:05:15 am »
I've been having a look around at t-moulding and the flat nintendo stuff on t-molding.com says that the barb on 9/16" t-moulding (which I'm hoping will just cover my 15mm wood) is 7/64" (about 2.8mm) and that it requires a slot of 0.08" (2.0mm).  I can get some slot cutters in the UK that are 2mm but they're about £20, which is a lot to spend on a tool that probably won't get much further use.  I've found these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/perfk-Outstanding-Abrasion-Resistance-Strength/dp/B07MZNQSRK/ref=pd_sbs_60_4/259-5220629-6174547
which are a fraction of the price but they're 2.38mm.  That's still 0.4mm narrower than the barb, but 0.4mm wider than it's supposed to be. Is this likely to matter?  I don't want to save money just to create myself a problem down the line, but if the t-moulding will hold fine in the slightly wider slot then that would be ideal.

thanks

jennifer

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #52 on: October 04, 2019, 09:10:02 am »
That T usually extends around 6in. Over onto the back, Personally Jenn likes to cut them slots a little wide and then glue them in... Then you don't have to fight it into a tight slot and it give a little wiggle room for alignment, if you try it don't fill the slot like one might think just about half full, and tape it into place until dry...a hot glue works good, but Slow drying epoxy gives a longer work time.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2019, 09:13:23 am by jennifer »

ChanceKJ

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« Reply #53 on: October 04, 2019, 09:59:36 am »
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« Last Edit: March 19, 2021, 02:12:01 am by ChanceKJ »

ChanceKJ

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« Reply #54 on: October 04, 2019, 10:03:44 am »
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« Last Edit: March 19, 2021, 02:11:50 am by ChanceKJ »

javeryh

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #55 on: October 04, 2019, 10:35:01 am »
I have pics of t-molding installation in my DK+ thread.  1/16" slot cutter worked perfectly.

jennifer

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #56 on: October 04, 2019, 11:39:41 am »
Oh and Btw...There is no slot on the back, The spline is cut off and that 6in. is bent over the edge with a heat gun and stapled twice.

gingecko

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #57 on: October 04, 2019, 02:02:53 pm »
Also, a note on “flat” moulding. There are some purist in the Nintendo restoration community that swear by particular companies because their molding is “actually flatter”... its true...  just find a roll from whomever you like that’s considered “Nintendo flat t-moulding”, but also fits the wood width of the build. Remember, you can always get a trimmer and shorten the width as you install it.

Any recommendations for a good trimmer? I got a double sided one, and it's a pain. I read one suggestion to take the second set of blades off and trim one side at a time, so I might give that a go. I'm also thinking of attaching the t-molding to a slotted piece of scrap to do all the trimming first, and then attach to the actual painted sides.

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #58 on: October 04, 2019, 06:35:07 pm »
Wow, lots of responses.  Thanks all.  Let's see...

That T usually extends around 6in. Over onto the back, Personally Jenn likes to cut them slots a little wide and then glue them in... Then you don't have to fight it into a tight slot and it give a little wiggle room for alignment, if you try it don't fill the slot like one might think just about half full, and tape it into place until dry...a hot glue works good, but Slow drying epoxy gives a longer work time.

Interesting, thanks.  Slightly concerned about how well I'd get on injecting hot glue into a 2mm gap.  I mean, the photos might be amusing for everyone :) But I hadn't thought of working with it more loose and keeping it taped to dry in that way.

I bought a Whiteside 6700A 1/16th bit and arbor from TMoulding.com when i started in this hobby and i’ve never needed anything else, ever.

Also, a note on “flat” moulding. There are some purist in the Nintendo restoration community that swear by particular companies because their molding is “actually flatter”... its true...  just find a roll from whomever you like that’s considered “Nintendo flat t-moulding”, but also fits the wood width of the build. Remember, you can always get a trimmer and shorten the width as you install it.

As for placement on a Nintendo cab: along the top it goes right to the back edge, but not around back. And along the front bottom it extends back 6-8” along side the base. Installing it before installing the base can make it a bit more easy but either way works. Its not like how you pretty much need to install the coin door first before the coinbox/coinbox tray.

Thanks Chance.  I can get a 1/16th bit from a few places (although usually as part of a set) so it's good to hear than a narrower slot isn't a big problem.  I'm comforted that I've now been told that I can use a narrower or a wider slot and it won't be a big deal!  The "width" is something I do need to think about though.  9/16" is only 1.42mm, assuming that's an accurate size, and I'm working with 15mm MDF and so it's a tiny bit too small.  The question is whether the half a mm each side will be noticeable enough for it to be a problem.  If I went for the larger size then what's the best tool to trim with?  Will a flush trim bit on a router work okay without damaging anything?

I actually came across one of your other photos that shows the bottom t-moulding earlier
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chancekj/16179712743/in/album-72157650487664889/
but not so clearly as the photo you linked.  Loving your "clamping" approach in the photo that you linked!

I've got to ask - what's the deal with the coin box/shelf after the coin door?

I have pics of t-molding installation in my DK+ thread.  1/16" slot cutter worked perfectly.

Another vote for 1/16" then, thanks!  I suppose one advantage of the smaller slot is that if it really doesn't work out then I can always widen it.

Oh and Btw...There is no slot on the back, The spline is cut off and that 6in. is bent over the edge with a heat gun and stapled twice.

Wait, hold on, do you mean the bit under the cabinet?  It's just stuck on with no slot in use at all?  I don't remember reading THAT before, although I've probably forgotten just about as much as I've read on the topic...  I wonder why they didn't just cut the slot for that section as well.  Good tip on the heat gun as well.  I've never worked with this stuff so I'm not really sure what I'm getting myself into, but it's good to have some tricks up my sleeve if certain bends get tricky etc.  I'll just have to re-read all of this when I get to that stage.

ChanceKJ

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« Reply #59 on: October 06, 2019, 11:25:06 pm »
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« Last Edit: March 19, 2021, 02:11:38 am by ChanceKJ »

gingecko

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #60 on: October 07, 2019, 05:48:47 pm »

And finally here is the T-moulding trimmer I use. This thing has saved ---my bottom--- a few times.



Went looking for that Freud trimmer, but no luck. I'm going to try the more expensive "Quad Trimmer" I saw on Amazon, and see if it fares better than the first one I bought.

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #61 on: October 07, 2019, 05:56:00 pm »
Thanks for all the info.  The coin shelf is actually one of the areas that I'd realised (too late) that the Gaetan plans aren't 100% accurate, because they show blocking running from top to bottom of the front panel rather than leaving a gap for the coin shelf.  That means I now need to either cut out a piece of blocking that's already glued in place or else to just cut out a square at the front of the coin shelf to allow it to be pushed fully forward.  The latter sounds easier.  I also notice that the coin shelf is a bit odd in that the blocking is attached to its underside (so it comes out of the cabinet with the shelf, rather than being fixed permanently to the sides) and that the blocking when in place seems to rest on a thin piece of wood that runs along the side of the cabinet.  Watching your video it does look like there are pieces of wood on the left, front and right but it's not immediately obvious to me what they're for.  They generally look like they're supporting the blocking, but I'd have thought that the blocking should be supporting what's above it!  The video is great though, because it gives a chance to catch little details as the camera moves that are hard to spot in individual photos.

I'm going to have to look out for a t-moulding trimmer now! I'd only ever considered buying the "right" size of t-moulding, but with 15mm wood I'd always wondered about how it would look if it didn't quite go to the edges.  The idea that I can buy a wider size and then trim it is appealing, assuming that it's easy enough to trim the stuff and doesn't end up looking far worse with dodgy cuts all over the place :)

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #62 on: October 07, 2019, 05:57:52 pm »

Went looking for that Freud trimmer, but no luck. I'm going to try the more expensive "Quad Trimmer" I saw on Amazon, and see if it fares better than the first one I bought.

Yes, similar story, I can't see that model in the UK.  There are various other makes and they get very mixed reviews, although the Freud trimmer itself doesn't get amazing reviews and yet we've clearly got a recommendation here from someone who knows what they're doing 8) If I end up buying something then I'll feed back how well it works, but it's definitely something I'll be testing on some offcuts first!

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« Reply #63 on: October 08, 2019, 02:17:02 am »
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« Last Edit: March 19, 2021, 02:11:27 am by ChanceKJ »

gingecko

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #64 on: October 08, 2019, 10:26:57 am »
Honestly if you guys are finding better reviews on another trimmer go with that one.  This one is the only one i’ve ever had so I can’t compare it to anything else that might be better.

I think we'd both buy the Freud trimmer, based on your experience, but neither of us can find it. I tried Freud's site, Amazon (US and Canada). I'll just get a unicorn instead! :D

I should be able to test the new trimmer I ordered off Amazon in the next few days. Will report back. I found even with the right dimension t-moulding, it still had a slight overhang. Though I'm thinking my slot cut might have ended up a tad off center. Hopefully the trimmer will resolve all that.

That coin box is an interesting design. I bough a coin door, but it didn't come with any support pieces to hold the plastic box you remove to get the coins. So I've been trying to think of ways to support it, like brackets, rails, etc. I will probably end up using some brackets, but the idea of a little wooden box or frame at the bottom that would support the plastic bin is also a good idea.

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #65 on: October 09, 2019, 10:51:08 am »
Ok, the trimmer arrived in the mail and I tested it out on some scrap. Worked pretty smoothly. Feeling bold and nearing the "finish line", I decided to install the t-moulding and run it across the boards I had painted the other day. Went pretty smooth, but a few spots on the bottom, it scratched the paint a small bit. I'm guessing it was a combination of the paint not being fully adhered there and maybe the angle I was hitting it at. No paint damage on any of the other sides. These things won't really do curves, so keep that in mind.

The amazon listing didn't have a brand name in the listing, which seemed odd.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WUI0N2

The item itself says "FastCap" though. The main difference between this and the cheaper one I got earlier, was a spring attachment. The Fastcap doesn't have a spring in the middle, and seems to close in on the wood smoothly. Makes me wonder if the Freud is built similarly? As, in no spring? I also feel like the Fastcap has sharper blades than the cheaper model. With the cheap one, I had to really push it to cut, and it would get stuck in places. Fastcap just slid right along. Hope that helps!




UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #66 on: October 21, 2019, 04:56:32 am »
Thanks for the trimmer info!  Makes me a bit nervous about trashing a painted finish, but one for me to consider down the line.

Meanwhile, I finally bought a slot cutter.  If I was planning to make a lot of cabinets then I'd have gone for a "decent" part, but instead I went for a set of 6 slot cutters of various sizes that cost the same (possibly less) than the one decent one.  I've not expecting them to be dazzling quality, but it does mean that I get to cut other size slots (up to 1/4") for other future projects.  Here's a link https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07V69Y3SK for anyone in the UK who is interested.

The smallest cutter is supposedly 1/16", but I was already dubious about this before ordering because I'd seen very similar sets on eBay which listed sizes in metric and showed the smallest cutter as 1.9mm (rather than 1.6mm).  I bought from Amazon, despite being a bit more expensive, because returns are obviously easier if I found major issues with them.  Having received them and checked the widest part of the cutter they measure at pretty much 2mm, so 1/16" is obviously the "wrong" size.  Given the discussion we've just had above I'm not too worried about this.

I positioned the router by eye and by pushing the edge of the cutter into an offcut until it looked about central, then measured to get this as good as possible because doing a test cut.



With that cut made I was able to check the above and below measurements to get them as good as possible.





That's as good as it's getting.  Trying to adjust a router by 0.1mm is inevitably going to make things worse, not better.

The slot size shows now as being 2.4mm.  It doesn't entirely surprise me, but it's now significantly bigger than the "1.6mm" that I would have been looking for based upon the ordered part.



The side panels enter daylight for the first time in a long time.  It's been raining a lot here lately.  It's also the first time I've seen the "outside" of these panels since I started painting and blocking the inside.  You can see a small amount of overspray but that's no problem because those sides have yet to had any primer or painting.



Routing these actually went really well.  A couple of clamps locked it in place and I just took my time.  Partly this was because the cutter seemed in no rush, but since the router doesn't get much surface overlap with the wood (especially when starting cuts) I was happy to move slowly and get the slot as central as possible.  Moving from inner to outer curve, in the area below the control panel, felt like the area where the router wanted the dip the most, but the resultant cut all seems pretty good.



Whilst I was all set up I got the other side panel and the control panel (which I know I haven't spoken about actually cutting out yet...) done at the same time.


gingecko

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #67 on: October 21, 2019, 12:01:19 pm »
Way more precise, than I was! I like the idea of cutting a small groove beforehand to check the slot alignment. My cut ended up a little off center, but wasn't too big of a deal, after I ran the edge trimmer over it.

javeryh

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #68 on: October 24, 2019, 01:44:53 pm »
Way more precise, than I was! I like the idea of cutting a small groove beforehand to check the slot alignment. My cut ended up a little off center, but wasn't too big of a deal, after I ran the edge trimmer over it.

To center my cuts I always test on scrap, flip the scrap over and see if the cutter will fit in the slot I just cut.  If not I adjust and try again.  Once you get the cutter to fit in the slot when the board is laying on either side you know you are dead center.

UnclearHermit

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #69 on: October 27, 2019, 05:07:01 pm »
Nice tip.

This post feels a bit underwhelming, at least from a photo evidence perspective.  A pile of cut wood:



Seems a bit unfair, because cutting that lot took an eternity.  Lots of measuring, making sure lines were straight, cutting, trying not to cut to short etc.  I used the link http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,43568.0.html to make a sawboard a while back, so at least I had a way to cut straight lines.  But I was concerned about getting all of the pieces of the cabinet the same width and didn't have the confidence that I wasn't cutting too short.  So for just about every piece I cut a mm or two too wide and then used the router to trim all the pieces to the same size.  I'd say that figuring out ways of clamping wood to allow me to trim the various sized pieces whilst not having clamps get in the way of the router probably took longer than actually cutting and trimming.

Anyway, pile of wood.  Done.

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #70 on: October 28, 2019, 11:10:36 am »
I know what you mean. I showed off the cabinet this weekend to some relatives. When I started talking to them about cutting all the wood, I figured they would be impressed, as that was quite the chore. I still have the feeling that they think I bought panels in various shapes and screwed it all together.

Figuring out how to clamp things down with the router was tricky sometimes for me too. I didn't use it to trim the pieces afterwards, but that's a great idea and probably would have helped me a lot in the long run.

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #71 on: October 28, 2019, 04:05:19 pm »
Yup, I've discovered that absolutely nobody I know has any interest in discussing cutting up pieces of wood ;D  Or, as my daughter put it, "Just tell me when it's finished."

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #72 on: November 10, 2019, 05:41:23 pm »
I've been dreading the speaker panel since I started this build.  It's by far the most complicated piece, with a mitred top and then the evil speaker grillle.  I've read all the various posts on the best way to do it, so I've only got to where I have thanks to the work of those who have come before.  So a big "thanks" to them.  I spent a stack of time on the planning for this, and then a bunch more time setting things up.  If I've one piece of advice to give for this bit of the build it's DON'T RUSH, a mantra that I had to keep repeating to myself.  Ready to commence cutting, I started with this:



On top of my workbench I've a piece of chipboard (A), which is clamped along with the speaker panel (F) to the workbench below.  The clamps are out of shot at the top of the picture.  I've got scraps of MDF (same depth as the speaker panel) to the left and right of the panel (B), which allow the router to move across the speaker panel to make the cuts without dropping off the edges.  The slight gap between the speaker panel and the scrap on the left is because of the mitre on the top of the speaker panel.  Those MDF scraps are screwed into the chipboard to stop them from moving. 

To each side of the speaker panel are some thin MDF scraps (C) that act as the stop pieces for when moving the router left to right.  I've cut some rough slots in these and have bolts running through these slots, allowing me to move the pieces of wood in and out as appropriate for the various sized slots in the speaker panel.  So with each slot I loosen the nuts, measure and move the new position, the tighten the nuts again.  There's a piece of MDF (D) that acts as a fixed position to measure against when positioning piece (E).  (E) is used as the piece along which the flat edge of the router runs, so it gets repositioned for each of the 7 cuts.  Other people have achieved the same by starting with one piece in the correct position and then adding more pieces to move down the 16mm each time between each cut.  I considered this, but the closest I had was 15mm, which would have pushed my cuts off by around 7mm by the time I got to the bottom.  I also wasn't sure how I'd stick those pieces together effectively, so decided that moving (E) each time and just adding 16mm to the distance between (D) and (E) was a reasonable alternative.

Hopefully that's vaguely clear.  You can see the first (D) to (E) measurement here. 



In this position the router will cut the first of the seven slots in the grille.  Each subsequent positioning of (E) needs to be 16mm further away.



Below you can see the left sliding piece (C) in its position where it's correctly limited the left-most extent of that first slot.  I always did a very shallow cut into the panel at the start of each slot in order to check positions.  Small imperfections are easier to patch up.


And here's the full setup for that first slot cut with the router in position.


I took the depth stop on the router down about 3mm at a time so that I was never cutting too much out at once.  This is about half way down on the first slot.


And this is once I've hit chipboard at the bottom, which gives a nice visual point to aim for (rather than having another sheet of MDF, and not being able to clearly see when you've cut right through).


My "second" cut was the 7th slot.  This is easy because I'm just working in multiples of 16 for my block placement (hardest bit is positioning the block accurately).  I cut slots in pairs so that I don't have to move the side stops.  Get them correct for slot 1 (and square) and slot 7 will also be correct.  Same for 2 and 6, 3 and 5. 

You might notice that there's some white electrical tape attached to piece E.  I used this to correct if my placement of E was slightly off.  Adding a few layers allowed me to move downwards, so generally I placed E a little bit "up" if I had any doubts.  This second slot is still slightly too high, but I'd committed too much cut before I realised.


And with four cuts done, and lots of time elapsed!


And six.  You may notice the brad nails dotted around.  I was using these to attach piece E each time it moved.  I'd originally planned screws, but found that attaching the screws often pulled the wood slightly off-target.


Seven done!


It's safe to say that the pressure mounts with each slot cut, because of the impact of any mistake.  You can see a couple of places where the router has come a little bit too far down, usually at the point of entry on the left.  They're small imperfections, but I've got to consider how best to deal with them.  It's possible that a layer of paint will hide most of them.  A bit of filler would also do the trick, but I worry that filler will likely result in a different finish to all of the rest of the slot.  It's also going to be really fiddly to get filler into the slot and to work on it.  There's another similar "notch" at the far-right of the last (middle) slot.  That one was really frustrating because it was literally done at the last minute as I pulled the router out of the slot for the last time.  Probabaly just a bit of haste at that critical final moment.

You can also see some slight burning on the left at the entry points.  I'm not sure if that was me plunging too deep or my cheapo bit blunting.

This is the back of the panel.  The chipboard underneath has prevented any blow-out nicely.


Same piece after 10 seconds of sanding to clean off the edges.


And, finally, from the front after a very quick removal of the marking lines.


Pretty pleased with this.  It took ages but it's easily the most intricate thing I've ever had to cut and it's turned out better than I could have hoped.  Just those little imperfections to figure out now.

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #73 on: November 11, 2019, 10:27:05 am »
Thanks for posting detailed pics.  My Fix-it-Felix needs a better speaker grill and you have given me some additional things to think about.  Using chipboard underneath is clever.   :cheers:

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #74 on: November 11, 2019, 11:18:59 am »
Nice job dude!  That looks really good.  Isn't it funny how much work there is just to setup the cuts?  I often take pictures of the setups I have when making a cut because sometimes they are downright hilarious.  Good idea on the sliding boards and bolts, that explains how you were able to get very accurate cuts.  Again nice job.

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #75 on: November 11, 2019, 01:14:46 pm »
Really really really nice job - this should be broken out into a separate guide because people struggle with this quite often.  I have an original Nintendo cabinet and I'm pretty sure even it has the "imperfections" you mention when the bit first cuts into the material so you did a fantastic job imitating the real thing!   :cheers:

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #76 on: November 11, 2019, 05:52:43 pm »
Thanks for all the positive comments  :D

this should be broken out into a separate guide because people struggle with this quite often

It sort of already is.  Chance's Nintendo cab build sticky has a link http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,148116.0.html to johnrt's "How to Route a Nintendo Speaker Grill", which heavily influenced my approach.  There were a couple of his bits that I couldn't quite follow, and I was also able to avoid screwing anything into my actual panel, but without his post I'd have made a lot more mistakes with mine.  That's what I love about this site though.  We all get to benefit from other people, and hopefully I can contribute something that will be useful to someone else in the future.

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #77 on: November 12, 2019, 01:46:07 pm »
That is one really detailed and sweet looking speaker grille!

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #78 on: November 12, 2019, 08:36:54 pm »
Good job man, that ain't as easy as it looks.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2019, 08:39:54 pm by jennifer »

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Re: Nintendo cabinet build with undetermined theme
« Reply #79 on: November 23, 2019, 03:48:33 pm »
Thanks everyone  :)

Next bit of painting will be the inside of those slots, which looks fiddly because they're so narrow, plus being MDF every edge will soak up anything that goes near it.  I'm considering options for that one.  I'm also aware that when I paint the outside of that panel in its final colour that I'm either going to have to mask off every one of those slots OR I'll have to accept some paint getting in and then touch up the slots again at the end.

I'm not a million miles away from being finished with cutting wood.  I've got the coin box and shelf/container to do at some point.  The other thing outstanding is current the hole for the coin door, but I don't want to do that until I actually HAVE a coin door to check sizing with.

On which subject...  I need to source a bunch of parts such as the coin door, marquee bracket (upper/lower), bezel retainer, flat t-moulding etc.  I'm in the UK.  Is anyone aware of any way to source these without importing from the US?  I'm assuming the postage and import costs from the US are going to be pretty horrendous.  Any thoughts welcome, even if it's just a better indication of how much importing is going to cost me!

thanks