FIRST!
Can't wait to watch the progress on this, you always have the best builds.
This is looking really rad. I'm looking forward to watching your progress.
Off to a great start. Design looks unique. Your place is rad by the way.
I really like the look of the cabinet in this design. Feels very futuristic to me. Your previous projects in your signature look amazing so I can't wait to see what this turns out like. Only thought would be a tipping concern based on how much the CP is standing out in your sketch. I know MDF is heavy stuff, but still looks like it would easily tip to me. How do you plan to counter balance it?
That profile is beautiful. Looking forward to following this one.
Still designing and building awesome arcade machines! Excellent.
Wow. Looks incredible so far. You work so fast too. A day off of work is a good idea. Hard to get anything done otherwise! What kind of artwork/finishing do you have planned?
Why singularity?
It is a two stick cab as the defining feature.
Maybe binary?
Nice! Regarding the name, I think you're overthinking it. The cabinet name technically is pretty much always about the game(s) it plays, not how many controls it used. ;) I can't wait to play me some 2 stick spin spin. :)
I would just go with whatever you think best fits your theme and is to your liking. Either one is sci fi and works I like your font and red accent color in the logo.
Regarding the build itself, it continues to look great, but slow down man! You're making some of us look bad. :cheers:
What kind of finish are you looking to achieve? I suspect you want to take it from raw timber to some smooth black? A bit like I did on my media server. From this:(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=159740.0;attach=386805;image)
To this:(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=159740.0;attach=386993;image)
That's how I imagine it anyway...
You've already gotten excellent results on your other signature projects. I really like that style of smooth near flat black finish. It does take a lot of work though. Tips for that type of finish? I guess they would be:
1. Use quality automotive paints - especially the primer. Most of the work is in preparatory surface finish with multiple primer coats.
2. Spray don't roll, unless you want a textured finish.
3. Allow plenty of drying time between final paint coats
4. Wet sand to 400-600 grit before final coats.
Looking forward to seeing this project advance! :cheers:
I would like more photos of your view outside that window.
Wow. I think I have to drive an hour minimum to see open space like that.
Where is that? Is the horse yours?
:cheers:
Looks great. I really like where you are headed with your CP. The last cab I build I did a black panel with white buttons and red accents (some font and some volcano button lights) and I love the look. I'm debating on doing something similar for the Tullys I'm working on now.
Also, your house is ridiculously clean... like how? I am constantly cleaning up and putting stuff away and we have a "no clutter" philosophy when buying things but my kids (and dog) can trash the house in like 3 seconds as soon as I turn my back. It's a struggle. :cheers:
I am curious as to how that CP is anchored to the cab.
Re re the tidiness, I just clean up as I go. The kids are grown up now and one of them has left home so no need to tidy up after them anymore thankfully!
I am not sure how you could possibly improve this with a few more layers of paint. It looks amazing already!
The paint looks sharp on this. Really nice work!
I'm both looking forward to and dreading trying to paint mine. I'm going to have to pull all the electronics out to do that, and I've never really seriously painted anything before, so I'm kinda nervous. If it looks half this good though, I'll consider it a win!
I’m really impressed with how you get the MDF edge to disappear. Seems no matter what I do you can still see it which is why I started doing a mitre on corners.
Looking great, but I'm starting to think you're building all of this in your kitchen. ;) Wheres your workshop where all this magic is happening?
Love it
Lookin kinda frosty there!
Wow that’s so much open space. Looks really relaxing. I’m not sure I could do it full time but it would be nice to get away once in a while to something like that. It’s so crowded by me that we can walk everywhere. Shops, restaurants, parks, schools, etc. We have cars (and need them) but everything is so close by. Downside is people everywhere - if my neighbors get into an argument I can hear it. Makes you crazy after a while…
SpaceHedgehog understands surface preparation. It's a bit like riding a bike, once you learn it, the process feels natural. MDF goes well with filler, goes well with primer, goes well with paint. It feels a bit like magic when the coarse edge of raw MDF becomes sharp and clean after surface prep. If you use solvent based primer to seal MDF you can wet sand it after a few coats, water absorption is no longer a problem then. Well prepared MDF looks and feels nothing like MDF. It feels like dull hard plastic, after that paint it with whatever you like.
I'm enjoying the progress here, particularly as I can't work on my own stuff at the moment. :cheers:
Your work is impressive by any measure, never mind for not having a dedicated space.
:notworthy:
Great view out the back door (I assume it's the back door?!)
I do sometimes get nostalgic for the good ole temperate deciduous forest (especially in the fall) but the waves sure are way better where I am now.
How many coats/rounds of sanding before you reach your particular standard level of amazing finish anyway?
You do some high quality craftsmanship sir.
The fact that you sand off almost all of the first coat of color confirms that I'm doing it wrong. The level of patience you must have is crazy high. Keep it going! :cheers:
SpaceHedgehog understands surface preparation. It's a bit like riding a bike, once you learn it, the process feels natural. MDF goes well with filler, goes well with primer, goes well with paint. It feels a bit like magic when the coarse edge of raw MDF becomes sharp and clean after surface prep. If you use solvent based primer to seal MDF you can wet sand it after a few coats, water absorption is no longer a problem then. Well prepared MDF looks and feels nothing like MDF. It feels like dull hard plastic, after that paint it with whatever you like.
I'm enjoying the progress here, particularly as I can't work on my own stuff at the moment. :cheers:
SpaceHedgehog understands surface preparation. It's a bit like riding a bike, once you learn it, the process feels natural. MDF goes well with filler, goes well with primer, goes well with paint. It feels a bit like magic when the coarse edge of raw MDF becomes sharp and clean after surface prep. If you use solvent based primer to seal MDF you can wet sand it after a few coats, water absorption is no longer a problem then. Well prepared MDF looks and feels nothing like MDF. It feels like dull hard plastic, after that paint it with whatever you like.
I'm enjoying the progress here, particularly as I can't work on my own stuff at the moment. :cheers:
I hope everyone else here reading appreciates the tip on solvent based primer as much as I do.
That is actually a critical element to acheive such an amazing result.
And of course that will be my path in the future now that I know!
Groovy baby!
Looks impressive so far. :cheers:
I was intrigued anyway but now the acrylic has me really antsy to see the finished product.
Hope your weather improves!
I definitely can commiserate with the frustration. I've got mine built to the point that I can see all the rough edges and all the things that I'd want to do differently.
I've busted one 50" tv already, broken mounts, completely re-worked the control pedestal because it was wobbly (because one of the casters was slightly off-level) enough that it wasn't stable for pinball, badly cracked the wood on the underside of my control panel because I wasn't paying attention, and that's just in the last couple of months. We won't talk about how bad things were when I first started ;D.
I work in IT, and I've been dabbling with emulation since the late 90's (Nesticle on my pentium 166 laptop when I was in high school!) so the 'computer' side of all this is the easy part for me. I had virtually zero woodworking experience going into this thing, and that's the part that has been the most challenging for me... but also the most rewarding. I made a lot of mistakes. I'm STILL making lots of mistakes. I've learned something every time though, and I'm getting better at this - I can actually see the difference in the work I do now versus the work I was doing at the beginning.
This will pass. You'll work through it. Your design is sound, and what you've done so far looks great. You're on track to have an amazing cabinet - just keep at it!
If there is a Woodcraft store near you, sign up for classes. They are really useful.
Looks great. I'm sure you will work though the "mistakes" and no one but you will be able to tell. I make dumb decisions or forget to take something into consideration while measuring all the time and it usually works out just fine. That's part of the fun, right? OK maybe not.
Just take a sledge hammer to the control panel start over and do it the way you want it. You won't ever like it not being right and its not that much extra work.
Looking really nice. The more I stare at it the more I can't believe that eventually the bottom section will match the top with all the screw holes and edges that are currently showing. I mean, the bottom looks like something I could build but the top most definitely does not! :cheers:
I can't get over how much this looks like a computer rendering.
What a nice looking design! Looks like its build like a tank and weighs a ton, haha. Never thought about using a sound bar before, will keep that in mind for my inevitable next build.
You mentioned steam twin stick shooters. Does that include 'Assault Android Cactus'? Its one of my favorite ones :)
Nice looking build man!