Ultimate Arcade II kits available soon...

[VMJ Team]

The www.mameroom.com will be making Ultimate Arcade II kits available for purchase very soon.  These kits will assemble in less than one hour using a shaft and locking cam system much like a modern computer desk or entertainment center.  While trying to keep costs down to make the kits affordable...I am in the process of doing material analysis and need input....for all of the cabinet builders out there...I am looking for an inexpensive alternative to formica countertop laminate.  Anyone with experience building cabinets and other furniture, I would like input on the thinner surfacing material options available and where to purchase....thanks!

[_Iz-]

I'd use melamine for the parts personally. (Almost) all the durability of laminate, less cost and hassle. Need a router or CNC to cut it and get really good results. You could make some templates and use a straight bit with guide bearing to cut parts out of a sheet. Maybe do the actual control panel surface out of laminate (unless you are covering with plexi).

Those shaft and cam locking devices scare the crap out of me, especially for something that could see as much stress as an arcade cabinet. Consider using another fastener as well. You'll notice that all furniture that use the shaft/cam locks also use dowels and glue. The shaft/cam are really just used to draw the 2 pieces together tight long enough for the glue to dry. Dowels really aren't that strong (I've done stress trials personally). I would recommend using biscuits with the shaft/cam. They're also easier to align and cut the slots accurately. Read more here if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

http://www.woodzone.com/articles/biscuit/biscuit_joiner.htm

Also, how are you planning on machining the parts for the shaft/cam? They need to be quite precise for a positive assembly experience.

[shmokes]

I agree.  Melamine would be the simplest route for you.  I'm not so sure about using a router for all of your cuts.  Talk about going through expensive bits fast.  If you've got a tablesaw or a circular saw just pick up a blade made specifically for cutting melamine.  A good one might set you back $100, but it'll last approximately a million times longer than cutting through board after board with a router.

...I think.   Honestly I don't know my head from my --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules-- when it comes to woodworking.  But I know that they make melamine blades for tablesaws and circular saws.  The rest I just surmised.

Here's some useful info regarding:

http://32mm.dalrun.com/System_Tools/Cutting/cutting.html

[dag2000]

You may want to look at some of the products & info at Rockler's website, like this:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/showdetl.cfm?offerings_id=5291&objectgroup_id=7&catid=6&DID=6

and this:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&Offerings_ID=2334&ObjectGroup_ID=72&CATID=22

and this:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&Offerings_ID=348&ObjectGroup_ID=72&CATID=22

and also this:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&Offerings_ID=10299&ObjectGroup_ID=72&CATID=22

[VMJ Team]

Those bolts and cams from www.rockler.com are exactly the ones I was planning on using...I decided to scrap the l-bracket construction for simplicity sake, but I do have to consider what _IZ- said about stability...I think it will be OK, but I'll put one together and beat the living crap out of it before I give it a seal of approval.  I appreciate all of the helpful feedback on this subject...thanx

[shmokes]

Hey Cyberpunk,

I just picked up all of the melamine for my cab about ten minutes ago.  I'm a woodworking newbie so I was asking questions of the cabinet maker I purchased it from.  He has a lot of experience cutting melamine (in fact I could count at least 10 projects in his work area that were currently being worked on that used melamine almost exclusively) and he cuts ALL of his on a table saw with a melamine blade.  I told him I don't have a melamine blade for my circular saw (don't have a tablesaw at all) and would probably not buy one for just one project and he recommended taping my cuts before making them.  I suppose I'll run some duct tape across my wood and cut through it and see if it reduces chipping.  Sure hope so.  Also he said the chipping occurs the most as the blade exits the wood so keep that in mind before you make your cuts so the bad side can be on the inside of the cabinet.

I guess you know that melamine comes prelaminated on BOTH sides of the wood.  Thought I'd mention it just in case.

[_Iz-]

Don't use duct tape - use masking tape. Duct Tape will just make a mess of things and maybe even remove bits of your melamine at the edge when you pull it off.

A melamine blade will give you a great cut, on one side (the top when you're using a tablesaw). Most tablesaws used to cut melamine have a scoring blade to make a shallow cut (score) on the underside before it goes through the main blade.

For the home user, and especially on complex parts like an arcade cabinet side a template and router are the best, fastest and easiest way to go. You can improve cutter life by rough cutting the parts with a jigsaw to within ~3/8" before final cutting with the router. If you use a guide collar in the router base instead of a guide bearing on the end of the bit then you can double cutter life as well. Most straight cutters of this type are 1 1/2 - 2" long. You can use the lower 1/2 till it gets dull, then drop more of the bit thru the base and use the top 1/2 of the cutter.  Anyway, all the other parts (besides the sides) are basically square and seen on one side only. No real need to tape those, just cut them with a circular saw + straight edge with the good face down.

[shmokes]

Glad you mentioned that.  Once again I'm a total newbie to this and really appreciate your help.

Did you mean to say to cut with the good face up at the end of your last post?

I picked up a router (one with a plunge and a fixed base) so I think I will take your advice and make rough cuts and then trim them to size with the router, but I've never used a router before.  I ordered a book from Amazon that will probably help tremendously, but there's nothing like experience and screwing up some expensive wood to really teach someone about woodworking, I'd guess.  Anyway what should I use as a template?  Do you mean just a paper pattern or something solid to guide the router.  I'm guessing you mean something solid, but don't know exactly what to use.  I was thinking of that material they use to make clipboards with.  I think it's called masonite.

Also, what is a guide collar, would I have one, and how does it work?

thanks again!

[_Iz-]

Did you mean to say to cut with the good face up at the end of your last post?

Nope. What I said is correct, I just switched equipment on you...  

A tablesaw produces the best cut on the top side of the piece, a circular saw produces the best cut on the bottom of the piece. (a circular saw is basically a hand-held upside down tablesaw).

A guide collar is a ring that screws into the center of your router base that the bit pokes through. It has a lip to follow the edge of your template.

Look here: http://www.newwoodworker.com/guidebush.html

One important difference between a guide collar and a guide bearing: A guide bearing is generally exactly the same size as the bit and will cut the piece exactly the same size as the template it is following. A guide collar is larger than the bit and because of this the template needs to be a different size than what you want your finished piece to be. If you are cutting on the outside of the template then the template should be SMALLER than your finished piece. If you are cutting on the inside then the template cutout would be BIGGER. The amount bigger or smaller depends on the size difference between the bit and collar.

[shmokes]

Thanks.  Good read.  I'm really going to learn a ton about woodworking and wiring with this project in a crash course, haphazzard way.

My biggest concern is safety, really.  I'll sacrifice the quality of my project for the remaining-attached-to-my-hands quality of my fingers any day of the week.  That said, I'm relatively confident that it will turn out nice, especially thanks to all the help I've had from this board.

[_Iz-]

It's the templates and guides that make it safe. Trying to use a router freehand is extremely risky (not just to you but to your materials as well!).