Dynamo CP reproduction in MDF?

[barranger]

Hey there,

     Thanks to brained and his immense kindness, I now have all the demensions needed to put together a control panel for my dynamo cab.  The only thing that I'm worried about is if I'll have problems since the original is made of metal and I'm planning on using MDF?  Has anyone tried this before?  Is it worth it?  Are there places where you can buy beatup Metal CPs? (Preferably in Toronto, ON)

Thanks a million,
Barranger

[spystyle]

You could build your CP out of MDF and attach a piece of 16 guage steel (that matches the top dimensions) to the top of the CP.

You could get a piece of 16 gauge steel from your local metal fabricator for $10 and attach it with carriage bolts.

The pic below illustrates how you can mount the joysticks and buttons in the steel, and have it made rigid by the wood.

(the pic is the bottom of the Gauntlet CP, metal on top, wood on bottom, a vinyl CPO goes over the metal)

5/8" wood + 1/8" steel = 3/4", for 3/4" t-molding

Dig it?
Craig