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tist:

Well ever since I've been a boy its been a dream of mine to have an arcade machine of my own. What would be better then having a bunch of buddies over playing the games we all love. but, enough babble il get to the point.

I stumbled across this whole seen about 2 weeks ago, since then i've been researching like a mad man, analysing pretty much every aspect of creating my own mame machine. but i'm having doubhts now whether I can do the wood construction part of it. The wiring is no problem i've done that sort of stuff before but i'm not exactly a great carpenter.

I do not have access to a router and i would very much like t-molding. Any idea how much one would cost to rent? Would the entire wood construction part be able to be finished in one day you think? How much would enough MDF cost for a stanard cabinet.

Encryptor:

I'm a NooB as well and have been researching a ton. I'm not sure where you live but I figure most Home Depot's are fairly close on there prices. I've decided to go with the basic plan that Lusid used and I figure I'll need 3 sheets of 5/8" mdf for the main cabinet and one for an extra control panel or two. In my area (Albany, NY) a 5/8" sheet of mdf at HD is about $20 so I'm looking at around $80 for mdf. Then there are misc items like screws and wood glue. I'm also going to brace the inside with 2" x2" so that adds extra as well. Then there are threaded inserts and bolts and on and on. There are many things to consider and many extra's to buy. I ran across this link of someone that built a cabinet in 24 hrs. Good Luck!

http://chris.polymathic.net/cabinet/index.shtml

Encryptor

sealslayer:

If I was you I would buy a router, the cost of renting one would be very near the same price as buying one, you don't have to buy a top of the range router.

I paid

sfrascella:

    If you have help you could possibly have the cab built in one day. That said, don't do it. I was in such a rush to get mine built (took about a week) that I made a few mistakes that later on caused alot of frustration. Take your time and make sure that all your cuts are square.
     After getting the thing built you also have to consider the finish, paint, laminate, etc. Then artwork , the control panel, none of these should be rushed. You should also think about making a cardboard mock up of the CP to make sure it feels comfortable to you. And check out Saint's book, alot of good stuff in there.


pointdablame:

If you are really concerned about whether you have the woodworking ability, and if you don't have all the tools you need.. just buy a cabinet.

Find a gutted generic cabinet and start with that.  You can get a nice cab for MAME for cheap if you look around, and often you'll get a lot of "extra" that people wind up buying new like coin doors, bezels, marquee retainers... etc.  You may even find a nice cab with a working monitor.


Don't destroy a classic cab though!

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