javeryh's Salisbury Beach Twin Tullys

[bobbyb13]

I have to agree about laminate.
Even when you factor in the cost of formica and glue it just saves SO much time that it is worth the money.
Especially if you are working with plywood and not MDF.

Never mind that the result is so durable and looks more clean and professional than my sloppy paint work as it is.

Of course if you can set up a work space like Ond does and have his level of skill with a good gun and material, well then...

[javeryh]

I have to agree about laminate.
Even when you factor in the cost of formica and glue it just saves SO much time that it is worth the money.
Especially if you are working with plywood and not MDF.

Never mind that the result is so durable and looks more clean and professional than my sloppy paint work as it is.

Of course if you can set up a work space like Ond does and have his level of skill with a good gun and material, well then...

I think I'm going to buy a $50 HVLP spray gun from Home Depot this afternoon for the second cabinet and just use my back yard as my paint booth.  I watched like 50 YouTube videos of people spraying giant speakers and they come out amazing and a lot of them are just painting outside.  I know pollen and bugs are a thing but hopefully I'll avoid it. 

I just put the SEVENTH coat of paint on some panels for the first cabinet.  I did not like the way the semi-gloss paint dried at all.  The sheen is so so bad and highlights every imperfection - actually made it way worse than the initial roll on of flat black.  So I sanded that off and am trying again - rolling on flat black!  Full circle.  It's a sickness.

[Ond]

There's so many opinions on surface finishing aren't there  . Do this, don't do that, I've given advice on surface finishing and painting so many times too  . Many people really hate that part of cabinet building, I don't, I like the process but that's probably because I've found what works best for me.  Instead of written tips, which I think have limited value, I'm going to do some videos on upcoming surface prep and painting I'm doing in my Pac-Man Legion thread.

Like me, in your own way, you're a bit of a perfectionist javeryh, always trying to learn better ways to do things and not settling for average or mediocre when 'perfect' seems within reach.  I agree with both attitudes to surface finishing i.e. near enough is good enough and perfection.  I won't obsess over cab parts or surfaces that people can't see or interior surfaces for instances - why bother? I'll go to extremes (sometimes) to achieve a particular look for something I had a really clear idea about.

Your work is of a high standard, always has been.  It's inspired me over the years.

[javeryh]

There's so many opinions on surface finishing aren't there  . Do this, don't do that, I've given advice on surface finishing and painting so many times too  . Many people really hate that part of cabinet building, I don't, I like the process but that's probably because I've found what works best for me.  Instead of written tips, which I think have limited value, I'm going to do some videos on upcoming surface prep and painting I'm doing in my Pac-Man Legion thread.

Like me, in your own way, you're a bit of a perfectionist javeryh, always trying to learn better ways to do things and not settling for average or mediocre when 'perfect' seems within reach.  I agree with both attitudes to surface finishing i.e. near enough is good enough and perfection.  I won't obsess over cab parts or surfaces that people can't see or interior surfaces for instances - why bother? I'll go to extremes (sometimes) to achieve a particular look for something I had a really clear idea about.

Your work is of a high standard, always has been.  It's inspired me over the years.

Thanks Ond - appreciate the comment especially coming from you since your skill level is what we all aspire to.  It's not that I hate painting - it's not my favorite thing but when it comes out nice or the way I envision it in my head I get excited about it.  This has been an exercise in frustration for some reason.  Probably since it has been so long since I've tried using standard paint on a cabinet.  The last time was on my Donkey Kong and it came out amazing.  Sherwin-Williams semi-gloss with a nap roller and it came out incredible.  It still looks factory fresh.  There is orange peel but it really looks nice for some reason.  Maybe the paint quality does make a huge difference?  Or maybe I am expecting too much from black paint vs. a color.

I live very close to a Harbor Freight and they sell a $15 HVLP spray gun.  Pretty decent results from what I can tell from YouTube.  I'm going to give it a shot with some "good" paint and adding Floetrol and water until I get the right viscosity.  I'll sand the cabinet down one last time.  If it works, I can assemble the second one in under an hour since everything is already cut and then spray it.  How hard can it be?   

[opt2not]

Personally I get great results with rattle cans and wet-sanding. But I’m meticulous and patient to get that surface smooth. I stock pretty much every grit of sandpaper I can find and have multiple electric sanders of different sizes to help out.
It’s what works for me. But I can understand how it might be a bit grueling to others. I just find the painting process relaxing.

I used to roll. But I found I couldn’t get even paint distribution as I can with a spray can. The spraying actually saves me time, but then gets negated by the sanding.

[Zebidee]

I think I'm going to buy a $50 HVLP spray gun from Home Depot this afternoon for the second cabinet and just use my back yard as my paint booth.  I watched like 50 YouTube videos of people spraying giant speakers and they come out amazing and a lot of them are just painting outside.  I know pollen and bugs are a thing but hopefully I'll avoid it. 

Yeah, you'll be fine for "speaker box" matt finished side panels. Just need a nice sunny day with little wind and no rain. 

If you want to spray gloss or semi-gloss for control panels and other bits you'll want to repurpose a large cardboard box for a booth, to keep dust off your work while it dries as much as containing the paint.

Many places have environmental regs relating to uncontained spray painting outdoors, at least in urban areas. Mostly it comes down to how much you're doing, where, who is downwind and of course who knows you are doing it. People probably won't care about a quick rattle-can job in your backyard on a few small pieces, but larger work over an extended period and compressors attract more attention.

[javeryh]

Well - cabinet #1 is ready for final sanding and the final coat of paint.  Got the top 2 panels on the back and some rails for the back door to rest against.



The panels are super rough since I sanded the gloss off so I’m committed to spraying with the HVLP gun I bought.



I sprung for the regulator to control pressure a little better.  I’m going to practice with primer on the panels for cabinet #2 which I just got done sealing with some Sanding Sealer.


 
I brushed on a super light coat and it’s drying now.  I’m supposed to give it a light sanding before painting.



5 of the panels need to be sealed/pained on both sides so once this dries I’ll flip the over and finish the sealing.

I’m a little nervous about the paint but no guts no glory - I’m always trying to learn new skills and I think this one will be good to have.

[Zebidee]

Good to see you've taken the plunge to spray painting

Check out the video on Ond's Pacman Legion thread, see how carefully he mixes spray paint 

[javeryh]

Good to see you've taken the plunge to spray painting

Check out the video on Ond's Pacman Legion thread, see how carefully he mixes spray paint 

I saw haha.  I can’t believe how thin the paint is.  I have latex and some floetrol and I’ll add some water before spraying.  I’ve watched a ton of videos - it looks so simple but I know in practice that’s rarely the case. 

I’m excited though - worse case scenario is I get to deliver 2 crappy looking cabinets at Christmas.  I won’t have to look at them!

[javeryh]

Spraying was a total failure.  I could not get the paint to come out of the gun.  It was mostly air.  I thinned the paint so much too it was almost water consistency.  I don't know what I was doing wrong but I guess I'm back to the rollers and I'll just live with a sub-par paint job.

I added 4:1:1 paint:floetrol:water.  WAY too thick so I added another 3/4 cup of water and it seemed like broth consistency - very very thin.  Would not pass through the gun.  Could have been the air flow too - the gun is so cheap that it didn't make a good connection with the hose (I could hear air leaking the whole time).  When I had the regulator on the bottom of the gun it was 10x worse - I could feel a strong breeze coming from it so I ditched it.  Turning the knob on the regulator did nothing.  I could not get any pressure whatsoever but I didn't want to increase it on my tank past 45psi which was the max for the gun.

Looking at some youtube videos it seems maybe the tip is too small for latex - it's 1.4mm and 2.0 is recommended.  People are drilling out the tips.  Not sure I want to go down that path - I've wasted so much time on this I just need to paint and move on, which I will do later today.  2 coats of primer rolled on today with a foam roller and then 2 top coats of black tomorrow.  Then assembly and then a final coat of black paint.  Should I try rattlecan black for the top coat?

I have to get past this if I have any hope of finishing these by Christmas...

[Ond]

That's so annoying isn't it?  I have to step away from projects and go for a walk or something when stuff like that happens (it does happen).  A rattle can solution is probably the way to go.  Try and find a quality product.  I have used the Rust-Oleum range before and it's quite good. Try for low-sheen or flat black in a rattle can.  Black gloss is tricky stuff to get looking good using ANY method.

BTW the roller solution is fine but to get a smooth finish anywhere near rattle-can smooth you need to use a roller with a really short nap or fine foam roller - that's quite good with latex paint.

A panel sprayed horizontally with flat black or low sheen should always get pleasing results.  You'll get there, take a short breather though. 

[javeryh]

That's so annoying isn't it?  I have to step away from projects and go for a walk or something when stuff like that happens (it does happen).  A rattle can solution is probably the way to go.  Try and find a quality product.  I have used the Rust-Oleum range before and it's quite good. Try for low-sheen or flat black in a rattle can.  Black gloss is tricky stuff to get looking good using ANY method.

BTW the roller solution is fine but to get a smooth finish anywhere near rattle-can smooth you need to use a roller with a really short nap or fine foam roller - that's quite good with latex paint.

A panel sprayed horizontally with flat black or low sheen should always get pleasing results.  You'll get there, take a short breather though. 

I wish I could step away but I need every free minute to finish by Christmas!  I have Rustoleum in the can right now (flat black) and I need to make a trip to Home Depot to return a bunch of the painting supplies I bought that I no longer need so I could pick up a couple of rattlecans of Rustoleum flat black for the top coat while I'm there.

Right now I'm putting on the Kilz primer thinned with some Floetrol using a fine foam roller so that should lay on pretty flat.  Once it dries in an hour or so I'll put on the second coat and then sand and apply the top coats tomorrow.  I'm also thinking about adding a water-based poly on top of the panels that are visible.

I just can't believe the difficulty I'm having with this part.

[Zebidee]

That's how I'd do it javery, if I was in your situation. Roller on a couple of coats, light sanding, finish with the spray can (matt/flat black) for top coat.

Maybe there is someone with spray painting experience at the hardware store, you can maybe get some tips to work out what you're going wrong with the gun.

[javeryh]

That's how I'd do it javery, if I was in your situation. Roller on a couple of coats, light sanding, finish with the spray can (matt/flat black) for top coat.

Maybe there is someone with spray painting experience at the hardware store, you can maybe get some tips to work out what you're going wrong with the gun.

Second cabinet came out WAY better than the first one.  I think I found the right mix of paint to floetrol to water plus after rolling on with a nap roller I went over each panel with a high density foam roller to remove the orange peel.  I did not apply any pressure whatsoever - it was a dry roller when I started and only ended up with a little bit of paint on it but it really smoothed out the paint.  It's still not perfect but it's much better.  I will still laminate going forward but at least this isn't a complete abomination.

What do you guys think about a couple of coats of water-based poly on top?  The paint is kind of chalky and it seems very susceptible to scratches.  I would brush on the poly and just hope a clear protective layer forms nicely on top.

I'm assembling Cabinet #2 right now and the plan is to spray the front and top with rattlecan black tomorrow (I have some filled nail holes I need to cover).  I should then be in a position to apply the woodgrain vinyl and t-molding and these will start looking like real cabs....

 

[SpaceHedgehog]

Glad to see things working themselves out 

I've had good results with water based poly over chalkboard paint - it does required that light touch with a roller that you mentioned to get a consistent finish:

[javeryh]

Well... I decided to sand down the cabinets one last time.  I screwed up by using flat black paint.  It feels chalky to the touch and is impossible to clean - you can't wipe it down at all.  Seems like an enamel or at least an eggshell paint would work a lot better.  I am headed to Home Depot in about 10 minutes to return a bunch of junk and pick up the Wagner 3500 paint sprayer and try my luck.  I found out that my compressor was never going to be strong enough for the purple Harbor Freight gun, which is probably why I was having so much trouble with it.  Who knew? It can drive nails through cement but not paint through a gun.

I'm not sure how far down to sand so I'm trying a little experiment.  One cabinet, I tried removing all of the pitting with 220 grit sandpaper and it took me 2 hours to sand just the front panel and it's still not perfect although it is very smooth to the touch.  The other cabinet, I just kind of roughed up with the 220 sandpaper.  It also feels relatively smooth but I finished sanding that cab in about 15 minutes.  I am going to spray both with the Wagner 3500 and if there is no noticeable difference I'll know that just knocking back the last coat is OK for the next one.



The first cabinet is the one I sanded like crazy and the second cabinet is the one I just spent 15 minutes on.  No matter what, after I spray I'm done with painting.  I have to move on.  It's basically November and I have a ton left to do to hit my Christmas deadline.

[Zebidee]

You could try a semi-gloss finish

With the rattle-can paint, not all cans are the same. Even if they say the same thing on the side. Again, it can be worth chatting to the guy/gal at the store to see what they think.

What I've done before is to buy 3 different brands of cans and try them out on a small piece, to see how it goes. Some are better than others. Or hopefully your new spray gun will sort you out

[javeryh]

You could try a semi-gloss finish

With the rattle-can paint, not all cans are the same. Even if they say the same thing on the side. Again, it can be worth chatting to the guy/gal at the store to see what they think.

What I've done before is to buy 3 different brands of cans and try them out on a small piece, to see how it goes. Some are better than others. Or hopefully your new spray gun will sort you out

I bought a gallon of Valspar Furniture Paint at Lowe's.  It's water-based but they call it an "oil-enriched enamel" and it is specifically made for painting furniture.  According to the can you have to wait 8-12 hours to put on a second coat and it takes at least 3 days to dry.  I got it in black with a satin finish.  The semi-gloss seemed too reflective.  This is supposed to dry to a hard protective shell that is smooth to the touch.  I also picked up the Wagner Flexio 3500 sprayer.  Dropped $250 just for this paint job LOL.  But if it works, I have two end tables that need to be refinished and I'm sure I'll find other uses for the sprayer... my youngest daughter needs her room gutted and redone, etc.

I'm not sure if I should thin this paint - on the can it says "do not thin" but I haven't opened it yet so I have no idea about the viscosity.  I'm excited to try this - I've never had a proper set up for painting before and most of the reviews I've seen about this sprayer are very positive.  I just hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.  Weather is getting dicey.  65 degrees and getting colder every day.  In a couple of weeks I won't be able to paint until April.   

[Zebidee]

I'm not sure if I should thin this paint - on the can it says "do not thin" but I haven't opened it yet so I have no idea about the viscosity.

Just ask they paint staff at the store - it most cases they'll be able to advise. If not, follow the instructions I guess.

I'm excited to try this - I've never had a proper set up for painting before and most of the reviews I've seen about this sprayer are very positive.  I just hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.  Weather is getting dicey.  65 degrees and getting colder every day.  In a couple of weeks I won't be able to paint until April.   

Yeah, I'm loving the cool weather coming, but then I'm in a tropical area now so it is a blessing.

When I was in Canberra I painted control panels and such well into the freezing winter by using a large box spraybooth and a small bar radiator heater. If metal, let it warm up in position for a few minutes before spraying for best effects. Not practical for large pieces/outside, but good for small pieces.

[javeryh]

Just ask they paint staff at the store - it most cases they'll be able to advise. If not, follow the instructions I guess.

I know you aren’t in the US but there’s less than 1% chance that the person behind the paint counter at Lowe’s/Home Depot knows anything about the paint he/she is selling.  I’d have to go to a specialty shop for that and then a gallon of paint would be around $70 instead of the $50 I paid.

Whenever you or bobby post about your locations it makes me want to travel.  NJ is nice but it beats you down…

[Zebidee]

Just ask they paint staff at the store - it most cases they'll be able to advise. If not, follow the instructions I guess.

I know you aren’t in the US but there’s less than 1% chance that the person behind the paint counter at Lowe’s/Home Depot knows anything about the paint he/she is selling.  I’d have to go to a specialty shop for that and then a gallon of paint would be around $70 instead of the $50 I paid.

Whenever you or bobby post about your locations it makes me want to travel.  NJ is nice but it beats you down…

When I say ask at the paint section, I'm thinking about an Australian Bunnings store or similar place. They have staff dedicated to each section, so they usually have some reasonably experienced people working in relevant areas. Not always of course, but I know enough about paint generally to gauge whether they know their stuff.

Obviously I don't know your US paint stores, but if getting the right advice means you pay $70 instead of $50, it may be worth it. You can always buy the next tub at the cheaper place.

That asking advice strategy is pretty useless in rural Thailand - most of the "tradespeople" here have relatively little experience, or only experience relevant to painting a house. Aside from the difficulties of talking about these technicalities in a second language, the staff employed at the bigger hardware stores are usually inexperienced kids who will just recommend some completely inappropriate product. I often just have to do my own research and buy online (even paints/oils) as the local stores won't even have it.

We built our own house here and I miss Australian tradies. I'm a soft-hearted guy but I've had to sack more than one Thai painter that can't be bothered learning things like loading less onto the brush and backbrushing (y'know, working the colour into the wood, rather than leaving a layer on top). Takes a little longer, but then you see the woodgrain rather than an opaque layer of stain that will peel off once a bit or water gets under it. Some people think because they painted in pre-school they are somehow qualified.

These are some of the prices we pay to live in Paradise

[javeryh]

Good point about spending the extra $20.  Definitely worth it in the long run.  As usual though I'm so over-budget with these cabs it's not even funny.  It started out as "how quick and cheap can I build one of these things" and has morphed into another all-consuming project that I want to make perfect.  I definitely have mental problems. 

Thailand really sounds like a nice place to live but I'm afraid the closest I'll ever get is the Thai food I had for dinner last night.  Soooooo good.

Looks like the rain is supposed to hold off today so I'm going to lug the cabinets out to the garage to spray them.  I need to practice with the sprayer first and I want to get both coats on today.  Waiting 8-12 hours to put on the second coat seems insane to me.  I'm a little nervous about leaving them in the garage overnight to dry because it has been dropping down to the 40s at night which probably isn't great for drying.  My hope is that by 8 p.m. or so they are dry enough to move back to the basement.   

[Zebidee]

You may want to consider safer options for heating to assist drying. Open heaters can be dangerous of course, and garages are typically not well insulated. If you're going to heat an area like that while it dries you should "supervise", stay close and keep an eye on things. Do some work nearby or something. I like working at night. Nothing like watching paint dry

My wife is a great cook, even western food. Especially western food. Initially I taught her some stuff, then she found Masterchef and youtube. Now she "owns" the kitchen, I just turn up to get food/coffee and wash dishes occasionally, and it is out of my control entirely

If we don't want to cook, it is easy to buy some yummy Thai food for $1-2, few dollars more for farang food, even get it delivered.

[javeryh]

OK... I might be trashing these cabs.  Should have never skipped the laminate.  Wow.

I don't understand.  I sanded them back and just sprayed on a coat paint and you can see every single blemish.  There were a few spots where I sanded through to the primer and a few other spots where I filled some nail holes and all of those spots are a different shade of black.  Looks like someone took a sharpie to the front of the cabinet.  Maybe a second coat tomorrow will help but if not I'm going to use a brush and a roller on Wednesday and either move on or trash these things.  I'm too frustrated at this point and the Christmas deadline is making me miserable.

[Zebidee]

Gosh, hang in there

[bobbyb13]

Black is frustrating because it shows EVERything.

I know you want them to be perfect of course but it is ok to accept "ok" as regards the finish and then just keep going!

If you can stand to just foam roller them or spray and just do light sanding in between you will get them smooth enough.

The people getting them are going to be so stoked about them that they will not care AT ALL if the panel finish is perfect.

You accepting it is of course something entirely different!

I refuse to be beaten by inanimate objects myself.

Another capable human being...?  Sure.

Cabinet...?

Hell no.

[javeryh]

Thanks guys... well, the first coat dried and it looks kind of OK.  Better than I initially thought.  I'm about to put the second coat on but it's so weird to me that the blemishes are showing through like there wasn't enough coverage.  All of the nail holes that I filled are visible.  They were sanded flush but you can still see the white through the black paint and same thing in areas where I sanded back to the primer.  It's very strange.  I'm really hoping that a second coat will hide everything.  The sprayer did a decent job, I think. 

At least I'm not as discouraged as I was right after painting yesterday.

EDIT: Second coat is on.  Coverage seems OK although you can still see the nail holes somehow.  Depending on how this dries, I might end up trying to fill the holes ever so slightly.  I'm starting to winder if the putty came loose during sanding.  I'll probably spray on one more thin coat tomorrow and call it.  Hopefully most of the attention will be on the woodgrain siding or the screen, which should both come out great...

EDIT 2: I think this is going to work.  The spray gun is putting on a very nice coat.  Smoother than I ever could have achieved with a roller although still not *perfect* but definitely good enough even for me.  Second coat dried but I could still see some pin nail holes on the front panel so I just took some putty and filled them all in.  I guess the putty popped out of those holes when I did the full sanding down to 220 grit - it felt flat to me but I guess not.

I'm going to do one final coat of paint after sanding down the putty.  It's 50 degrees out so hopefully it will dry so I can sand in about 2 hours... not looking forward to roughing up the nice surface.  My kid has a XC race so I don't have much time and I really want to get the third and final coat on today. I also noticed that on the top back panel of one of them I got a run so I will sand that out too.  Looks like I'll be able to bring both cabs into the house tomorrow afternoon.  Finally.

[javeryh]

Well, they look good in the dark. 



I think this is the final coat but I’ll know more tomorrow. 

Adding the wood grain vinyl and t-molding is next and should be easy.  I do have to prime each side one at a time and then sand smooth but that’s no big deal.  Slow and steady.

[vertexguy]

Way to perserviere Javery!  Those coats are looking good from my vantage point.  Keep it up!   

[bobbyb13]

Nice job staying tough.

They are going to look excellent!

[wp34]

Glad you are still at it.   

[javeryh]

Thanks guys.  I'm a little nervous to check on them today... it got below freezing last night and they are in my unheated detached garage.  Should be OK but still.  Also, I am afraid the nail holes will be visible on the one cab no matter what.  I figured out the issue - the pins did not go below the surface of the MDF.  I guess I didn't have enough pressure in the tank.  They are almost flush so there is little to no hole to actually fill so I am essentially painting the tiny rectangular nail head.  If I have time, I may get creative with some artwork for the front.  Maybe some colored stripes along the sides or something.  Not sure. 

So... now it's on to the control panel layout/design.  I'm going for ultra-simplicity here.  These are 4-way, 2 button cabs.  I'm not sure if I should do mirrored controls or just a standard off center layout or a combo of sorts:

Mirrored Layout (action buttons do same thing on both sides)


Offset Layout


Centered Layout


I like the joystick centered but honestly, the extra buttons might confuse the intended audience if I mirror the button layout so right now the "Centered Layout" is what I'm leaning towards.  The main design issue here (as usual) is the placement and functionality of the admin buttons.  The way I am setting things up is any button on the CP will start the game on the list and you need a 2-button combo to exit back to the list (pause and P1 start, I think).  Coins will be via the coin door.  I'm going to need a creative way to make this obvious on the CPO.  I need to think on this some more.

Color scheme will be black CPO with white buttons and a white balltop.

 

[bobbyb13]

The bartops I have been making for friends here I have been using the mirrored/ambidextrous layout and once you explain it to people it seems to get reasonable use of both banks of buttons.

[leapinlew]

Popped in to see how things are going and was not disappointed. Keep it up buddy!

I know you aren’t in the US but there’s less than 1% chance that the person behind the paint counter at Lowe’s/Home Depot knows anything about the paint he/she is selling.

So true.... and so funny.

[Zebidee]

I know you aren’t in the US but there’s less than 1% chance that the person behind the paint counter at Lowe’s/Home Depot knows anything about the paint he/she is selling.

So true.... and so funny.

I miss the Aussie hardware stores, where the people in the paint section actually know paint (well, at least 50% chance anyway!)

Reminds me, I used to live with a guy that was an assistant manager for a small hardware store. He knew his stuff and was good with people. He would spend all day giving people hardware advice, then would play piano at gigs and jazz bars during the evening, like he was Billy Joel or something. He was always ready for a toke or a light of your smoke too. Even had a hot, younger (but also nice) girlfriend. Very cool guy, breezing through life.

[javeryh]

Moving along... the paint has dried pretty good now that I got the cabinets out of the cold.  Today I started to prime and sand the sides and put on the woodgrain vinyl and t-molding.  It came out great but as soon as I opened the vinyl I realized I ordered (or they shipped me) the wrong color.  It was supposed to be a darker woodgrain but whatever... they aren't mine.

I used one coat of Kilz and sanded with 220 to seal the surface so the glue on the vinyl won't seep into the MDF.



The next shot is me trying to apply the vinyl myself and effing it up so I had to get the wife for an extra set of arms.



Here's the vinyl applied and the excess trimmed with a fresh razor.  I love that part.  I've also started the t-molding.



And here is where it currently stands with one side done.



This design is so elegant it's almost impossible to mess up even though I'm trying my best.  I'll finish the other 3 sides tomorrow and start installing the coin doors, speaker grills, etc.  I also want to cut the blanks for the CPs - those are the last bit of woodworking I need to do and it's getting really cold.   

[SpaceHedgehog]

Looks like it’s all coming together rather well. Nice going jarveryh 

[javeryh]

Looks like it’s all coming together rather well. Nice going jarveryh 

Thanks.  I’m pretty happy with how things are going considering last week I was super frustrated.  I often don’t see the forest through the trees and forget that if you do B+ work every step of the way you get something that looks like an A.

[vertexguy]

Don't beat yourself up so much.  That's looking really nice and I'd be blown away if someone hand made something like that for me as a gift.  These are gonna turn out great.

[Mike A]

It's a ---smurfing--- box with a tv in it.
Even a ---smurfy--- circular saw will make squared cuts as long as you set the base plate correctly to begin with.
We are building arcade cabs not Mars rovers...well except for Laythe. He kind of is building a NASA project. That metal working requires an extra level of precision, skills, and tools.

Yeah, I’m not worried about this at all.  I’m actually trying to be less anal with these cabs so I’m going to try cuts with the circular saw and some brads to assemble.  Should be doable in a weekend, right?  It’s just a ---smurfing--- box!