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MDF And Other Ponderings

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arcadegamenut:
Okay...I still haven't pulled the trigger yet...who knows if I ever will. Each time I get excited about the thing, I always think about the negatives that come along with it which usually is enough to deter me.

This time it is the dust from cutting MDF. My garage is not huge in any way (standard small two-car attached garage). My drive is also inclined so it would be impossible for me to set up sawhorses or anything there without it tipping. :)

This leads into the dust. I'm alergic to dust. No obviously with proper ventilation and by wearing safety materials, I'd be fine physically, but I don't really want that stuff all over my garage or somehow seep into the house!

My next thought would be to cut in out the yard a bit. If I had the cordless tools, that would probably be doable. I only wonder how far away from the house I would need to be (there's only a couple of feet on each side between my neighbors and I) to where things would remain clean and safe for everyone.

Of course, there is also still the inner fear of all the cutting, routing, etc anyway. I've never used a circular saw in my life. I did use a hand saw and table saw, but that was way back in industrial arts class during the 8th grade. That was for a VCR tape box and even it didn't turn out perfect (stain imperfections, a nail slightly poking up from the bottom, etc. That said I still have that box today. I don't think I ever used it to hold VCR tapes though. In the end, it became a nice little storage device for Atari 2600 carts. :)

I have hard enough time putting Sauder stuff together so I have a hard time imagining putting together a cabinet would be a simple task for me.

shardian:
Alot of people use an old, gutted arcade cabinet for their mame machine. No building work necessary!! I have a Taito cabinet sitting in my garage patiently waiting on me to find some time to put a computer and monitor in it.
Another possibilty is to ask around your neighbors to see if any of them are woodworkers. Almost everyone has a woodworking neighbor.Usually, if you find a middle aged male with woodworking experience and tell him he can build an arcade machine, he'll get excited.
It also makes the work much more fun (and safe) if you have an interested friend to help out. (For some reason, my wife doesn't consider cutting up MDF fun...go figure)

If you do decide to build from scratch, remember these two things:
1. Those little paper masks from Wal-Mart are worthless when it comes to MDF. Get a real filtered mask if you are alergic.
2. MDF dust is heavy due to the glue. It will settle quickly, alowing for fairly easy cleanup with a shop-vac.

DaveMMR:
I think I've made more mistakes with my cuts and MDF than anyone could count.  And after all that, there was dust everywhere.  But it's okay.  Minor mistakes can be fixed, MDF is cheap enough that you can always recut a big mistake, and the dust cleans up quite easily with a broom.  Yes, it is irritating to the nose and mouth, but dust masks help immensly (the paper one works fine for me). 

The only problem that being new at cutting will cause is that it'll take a bit longer than those who've done this before.  No matter, it's not a race.

Finally, see if you have a couple of friends who can help.  It makes mistakes happen fewer and farther between.

shardian:
When routing, I tie a sweatshirt tight around my face like a robber. this works excellent for me. As to the paper masks, I have a big nose, and every time I use them for MDF/ drywall repairs dust sneaks in thru the cracks. Also, my safety glasses always fog up real bad with a paper mask. My main point is that he has alergies, and should use a professional grade filter mask. My dad has a very nice one that uses charcoal filters. They are on the pricey side though.

Luckydevil:
MDF dust sucks and it goes EVERYWHERE.

If I were you I would make the necessary measurements and buy the wood. then go to a woodworking or cabinet shop and ask them to make the cuts for you. Shouldn't cost too much and you won't have to worry about any dust.

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