Knievel's Woody *COMPLETED*

[Knievel]

Doing something different than my usual Dynamo-style cabinets so I thought I would share it.

This one will will feature a furniture style cabinet built from 3/4" maple veneer plywood and a 19" LCD monitor.
It will be stained a dark mahogany color, with black t-mold/controls.

Some build pics..

[Timoe]

oooh yeah,

everyones talked about the furniture style cab at least once with their wives.  Keep the pics comin'.


Any t-mold?  what color?

[Knievel]

I'm building this cabinet for someone actually, but I plan to make a copy of it in a lighter color for myself.

I'll be using the black leather-look t-mold on this one. Trying to keep it classy. 

[CheffoJeffo]

Looks good, Brad, and I am envious of your shop.

Is stability going to be a problem with this thin a design ?

Cheers

[BlinKY1337]

Do you own enough clamps?

[Knievel]

Seems pretty stable so far Jeff. With the LCD monitor it shouldn't be top heavy, and I'm using a clamshell Dell tower which is fairly hefty. With all that weight resting on the bottom it should stay put.

My shop is alright, but being in the garage it tends to collect a lot of crap. I'd love to build a separate, dedicated shop someday.

Yes I've got about 40 of those clamps. Princess Auto up here regularly has them on for $5 each. They aren't the best but fine for jobs like this.

[Tahnok]

Repeat after me:

"You can ever have enough clamps."

Looks good. I'm rather partial to the thin, wall hugging, cabs.

[leapinlew]

Seems pretty stable so far Jeff. With the LCD monitor it shouldn't be top heavy, and I'm using a clamshell Dell tower which is fairly hefty. With all that weight resting on the bottom it should stay put.

LCD's have come a long way in supporting non-native resolutions. I'd still have to double check an LCD against all the roms I would be running on it. Out of scan errors seem to occur less and less - but you should double check to be sure.

Overall, this is going to be a nice looking cabinet that will help blur the lines between furniture and arcade cabinet - this will put the FUN in function... ahem... YES! I realize how cheesy that sounds.

[dweebs0r]

Hmm, Knievel is the expert but I too would be concerned about someone pulling that sucker over in a heated game of Street Fighter Alpha or something.

Hate to see you have to put a big ugly base on it though.

-D

[theCoder]

Given that you're going for a classic wood finish, I take it you're not going too fancy with lighting, neon, etc.?  On my first cab I went with a mahogany CP and people just loved it.  I doubled up the 3/4" wood at the edge giving a substantial "feel".  I'm looking forward to following your progress.

[Knievel]

LCD's have come a long way in supporting non-native resolutions. I'd still have to double check an LCD against all the roms I would be running on it. Out of scan errors seem to occur less and less - but you should double check to be sure.

Overall, this is going to be a nice looking cabinet that will help blur the lines between furniture and arcade cabinet - this will put the FUN in function... ahem... YES! I realize how cheesy that sounds.

Well this fellow is actually interested in Visual Pinball more than anything. Although I think he will enjoy it as a jukebox as well. Mame and any other emulators are a bonus for him, believe it or not. If they are all run at 1024x768 they will be fine, that's what I've always done with all my PC monitors anyway.

Glad you think this will be a 'nice looking cabinet'..I'm making it up as I go along. 

Given that you're going for a classic wood finish, I take it you're not going too fancy with lighting, neon, etc.?  On my first cab I went with a mahogany CP and people just loved it.  I doubled up the 3/4" wood at the edge giving a substantial "feel".  I'm looking forward to following your progress.

No lighting on this one other than the marquee. Going for a stealthy looking CP with a mahogany finish and all black controls, even the trackball. I will be labeling the admin buttons and coin/player buttons with some of the cool labels MikeDeuce is producing..
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=49291.0


So here's the CP top for this one. My usual layout but the top is smaller and angular, in keeping with the shape of the cabinet..





And here's a final look at the cabinet before I start staining. Clamps are off and this baby is solid. The front of the base was added as well..




Tune in tomorrow...

[BlinKY1337]

I know now why you never do a build post, cause you finish in the time it takes most people to measure there cuts 

[n3rrd]

Great work so far, Knievel.  Cool choice on the vinyl decals by MikeDeuce.  They look great, and I'm planning on getting a set of the player cuts for a set of CPs I'm making for my PS2.  I really like your control panels!  All the cuts and routes are amazing;  Do you do them by hand?

This may be a stupid question, but which of the two control panel pictures are of the top?  Is the black side the bottom?  I know the file is named cpb.jpg, but b could mean black, or bottom.   

I still haven't completely gotten this whole mounting of joysticks concept down yet. 

[Knievel]

Thanks, I do all the routing by hand. Using the templates I created they rival a CNC cut CP.
Yes the black side is the bottom. I top mount my joysticks to get the max stick length, you'll find various opinions/discussions on mounting joys.

Going to try and get this one completed this week so expect daily updates..

[Timoe]

Keep em coming.  Especially the CP photos.

[javeryh]

Are you a woodworker by trade or is it just a hobby?  All of your creations have super clean lines.  It looks fantastic so far.

[KonkeyKong]

Talk to me about tearout on the t-molding slots...  I'm thinking about a plywood cab, but I want t-molding on the edges 'fer shure dude.  I'm afraid the slot cutters gonna rip the plywood to shreds.  Any hints/tips would be most helpful.  I'm unable to do the woodwork myself as you know (The LEDs are working awesome by the way, I'd have sent pictures, but I decided to build a bigger control panel, still building...) so I'm trying to gather as much info in the planning stage before I  farm out the woodwork.

Lance

[Knievel]

OK there will be plenty of CP pics. 

I'm actually an electrician by trade but carpentry/design comes naturally to me and I enjoy it more. I'm also branching into computer tech and graphic artist..thanks to these machines.

Lance I didn't have any issue with the t-mold slot in the plywood. Now I used Furniture Grade maple plywood which is about $80 a sheet so I imagine the core is better constructed than some cheaper ply. Best to do a search on that and see if anyone else has had problems with that.


So I got the CP box built today. It's made from the same 3/4" maple ply and I mitered all the joints to make it look like one solid piece (btw it's upside down in the first pic)..










And here's a sneak peek at the color of the cabinet. You won't find this at the hardware store, I combined 3 different Minwax stains to arrive at this shade..

[javeryh]

Awesome - just remember to mix up enough of your custom blend stain for the entire thing (or have a recipe written down).  It might be tough to match it exactly if you don't get it all stained at once...

[n3rrd]

Wow, that is an awesome shade.  I know that you said you will be taking plenty of CP shots (which is a big bonus for me as that is the most interesting part of a cab, imo), but...

Would you be able to post pictures of the panel after the joystick mount plates are in, but just before the overlay goes on?  I haven't been able to find a good picture of that point in the process.  I've just been confused by the fact that Happs joysticks seem to have a lip on the top of their base and then the middle is slightly lower than the rest of the stick.  Does that affect laying down the overlay at all?

Hah, sorry if that is a pain in the ass!  If it is, don't bother... but it never hurts to ask! ...right? 

[Knievel]

Yea it looks pretty nice, even darker in person. I made up a big batch so no worries there.

Yes the Happ joy mounting plates are recessed in the center. When I was using glossy paper for my art I would just lay it loose over the mounts and then cover it with 1/8" plexiglass. Never had any issues with the art dipping into the recess.

Now that I'm using the self-adhesive vinyl overlays from mamemarquees.com I cut cardboard spacers and fit them into the mounting plate recesses to support the overlay in those areas. And then I still cover the CP with plexiglass.

I'll take pics of this one but you can see some I took of the Arcadeus CP as I was building it, over in Jontox's blog.. http://arcadeus.over-blog.net/album-128340.html

[n3rrd]

Now that I'm using the self-adhesive vinyl overlays from mamemarquees.com I cut cardboard spacers and fit them into the mounting plate recesses to support the overlay in those areas. And then I still cover the CP with plexiglass.

I wish I was that clever.    I had seen those pictures before, too.  Haha, I can't get over how nice your panels are.  And you say it's all the template?  So, basically like Drew's sawboard but for your router instead?

I apologize for all the questions, Knievel.  I'm just interested, that's all.

[Timoe]

WOW, I really like the look of the CP box.  That's some nice plywood.  You're already giving me ideas for the next cab and I haven't even finished my first!

I'd like to see how Knievel makes his templates as well as get a peak at the templates themselves but here is a link to how I made mine.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=51235.0

 

[Veinman]

Excellent craftsmanship! Next will be the rolltop desk cab.

[Crafty]

Looking at your woody gives me a .....

I thouroughly enjoy your projects keep them coming...

[Knievel]

Finally..a woody joke.

Good writeup Tim, never saw that before. Here's a look at the templates I use to make my standard CP top..



So I got a few coats of stain on the maple CP overlay and just sprayed it with a matte clearcoat...



And here's a pic of the CP top with the joy and trackball plates all installed...



I'm going to glue it up tonight. So what I'll end up with is a sandwich of 5/8" MDF, 1/8" stained maple ply, and then I'll top it with my usual 1/8" plexiglass cover. The bottom edge of the MDF will be bevelled slightly to get the 3/4" thickness required for the t-mold.

Made up the keyboard drawer today as well. The front is angled to match the angle of the bottom half of the cabinet. Not very exciting but here's a pic, that bottom piece is just there to hold the angle...

[Cornchip]

   You do have a thing for scale. What are your outside dimensions for your CP top? It's a great layout.

[Knievel]

This one is 34"x14".
My usual tops are 35"x16" so it's a little smaller, the control layout is the same though.

[n3rrd]

Just out of curiosity, what type of joysticks are going in this panel?  Has he decided on a color for the buttons?

Oh, and did those joysticks need the little sheet of cardboard, or is that how they normally look? 

[MikeDeuce]

Awesome work, Knievel! This is going to be a classy one.

When you say you're going to glue it up, are you planning on gluing the maple ply on to the MDF substrate? Just curious if that locks in the trackball/joysticks... not that I hear of these components failing often in personal machines, but just curious

thanks for the links/mention, too

[Timoe]

So I see your templates.  Thank you.

What kind of router bit do you use with those templates?  Do you use a patern bit with the bearing on the top or do you use a regular mortising bit with the base plate bushing?


Oh and I love the panel and the technique.  It just looks so clean.

Question number 2:  What is the diameter of the hole for the joystick, 1"?  Assuming you are using Happ sticks.

[Knievel]

Just out of curiosity, what type of joysticks are going in this panel?  Has he decided on a color for the buttons?

Oh, and did those joysticks need the little sheet of cardboard, or is that how they normally look? 

Happ Super joysticks, Happ 3" USB/PS2 trackball, regular Happ buttons and a Slikstik Tornado spinner...everything in black. No cardboard fillers needed this time, since the overlay is rigid 1/8" plywood.

Awesome work, Knievel! This is going to be a classy one.

When you say you're going to glue it up, are you planning on gluing the maple ply on to the MDF substrate? Just curious if that locks in the trackball/joysticks... not that I hear of these components failing often in personal machines, but just curious

thanks for the links/mention, too

Thanks Mike, hopefully this will draw more attention to your labels. I know you do it as a service for everyone here. I realize the labour that goes into weeding the vinyl..you are not in it for the money.

Yes I am gluing the ply overlay to the MDF, it will make the joystick bases permanent. The guts of a Super joy are accessable from the bottom so that shouldn't be an issue. As for the trackball it mounts from underneath so it can be removed anytime if required.

So I see your templates.  Thank you.

What kind of router bit do you use with those templates?  Do you use a patern bit with the bearing on the top or do you use a regular mortising bit with the base plate bushing?


Oh and I love the panel and the technique.  It just looks so clean.

Question number 2:  What is the diameter of the hole for the joystick, 1"?  Assuming you are using Happ sticks.

Tim I use a regular straight 1/4" bit with a base plate bushing system.

The holes are 1 1/8", same size as the buttons. 1" would be fine with the Happ's too.


Hope to get the CP finished tomorrow..check back for pics 

[Crafty]

Finally..a woody joke.

Has anyone ever told you you're far too quick as well....


This project is moving at a frenetic pace...

Looking fantastic though

[ericball]

I'd be interested in any hints and tips WRT finishing maple.  Eventually I'll get all the cutting done for my cocktail cab (also maple ply) and I'll have to stain the beast.

[Knievel]

Well I knew going in that maple is hard to stain dark and it's taken a lot of coats to get there. Hopefully you're going for more of a oak finish which shouldn't be difficult. If your cabinet is still in pieces I would suggest staining it now with the Minwax Poly-Shades product, It's a stain and poly all-in-one and really produces a nice easy finish. 2 or 3 coats, sanding in between, should do it.

So I got the CP assembled and wired up yesterday. Haven't taken any pics of the topside yet but here's the wiring job. Was fairly easy by my standards, no LED's to wire for a change.

[MYX]

Where do you buy your wire? I went to Frys as they had wonderful solid strand wire, but none in blue. I bought a bunch of it in all sorts of colors. Now, I understand that the wirecolor makes NO difference to how the thing works. But, If you want it to look good then color does matter. Anyway, wardjigetit?

Also, roughly how many feet of wire of the blue did you use?

[Knievel]

Head to Home Depot and follow the *ding-dong* sounds. A roll of green for the grounds and a roll of another color for the control wires will cover a CP like this one.
There's 65' per roll and it's 20 gauge. Up here they've normally got green, yellow, purple, red and blue in stock.

I wouldn't suggest solid wire if you are the type of person who is constantly lifting the lid and mucking around in your CP box. If you bend the stuff enough times it will break..

[javeryh]

Looks great!  You do such a clean wiring job - totally opposite of the rats nest I created...

[gamecreature]

Rat's nest? Compared to mine, yours looks like an operating theatre!

[BlinKY1337]

Your wiring jobs are so clean