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Which wood?

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bionicbadger:
Some people have also used melamine for their cabinets, My local hope depot stocks 5/8 black melamine, but I'm using MDF for my cabinet.  The advantage with melamine is you dont have to worry about finishing it, it has a nice durable finish already.

Auntie MAME:
MDF and lexan is the way to fly.

RandyT:
The ultimate material is one you don't hear about here too much because of the cost and difficulty to find.  It's also the stuff that the real machines were made out of (ok, maybe not all of them but a high percentage.)

The material is called MDO or Medium Density Overlay plywood.  It's a high grade ply with a kraft-paper lamination on one or both sides.  This smooth surface will get you a glass like finish with the right paints and hold up for a long time.

It's also the stuff sign makers use for outdoor painted signs.

A 4x8 sheet of 3/4 good 1 side runs about $65.  

But MDF still gets my vote in the "bang for the buck" category. :)

RandyT

shmokes:
I really like the way 1-up Arcade's Pac-Mamea uses black melamine.  The outsides have laminate but the inside is black.  Maybe not that imporant to color the insides, but it's a nice touch.

I haven't really been considering weight.  Does anyone know how much melamine weighs compared to similarly sized playwood and mdf?

Wienerdog:
http://home.att.net/~waterfront-woods/Articles/Plywood.htm

"Medium Density Fiber Core Hardwood Plywood (MDF)
MDF is made from fine wood dust mixed with a binder and heat-pressed into panels. The sheets can be sold as-is, or a veneer skin, like oak or maple, can be laid up on the sheet. (The veneered sheet is the most common form, but blank MDF sheets are available as Paint-Grade)

This material is extremely stable to work with, and is typically very consistent from batch to batch. A 3/4" thick sheet purchased over a year ago is exactly the same thickness as a new sheet purchased today. The surface below the veneer is typically free of voids and blisters, resulting in a better veneer consistency and bond. With this better bonding of the wood veneer, there is less chipping during a crosscut operation. I have also observed that this material is easy to machine either by saw or router, and the cut edges are excellent for glue adhesion. (I have heard it mentioned that MDF is hard on cutters, but personally, I disagree with this statement. I feel that MDF is rather easy on the cutters.)

The primary drawback to this product is weight. A 3/4" x 4' x 8' sheet can weigh as much as 70 to 90 pounds per sheet. The density of the core is expressed as the weight of a one cubic foot (1'x1'x1') block of the material. Therefore, an MDF sheet using a 48# (pound) core, will weigh 96 pounds. (48"x96"x3/4"= 2 cubic feet)

Medium- and High-Density Overlay Plywood (MDO and HDO)
MDO and HDO consist of a core material, like laminated fir veneer, overlaid with a pressed fiber material. In short, this is a typical veneer core plywood (common plywood) with an MDF surface. This gives the best of both worlds; the weight is lower than a full MDF, but the surface is more stable than a veneer core plywood.

Veneer Core Hardwood Plywood (VC)
Veneer Core plywood is made from alternating layers of fir slices (common plywood) with a surface veneer of a finished woodgrain such as oak or maple. This construction gives VC plywood a distinct advantage over others in strength. This is a light weight material, and easy to handle."

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