Hey everyone
This is my first attempt to build anything from scratch.
Earlier this year I put together a bartop from a cheap E-Bay MDF kit and a raspberry pi I had laying around. It came out ok, but I am not happy with the screen size for the vertical games and my plan was to build or convert a full size vertical cab with a 60-1 Jamma. Also since I built the bartop, we bought a slightly bigger house with a dedicated game room. Anyway, about 2 months ago, I was at a bar that had a couple of pinball machines, and I caught the bug and decided to build a Virtual Pin first (Something I always wanted to do but never had the room, or the confidence in my skill level).
First thing I did was get the PC side sorted, so I got a Dell with an i7 CPU, GTX1050ti Graphics Card, an SSD Drive and a 40' TV, and started playing with the software and adding tables. Once I got that mostly working, it was time to move on to the dreaded part of the cabinet construction. I did not like working with MDF, so went to Home Depot and got the smoothest 3/4" plywood they had, some saw blades, saw guide and a Kreg jig, also some saw horses, clamps and a sander from Harbor Freight. Got it all home and started cutting. It has been slow going as it is way too hot outside and the free time I have is limited. At least the rain has stayed away for the last week.
Day one, side panels. They came out ok and with a little sanding they were are exactly the same.
Went ahead and ordered some parts from Twisted Quarter. Stuff got here a couple of days later and cutting resumed
Front panel
Pretty happy with the way it turned out. I may change the "Launch" button to a little larger diameter one.
Trying out the Kreg jig.
This thing is awsome
Assembly
This is where I am now.
My plan is to get everything assembled and then loosen up the screws a bit and get some wood glue between the joints and tighten it all back together. Does that sound like a good idea?
My 4 1/2 inch holesaw got here yesterday, so I will be getting the fan holes drilled soon. I am thinking of going with a 1/2" plywood for the cabinet floor to save a little bit of weight.
I still need to get the backglass monitor before I start building the top box. I have been testing with a 24" i had laying around, but it is way too small, so going with 27" or 32" (may be overkill?).