Plywood Load bearing

[shadowdrak]

What is the reason people build their cabs with 3/4 inch wood?  This is the most common type I see.  Is it because it is the type used in most authentic cabs,  or is it because it is required for holding the weight? My dad seems to think it is a bit overkill, but he is just good with tools -- not a carpenter.

Also, has anyone had any experience using offset t-molding on the control panel( so the long side overhangs the plexi)?

[skid_68]

Personally Im using 3/4 MDF because Lowes, and Home Depot didnt have 5/8 MDF. So meh.....

[JustMichael]

What is the reason people build their cabs with 3/4 inch wood?

Plywood makes for a lighter cabinet.  Some people who finish their cabinet as furniture use it because of the wood finish.

Is it because it is the type used in most authentic cabs,  or is it because it is required for holding the weight?

Almost all cabinets I have seen are made from MDF.  3/4" provides a nice strong shell.  Remember arcade cabinets are built to take abuse.

[pointdablame]

For one, like was mentioned, 5/8 wood is a bit harder to find.

My opinion is that the 3/4 is used because it requires minimal framing.  If you and your dad built a complete frame and shell out of 2x4 or the like, you could easily tack on 1/2" wood since that would be more a covering than an actual side.  If, however, you'd like to just use some ledgers to attach pieces together without having to build an all out skeleton, 3/4 is the better way to go.

[paigeoliver]

Almost all cabinets I have seen are made from MDF.  3/4" provides a nice strong shell.  Remember arcade cabinets are built to take abuse.

That would be almost all scratchbuilt cabinets. I have owned well over 100 factory made arcade cabinets and not a single one of them was made out of MDF. In fact I am still unaware of an MDF cabinet ever being made by a real arcade manufacturer, unless Dynamo uses MDF now?

[mp2526]

That would be almost all scratchbuilt cabinets. I have owned well over 100 factory made arcade cabinets and not a single one of them was made out of MDF. In fact I am still unaware of an MDF cabinet ever being made by a real arcade manufacturer, unless Dynamo uses MDF now?

Nintendo cabinets?

Midways cabinets (ie some galaga I've seen)?

I have an Atari Cyberball cabinet that the majority of which is MDF.

Or are those not MDF but rather particle board?  I always forget the differences.  Either way, they are not made of plywood.

[NoOne=NBA=]

To the best of my knowledge all the arcade cabs that DIDN'T use plywood used particle board.
Particle board is not as dense as MDF, is more susceptible to just rotting for no reason, and doesn't last as long.

Alot of the early cabs (notably Space Invaders Deluxe) were built from plywood.
Space Invaders Deluxe actually used marine grade plywood.
I have yet to see one that was in "bad" shape, even after 20+ years.
I am defining bad shape as a cabinet that is all swollen and rotten, and needs MAJOR repair; not one that needs some putty/paint to fix it.

[shadowdrak]

I am not interested in using MDF as it doesn't hold screws properly and it is as heavy as all hell.  As for my question, I wanted to know if it was for asthetic reasons.  Mostly want to know if it would be wobbly if I used 1/2 plywood.  My Insticts tell my that 1/2 plywood should be enough to support its own weight satisfactorily and also a 27" monitor with proper bracing and no framing besides the base and the monitor shelf.  Specifically, has anyone tried to do this?  Just trying to clarify.

[Ghoward]

It's strong and lets face it there is a great deal of weight in a cab mine comes in a 412 pounds so you best use something that can hold the weight.

Gary

[Mameotron]

Really, the 1/2" plywood is structurally sound all by itself without any additional bracing.  But it really does flex and bend a lot.  Go to the hardware store and you'll see how easily it bends, then try and bend a sheet of 3/4"plywood.  I don't know your playing style, but I beat the crap out of my cab when I play on it.  When we get a good game of Street Fighter going that thing really takes a beating.  I don't think you'd have to worry about it falling apart, just bouncing all over the room.  Also, 3/4" gives you more "meat" for your screws (nails, glue, fasteners?!?) to hold on to.

Personally, Ive built 3 cabs - the 1st with 3/4" plywood, the last two with full 2x4 framing and 1/2" plywood for the "carcass".  The cabs with the 2x4 framing and the 1/2" plywood are lighter than the 3/4" cabinet.

[shadowdrak]

Thanks mameotron, exactly what I wanted to know.  I will prabably go with 3/4" plywood because I don't really want a bounc cabinet. How much do each of your cabinets weigh?  Just curious

[MonitorGuru]

Original cabs were build with the sides *AS* the structure, and only routering  in corner connectors and cross-piece holders.  There was no "substructure" to them to hold the 100 pounds in monitor+glass and other parts above the control panel, AND to survive unknown conditions in an arcade of rocking and slamming the machines.

If you build a frame out of 2x4's inside, you can then of course just throw on 3/16" Luan plywood if you wanted (though of course it would tend to warp)

Also as others mentioned, 5/8" is harder to find. Also some people like to stain their cabinet instead of putting laminate (Formica,etc..) on it, and many places only sell 3/4" real oak/birch laminated plywood, though in my area it's typically oak/birch laminated MDF instead (cheaper than plywood)

Also most T-Molding is made in 3/4" width. Yeah you can trim it, but it wasn't meant to be trimmed that much on both sides.   They do make a handful of colors in 5/8 and 1/2 but not like 3/4

[NoOne=NBA=]

I haven't weighed mine, but it is pretty heavy.

I fully framed the base with 2x4's, then built the rest out of 3/4" plywood and ledger blocks.

The back panels are all 1/4" plywood.

I was able to manuever it into the house on a handtruck all by myself, but it only had to come up the front step without hitting anything.

After that I rolled it the rest of the way on it's casters.
I put 4 casters for exactly this reason.
The front two are swivel-type; and the rear two are non-swivelling.

[Mameotron]

If you and your dad built a complete frame and shell out of 2x4 or the like, you could easily tack on 1/2" wood since that would be more a covering than an actual side.

Actually, whatever you attach to the frame adds a great deal of structural strength.  It doesn't matter if its 1/2" ply, 1/4" mdf, 1/8" plastic even.  I'm sure you've seen pre-engineered steel buildings.  They are nothing more than a steel framework covered with sheet metal.  The sheet metal is quite thin and is an integral part of the structural stability of the building.  You can quite  easily rock & shake the entire I-beam structure before the skin is installed.

Anyway, my first cab (classic Robotron copy) made from 3/4" plywood weighs in the 300-400 lb range.  My second cab (Mortal Kombat design) from 2x4 framing and 1/2" plywood weighs less than the first cab, but I can't weigh it since I gave it to my friend.  Well, he did donate the computer and bought all the controls.  My 3rd cab is complete (2x4 framing & bent 1/2" plywood) except that I am saving up for the 27" TV and the really cool but highly priced laminate I want to cover it with.  With my 17" pc monitor the total weight of this cab is 120 lbs.

[Wade]

Almost all cabinets I have seen are made from MDF.  3/4" provides a nice strong shell.  Remember arcade cabinets are built to take abuse.

That would be almost all scratchbuilt cabinets. I have owned well over 100 factory made arcade cabinets and not a single one of them was made out of MDF. In fact I am still unaware of an MDF cabinet ever being made by a real arcade manufacturer, unless Dynamo uses MDF now?

Every real Galaga I've seen has been MDF.  They actually don't hold up very well but it is because of the way they attached the pieces together.  The MDF itself has actually held up really well on both cabinets I saw just recently.

I think most people use 3/4" just because that is what more original games are made from.  There's no reason why you couldn't make a strong cabinet out of thinner wood, it's all in the design.

Wade