Wood thickness

[cdbrown]

Hi all,

I notice most people use 3/4" thick wood for their upright cab and sometimes use 5/8" for the control panel.  I will be using MDF and since everything in Australia is metric we have slightly different thicknesses.  The closest to the 3/4"(19.05mm) is 18mm and the 5/8"(15.88mm) is 16mm.  We also have 15mm.  I know some people have trouble getting the 5/8" size and settle for 3/4 but I can get my hands on any of the sizes quite easily.  What would you recommend as the right thickness for me to use?  I will also be having lexan/plexi overlay on the panel.  The 15mm would be lighter but I'm not sure how strong it would be.

Any advice would be great.

Cheers
-cdbrown

[SNAAAKE]

what you gonna be using to wood for?

cabinet or panel?

if cabinet,then highly recomanded that you use 3/4.

if for panel and you are okay with no molding in corner then go with 5/8 wood and add a lexan.if you use 3/4 wood for panel then you gotta do the routing underneth.

try to avoid routing the under and use 5/8 wood for panel.there are 5/8 molding too so if you also add molding if you use 5/8 wood.

[OSCAR]

The size of your control panel should also be considered when deciding on thickness.  If it is a small panel like the size of a HotRod, or a classic cab panel (varies, but somewhere around 26

[cdbrown]

Thanks SNAAAKE and Oscar.

I will go for the 18mm for the cab.  I'm going to have three panels and will probably go for the 15mm.  On of the panels will be large for 4 players so I will probably put in some bracing in between each player to stop the flex.  It's funny you replied Oscar as the reason I'm trying to work out the thickness of the panel is so I can order some spinners.  The panel with the spinners will be a two player with joysticks and some buttons, no trackball.

Now I just need to find where in Perth Western Australia I can get some Lexan or Plexi (and what thickness they have available).  Anyone in Aus know?

Cheers
-cdbrown

[Howard_Casto]

I would suggest being consistant.  Don't make part 5/8 and part 3/4 as it's an obvious give away that it's some crappy home built cab.  

Actually I think for general use 5/8 is very un-arcade looking.  Although nintendo sometimes used thinner materials, 99% of the cabs out there are 3/4 inch thick and you are going to have a much easier time ataching real arcade parts if it's all 3/4.  

[1UP]

I don't see how having a 3/4" panel makes it any easier to mount arcade parts.  Most parts are made to be adjustable for different CP thicknesses, and if  anything, thinner is usually better since you often have to end up routering out material to make things fit.  

I don't think there's anything wrong with using different thicknesses for the cab and the panel.  Most likely, you aren't really going to notice the edge of the CP, and if you brace the corners and edges at all, 5/8 inch should be fine.  It's certainly a lot easier to work with 5/8" for making panels, since a lot of controls have very tight clearances--less routering to do, etc.  I have several older components that were made for metal CPs, and I have to router and countersink like crazy to accomodate them, even on 5/8"!

The sides of my cab are 3/4" and the panels are 5/8", and to the naked eye, they both look the same thickness.  You'd have to get a ruler or remove the panel and rotate it parallel to the cab sides to notice any difference...

[OSCAR]

It's certainly a lot easier to work with 5/8" for making panels, since a lot of controls have very tight clearances--less routering to do, etc.  I have several older components that were made for metal CPs, and I have to router and countersink like crazy to accomodate them, even on 5/8"!

How does the amount of routering required have anything to do with the thickness of the wood you are using?  You still have to router the same area for a joystick regardless of the depth, you just set the bit an 1/8" lower for 3/4" vs. 5/8".  You're really doing exactly the same amount of routering, the router takes care of the depth of cut...

Anyway, on my panel that was 35" x 19", 5/8" thick didn't cut it especially since a lot of the wood was removed for controls.  But like I said before, the overall size of the panel would be a greater factor on depth.  I've seen cocktails that used 3/8" thick control panels that were very solid, but they were only about 12"x6" in size.