Choosing lumber...

[Willypill]

I'm about ready to start construction of my cabinet.  All I need to do is choose what type of lumber I want to use.  Now I know that many of you have used plywood or MDF, but that stuff just seems like it would be too heavy and not as attractive as it could be.  I was thinking of using Maple wood.  I'd like to hear your thoughts and see if there has been anyone else that has used this type.  Other recommendations are welcome.

[GameOver]

Hmmmm...I don't think maple is very common, unless you were planning on staining your cabinet instead of painting it.  You'll probably pay twice as much for sheets of maple compared to MDF.  If you're going to stain it, by all means use maple.  Otherwise, don't pay all that money if you're going to paint it.  The MDF will give a superior paint finish compared to maple.

Do a search on 'maple' or 'hardwood' using the search function.  You may find a couple examples of hardwood cabinets.  Good luck!

[Tailgunner]

There have been a few cabinets that were finished like real furniture and they come off looking really nice when done properly. Check the hall of fame, thete should be examples there.

Weight is a good thing in an arcade cabinet though, build it too light and you'll end up filling the bottom with cinder blocks to keep it from moving when you're playing the cab.

[Jabba]

A solid maple cabinet would cost you a bundle in the wood alone. If you are looking for a woodgrain finish, go with 1/2 " or 3/4" maple plywood good one side.  This will look good if that is the look you are going for.

When cutting plywood, put a piece of masking tape over your cut line on the good surface. This will minimize and almost reduce chipout to 0.

1/2" plywood should be solid enough, but would need a solid 2x4 frame to keep it from wobbling. Check out Scotts Unicade for an example of a 2x4 frame.

Good luck.

[ghent]

Use the 3/4 MDF unless you plan to stain it, there's no reason to go with something else.
Another advantage to the MDF that I noticed today is that there are no splinters.

[unclet]

Yes and MDF is already really really smooth ..... you just need to sand the holes where you put  wood putty only.

[Pixelhugger]

If I understand you correctly, you plan on using solid maple, gluing up multiple boards to form a panel right? This is the same approach I'm using for my cabinet, and it definitely adds to the price and the labor.

I have yet to come across a cabinet that used solid hardwood. All the "furniture" cabs I've seen have used stain grade plywood. I'd love a link to any solid hardwood cabs if anyone has seen any.

Nice maple with probably run you around 3-4 bucks per board foot. So you're probably in around 150+ for the two sides.

[Pixelhugger]

Oh, yeah.... and if you do go the maple route put some sort of stain prep on the wood as it'll take stain very unevenly and turn out blotchy.

[Willypill]

Hmm, I may end up going with the MDF now that I've heard some of your replies. 

[wintermute]

If I remember right a 4x8 sheet of hard maple plywood is ~$100.  Not sure if that helps you or not.

wm

[LiquidFire]

Even though I will be using Wilsonart mica laminates for surfaces, I will use a hardwood plywood to gain the least amount of 'voids' in the plys that get exposed. These run about $45 per sheet for maple or birch skins.

Each ply on 'better' plywood tends to be flatter and filled better. As you cut the pieces, you will also have less warpage due to better handling of quality plywood when it was manufactured.

MDF is great but is more susceptible to moisture/water/humidity issues. Sealing is the key, both sides should be coated well. This will help to avoid de-laminating your coverings.

No matter what material is used, I think a coating should also be shot inside the cabinet before assembly.

The best feature of plywood over anything else is better fastener/joint adhesive performance. The cheapest plywood you should use would be an A-B grade 3/4".

The cabinet will be heavy no matter what you choose.

P.S. MDF, like particle board is a cultured sheet product. It is less expensive to make flatter, therefore the choice of manufacturers.

[TOK]

This begs for a theme cab. Perhaps a hunting lodge look with a gunrack and some antlers. 

I like the arcade games to look like what they are, if that means it's not a top notch furniture quality finish, thats cool. Ply is nice, MDF is very nice finish but heavy.

[Ted_Striker]

you may consider a hardwood veneer  as well.  You can make your cabinet out of any material you see fit, fill the voids and then veneer.  You can have the hardwood look ( a good veneer is real wood) with out the cost of  hardwood boards and without all the joiner and plainer  work.

[Willypill]

I just went and picked up 3 sheets of 3/4" MDF for a grand total of $55.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I went with a 2x frame for the bottom of my cab, with 3/4" ply sides for strength, and a combination of solid and laminated 1x poplar for the modular CP's for it.

Plywood is alot more durable than MDF, especially for resisting corner chips.

The poplar is really nice wood to work with, is relatively dense, gives a better cut edge than plywood, but is not as costly as oak or maple.
Since it's going to be painted/covered anyway, it was a good choice.
It holds screws well, for bottom mounting the joysticks too.

[CJK]

Poplar is an outstanding hardwood for these sorts of projects. It has a nice, tight grain and so takes paint very well. It also machines better than any man-made material (MDF or plywood) or softwoods like pine.

I have several parts on my cab made of 3/4" poplar.

-- Chris

[NoOne=NBA=]

My only complaint about it is that it's a little stringy--like cedar.

That is a good thing, and a bad thing though.
It helps hold it together well under stress because the strings act alot like stranded board, but it can leave string ends in the holes that are nearly impossible to sand out.

That said, I still prefer it to anything else that I've used for arcade projects.

[flyguy1821]

just noticed today at Menards maple 1/2 inch plywood for $36 for a 4x8 sheet.  Didnt check the 3/4 inch it is special order but for oak it was $39 a sheet.  Pricy compared to $19 a sheet for MDF but if that is your thing.  Dont know if you have a Menards by you or if you have cut into your MDF yet.