cutting cocktail table top

[rchadd]

the grey tinted glass has finally arrived for my custom coctail cab - the glass looks great and not too dark tint

i am wondering about cutting the table top out of the wood.

should it be the same size as the glass, or slightly smaller (to account for the width of the tmolding?

wont the glass clips not fit right if its same size?

[paigeoliver]

t-molding has little actual width and the glass clips give you a little flex as well. I would suggest cutting it the exact same size so your t-molding pokes out that 1/16" farther, and thus gets hit before the glass does.

[whammoed]

Yes, the top should be the same size as the glass.  Clips still work with the ~1/16" gap

[Tilzs]

ditto! what they said

[danny_galaga]

exactly the same size is what i did, but afterwards i wondered if maybe the glass should have been maybe 1mm bigger all round. the reason being that you can see a fraction under the beveled edge of the glass:

                   
            _______
          /
          l  glass top
          \______
          l
          l  table top
          l
          l

but what paigeoliver says about hitting the t-molding first before the glass is a more important consideration so i'm glad that's what i did  

[MonitorGuru]

Ummmm... did you get the glass Tempered already?

If so, you CANNOT CUT tempered glass. It will SHATTER.  Tempered glass must be cut prior to getting tempered (baked at a high temperature)

If you did not get tempered glass, then I honestly have to ask why not?   Not having tempered glass on a cocktail is dangerous.  A wrong move with your hand up above the joystick into the glass and it will break and slice right into your hand. (Opposed to the 4x+ stronger glass you get by tempering, which also when hit that hard would shatter into thousands of pieces that would not slice your hand.)

[iwillfearnoevil]

Ummmm... did you get the glass Tempered already?

If so, you CANNOT CUT tempered glass. It will SHATTER.  Tempered glass must be cut prior to getting tempered (baked at a high temperature)

If you did not get tempered glass, then I honestly have to ask why not?   Not having tempered glass on a cocktail is dangerous.  A wrong move with your hand up above the joystick into the glass and it will break and slice right into your hand. (Opposed to the 4x+ stronger glass you get by tempering, which also when hit that hard would shatter into thousands of pieces that would not slice your hand.)

i think he's cutting the table top based on the glass, not cutting the glass based on the table top.

[MonitorGuru]

Oopps, my mistake.   "Neeeveer Miiinnnndd".

(Read it before my caffeine for the day)

[daeven]

I'm going to have to disagree with a few of the posts here from experience.  I built a Midway cocktail from an arcadedepot kit.  I completed the top and installed T-molding.  When I took it to the glass shop and told them to cut the glass the size of the whole top (including T-molding), they didn't listen and cut it the size of the wood.

The result is that the Midway glass clips did not fit.

If it is a standard Midway-style cocktail cabinet, the glass should be a 22x32".  Assuming that arcadeshop is using the same dimensions that Midway did, their wood top piece is definately smaller than 22x32.

The glass shop cut me another piece since the order sheet spelled out exactly what they were supposed to do.  The new one looks and fits beautifully!

[whammoed]

I also speak from experience (two custom cocktails)  My first top was cut to exactly match the pac man overlay from two bits.  I also ended up purchasing the glass from them since no local glass shops could cut my glass worth a crap.  The glass was the same size as the overlay and top.  Fit fine...maybe the ears on the clips you are using are shorter?
anyway, having said that, I don't think it would really matter either way.  Maybe split the difference if you are worried.  The t molding may add up to 1/8" total so if your glass top is 22x32 you could cut the wood to 21 15/16 x 31 15/16