Need tips for making a proper template for CP.

[Will]

Can you tell me how you went about drilling your holes,routing ect in the proper spot?Did you just draft it out with a ruler and a pencil or did you print out your own template for where to drill? I have the project arcade book which comes with some templates but I haven't been able to print all of them out to proper size.Is there any programs you can recommend that are easy for making a template.Not looking to make the mona lisa but I would like my buttons to be aligned evenly.Thanks...

[Oddfeld]

The Project Arcade templates are scaled incorrectly. If you make them 125dpi they will be the correct size.

In Photoshop this would involve going to the image>image size menu option, making sure 'resample image' is unchecked, making sure 'pixels/inch' is selected for resolution, then keying in 125 for the resolution.

[locash]

I probably took this further than most would, but I am planning on making multiple, swapable panels so I made my template out of 1/4" 5 ply birch plywood.  I designed my layout in AutoCAD, printed it out full size and then transfered it to the plywood with a pin.  I cut the template out on my bandsaw and drilled the holes.  Then I attached it to a piece of 5/8" MDF rough cut to size, and on my router table I routed the panel to size and routed the holes using a flush cutting bit.

[Jabba]

I used Lusid's template for my first control panel. They are in a MS Word document and are the exact size you need. Just print them out on a normal sheet of paper and use this as your cutting guide. You might want to consider using a hole punch to set a dent in the middle of each button. This makes it easier to drill and ensures your drill bit is in the exact center.

The Word templates are in a zip file and they can be found on his website under the "Downloads" section at..

http://users.adelphia.net/~seanhat/arcade/

The file is named CPtemplates.zip.