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Digital Dream Machine 08 - My First cab

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koinsatx:
Well after a year of thinking about it and reading many post on the subject, I have begun my very first arcade cab. With inspiration and ideas from the board, I have chosen a design and begun the project. I am documenting the steps as I go with both photos and notes and will be sure to post as I go.  I have been busy reading the Project Arcade book and researching here on BYOAC as well.

Some aspects of the project have been thought out, where others still are yet to be decided upon. Here is a list of what I know so far.

Cabinet Style:  Ultimate Arcade II
Material:  3/4" MDF   (ran into last minute snafu obtaining 5/8" MDF)
Monitor: 27/29" Makvision Tri-Mode Arcade Monitor (probable) backup is 21" Sony CRT
Controls: (1) Happ 3" trackball, (1) Slikstick spinner, (2) Happ Super-8 Joysticks, (1) Happ Super Joystick 1 3/8 Red Ball Knob, (lots) Happ Microswitch buttons
Interface: Ipac2 (PS/2), Optipac (USB)
Misc: Functioning coin door, LED light bar, 3/4" T-Molding, 50w amp, (2) 4" speakers, Cabinet Grips, 2" casters
Software: MAMEUI, Maximus Arcade frontend , Win XP,


Items which I am still trying to decide on include:

Paint:  Probably go with enamel in case I want to use vinyl sideart (I heard it doesn't do well with latex)
Paint Colors: Black/Red?
Side Art: ?
CPO: ?
CPU: Not sure what computer parts I will end up using

I appreciate any constructive comments or suggestions on the project as I go and look forward to learning as I build my first cab.

Koinsatx

koinsatx:
I intended to use 5/8" MDF but due to an mistake at Lowes I ended up with 3/4" MDF.  After loading the truck, it was off to home and start drawing. I had printed out the UAII plans from the book and given them a once over. I then setup my workspace in the garage and began transferring measurements from my printouts to the MDF.  This phase took longer than I expected but was not too difficult.  Patience and double checking measurements were the key here.

Several items that were invaluable for this:

Metal yardstick with both 1/8 and 1/16" markings
Drywall 4' T-Square - great for making the 90 degree markings and ensuring straight lines
Saw Horses - put the wood at a good working height, the knees and back are not as good as they used to be
Lighting - Good lighting to ensure you can see all those markings

At the end of transferring all the markings to MDF I had about 6 hours invested.

koinsatx:
Transferring the drawings to MDF may have took a little time but definitely did not compare to the work of cutting the pieces out.  Again, things always seem easier than they actually are. I drug the first victim (MDF) out to my workspace taking into consideration the amount of dust I expected.  I wasn't wrong here, this MDF gets dust everywhere. Luckily I took the suggestion from others and invested in a respirator, well worth the $29 at Lowes. I may have looked like a storm trooper reject but I was breathing clean air.

Back to cutting, this was rather tiring work. Taking it slow to setup a straight edge on every cut and ensure a straight line was key. Most of the cuts were done with my circular saw as the initial pieces were too big for my table saw. The table saw did come in handy for some of the smaller pieces. 

Tools I would not have done without:

Circular Saw with 40 tooth blade
An 8' straight edge - a great $20 investment
table saw is great if you have access to one
some good clamps - to hold the straight edge in place
a good working area - need area to move around
Respirator - again, worth $29 bucks
safety glasses

After all cuts are done and a couple of breaks, 13 hours invested.

koinsatx:
Here are a few more pics from my cutting and then sanding some pieces. Even with using a straight edge I have learned a few things about woodworking. My experience in woodworking so far is I have some of the tools just not the experience.  Several mistakes I made involved not always making my cuts on the same side of line. I also forgot to take in to account the width of the saw of blade on several cuts. Again, all mistakes of a novice wood worker.

Even though the side pieces were traced off each other, they did require sanding to make them identical. This is where my belt sander came in handy with a 50 grit belt. It easily ate through the MDF so I recommend caution here. 

Tools that came in handy:

Belt sander - 50 grit
Respirator
clamps

I guess we will see how good the cuts are as the pieces come together.

Up to this point I have 14 hours invested.

DaOld Man:
looks like you are off to a great start!

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