How thin can you route the wood under the joysticks?

[Aabra]

I realize that this largely depends on the type of wood you're using which is half the reason I'm asking this.  (I want to try and decide what type of wood to get.)

I'm going to be installing a couple of U360s for my control panel but I realize that the sticks are very short.  I don't want any knuckle scrapping action going on but I also would like to avoid using the long handles if at all possible. 

I won't be covering the cp with plexi, only vinyl so I'd like to bottom mount the joysticks to make sure everything stays flush and nice.  (It also keeps things simpler.)

This means that I have no choice but to route out the underside of the CP before bottom mounting the joysticks.  How thin will I need to route the wood to get the u360s up to an acceptable height and what's the maximum amount I can remove without sacrificing much in the way of sturdiness?

[javeryh]

If you are going to install them with bolts through the top of the CP I'd go down to 1/8" but if you are trying to mount them so only the joystick shows through I'd go to 3/8" MAX and then I'd install some blocks from underneath to make sure it is held tight in place.

[Kevin77]

The most complex part in putting together a custom joystick controller can be determining and implementing the mounting of the joystick. You have to figure the best method for securing that mounting plate somewhere under that top piece of the control panel.