oh no!not another cabinet build!

[saleem]

yes,its another cabinet build.

i am gonna try and do a detailed build without getting technical because i aint the technical type.

like most i am building upright,probably 2 player setup,might ditch second player setup and put spinner and trackball instead where player 2 is concerned.horizontal monitor.

i cut the first side today seeing as its not rainy and as freezing as it was (i am in united kingdom),i got my inspiration (if i did get any) from the lowboy i saw posted/bumped thread the other day,so i went for that kind of look but,with difference.so basicly i just made it up as i wanted something different and i dont want the big control panel layout
 

i sanded the edges of the cut to size side,i got it relativley straight where i want it,i have used it to trace the other side out and i cut it out overcutting it,i have got it clamped up now for tomorrow for routing the excess off.


its 12mm mdf,i didnt want heavier stuff as i am 7 floors up and its too much lugging,i couldnt even get the sheets into the lift,me and my mate brian (big thanks to him) had to treps it up 7 floors.

so all i know doing the homework i have done is that i will have to buy 1/2" tmolding and the only one i seen so far is on tmolding.com and is white,so until i get some advice it looks like i have to use white tmolding.

the cost so far is:
£70 with delivery for 4x 8x4 12mm mdf sheets.

will update.

[Silas (son of Silas)]

i cut the first side today seeing as its not rainy and as freezing as it was (i am in united kingdom)

Wow! I don't think it got above 4 degrees today. I considered getting the tools out but I figured it was too cold. You've put me to shame!

[saleem]

that balconys 7 floors up and it was pretty cold especialy with the wind chill.i think february is usaly the coldest month of year if i am not mistaken,so i will have to get some plastic to cover it over or bring it inside the flat to stop it getting damaged.

i do the routing tomorrow and probably get the tmolding slots cut for both sides.i am 7 floors up and it is still pretty cold and i got a bad neighbour who complains under me.

i will be using baton method for holding the thing together,glue and screws.i got my eyes on some laminate,so i might even laminate it.but,it all depends on what my pocket can afford.£100 for 3 laminate sheets,i will ahve to wait and see.i spent £160 on clamps gearing up to the build.

[saleem]

i managed to route out side 2 of the cabinet yesterday but,i did not do the tmolding slot as i didnt have a substantial way of tightening the collet of the router.i bought a router (freud) off ebay ages ago and it was 1/2 for a set of 1/2 inch slot cutter set i bought,it didnt have a collet spanner so i have been making do with pliers which were no good as the bit slips.this is where tesco came in as i went shopping for a spanner and i was suprised how many places had them but,in £16.99 sets and the seperate ones/adjustables were not big enough.well tescos had a perfect adjustable so i cut the tmolding slot,i had slight prob though as when i set the depth i kept routing out the slot and it was off centre,so i had to route it out like 3 times so it aint how i would have wanted it but,its done and the tmolding will hide the fact the slot is too big:


it is dark right now outside and i had no good light source so i brought the cab sides inside to work on it and i decide to put the top on the cabinet.i bought a guide clamp as i want straight cuts and i am well happy with the way it guides the jigsaw,no more slanted/wobbly cuts:


and heres the top fitted:


i bought planed 2x1 for the batons and a box of 1 1/4 screws.i will continue with the cab tomorrow,perhaps the front and the bottom,i will see tomorrow.

the 4x 7ft planed 2x1 + box of 200 1 1/4 screws were £7.

total cost so far £77.

[Franco B]

You have been using a router that you have tightened the collet with a pair of pliers??! 
        

Dude, step away from the power tools! You really don't want a bit, especially a slot cutter running at 20k+ revs coming out the collet and flying towards your crown jewels   

I know what you mean about the weather though, its gone fooking freezing again. I ended up routing in the kitchen this weekend 

[saleem]

everything is sorted now,it was in the past i was using the pliers to tighten the collet,now i got a pretty sturdy for £2.79 adjustable from tesco.with the tmolding slot cutting,i think my prob was i was not locking the router in posistion and i think the adjustments i did with the turny thing (dont know what its called) i think it kept slipping,as i saw the handle vibrating as i was cutting.

i thought bugger it so i fitted the other side to the top so now its sort of standing.

sideways on,you can see the curved shape i had planned for the monitor area but,i ditched it and went minimalistic:


from the front it gives idea of width,i think its around 24" or thereabouts without getting tape measure out,it gets through standard door opening.


just to give idea of how its being held together:


thats just one side at the top,obviously the longer the area,the longer the baton and therefore more screws will be used,countersunk heads.will need to be sanded ever so slightly just to get a more flush finish on the corners.

hopefully another update tomorrow.i need to go shopping for castors also.

yes,glad i am inside,pity i am 7 floors up and dont have a decent work area,i will just be carefull not to ruin my carpet.i might get it outside when the weather aint too cold.

[Franco B]

Is yout t-moulding slot a little wide? If thats 12mm MDF your slot looks to me about 4mm wide.

[saleem]

yes,i tried to explain it earlier.i had the router bang on in correct posistion,i lined it up with a scrap piece of 12mm mdf.i just kept forgetting to lock the router off and it kept slipping until i realised my mistake,then i had to reset it all again and i locked it off.its adjusted with a turny handle and while i was routing i noticed the plastic handle was vibrating and i think it turned slightly resulting in tmolding groove off centre.so now i will have to hot glue the tmolding into posistion when i get it,at the mo though all i can see is 1/2" and its white.but,i am unsure of color scheme for this cab but,if white is only option i will have to go with something that compliments white tmolding,i was thinking that blue color nintendo cabs have as they are white tmolded.

[saleem]

upper rear panel fitted.i routed out 3 ventilation openings,you can see where i let the router get away from me but,a little bit of filler and sanding will get that looking lovely:


marquee area all but done:


will be working on the speaker panel next and the top of the rear where the back door will fit,i will fit a strip on the top and bottom with a groove routed out and i will route the top and bottom edges of the rear door so it will fit snug in the rear of the cab.

problem with this build was time of year and space,it is at a premium here
 

[Rusty Shackelford]

My hat goes off to you! Ive downed tools for a while because of the cold. I dont like to rout when I can't feel my hands! 7 floors up aswell I bet your neighbours love you!

[bigpete405]

Looking good . working outside is the worst , and on a balcony my hat goes off to you, I can't even imagine how cold the wind chill makes it.

[saleem]

another small update.

i done the painting round the areas where i will be working over next few days,speaker area,monitor and cp and the front panel area.i used matt black,rolled on,i like the look but,i am thinking that i will switch to satin black for a final roll over,so look at this as an undercoat.


this is the speaker panel,its not finished so its not screwed in place,i just went with a simple but,hopefully effective drilled holes approach,should let all of the arcade goodness out i think:


these are the speakers i will be upsetting my neighbours with:


just got to figure out a mounting solution,i am thinking of little shelf on the back of the speaker panel,perhaps side so the speakers slot into posistion,will suss something out.the speakers are like £15 off amazon but,these are the speakers i use on my pc,i got a monitor with built in ones so rather than spend again,i will use these,they are fantastic little speakers i think for the job.

i bought castors on ebay for the bottom.so i am waiting on them arriving so i can put the bottom on the cabinet,i am going to go for 4 castors so it wheels round easy,it will have 1 castor that locks in place.

this project is all made up as i go along and i think all in all i have not even spent a day on it.i saw bigpete is using laminate on his bartops and it is getting me thinking about some laminate for the sides now.
 

[saleem]

fitted some grill and a small shelf on the rear of the speaker panel,now its fixed into posistion:


the monitor bezel is cut:


i left a gap at the back for 3mm plexi when i get it:


my intentions is to have the monitor bezel and the cp joined.they will be joined with 2 brackets that give a slant bend/angle.i intend to have the whole lot on a toggle latch system,the top of the monitor bezel will slip under the speaker panel,the front will be toggle latched so it all stays closed firm,want to remove it,i just undo the toggle latchs and lift the whole job lot off,you can see the brackets and the toggle latchs in this pic:


i need 1 more length of 2x1 and i have to order a plexi glass for the monitor/cp bezel,i will have to bend it where the monitor bezel and cp are joined together.

i can sort a mount for the monitor and decase an 18" i got laying round,get it fitted and then remove it and put it back at the end,now this is bit testing for me as i have to cut a square for the monitor bezel so the monitor can be seen.i will probably make a frame as a template or try to use the actualy front of the monitor when its removed,i will see whats best.

i have basicly worked from the top down on this build as i dont have the castors,when they come i will do the bottom of the cabinet and then it will wheel around.then i can move onto the front and do the back door.
 

[ark_ader]

Did you cut out your MDF with just a jig saw?

Ditto the freaking cold weather. 

[saleem]

everything bar the second side of the cabinet (which was routed out) was cut using a guide clamp and jigsaw.the first side of the cabinet was all done using jigsaw freehand (no guide clamp)

i will be starting the bottom tomorrow as i got the 4 castors today from ebay.i will also be hopefully routing out the monitor bezel opening for the screen.then i can move onto cutting the cp to size and the monitor mounting solution (dont know exactly how but,i will do it).then after that its just the front of the cabinet and the rear and sorting out the stick and button layout.but,this will have a monitor bezel and cp that will lift out as one whole unit (if it gos according to plan) so wont be prob me thinks.

[saleem]

fitted the monitor bezel and cp.

i cut out the opening for the monitor screen and i joined the bezel and the cp together with the hinges:


this is what it looks like now:


tomorrow its front to do as i am starting to run out of 2x1 so i will have to buy another lenght on monday so i can sort the bottom out.

[bigpete405]

Nice job. I hate running out of materials in the middle of the project also.

[saleem]

i am nearly finished with the monitor bezel.i got a scrap piece of mdf and put it under the bezels support.i then drilled three holes and then screwed some 2x1 there.i did the same for both sides and then cut a square piece of mdf that i could slip up the groove between the 2x1 for the bezel and the 2x1 for the monitor support.i then just placed the bezel which was already cut for the monitor on the piece of mdf and clamped it in place and routed out the same opening.

heres the finished monitor bezel and the monitor support:


this pick will give you idea of how i mounted the monitor support,see the 2x1?thats for the monitor bezel,then theres the monitor support piece and 2x1 under that.i test fitted the monitor:


heres the monitor bezel in place:



the monitor just needs some wood around it for support but,the monitor is not screwd in at all.this will stop the monitor slipping from side to side and up and down,i can just lift the monitor out whenever i want to then.there is just a fine gap between the bezel and monitor near the bottom on both sides of the monitor,just a mm or 2 but,i will sort it out so it sits absolute flush with the monitor.

its been a real head scratcher,i came up with all sorts of things for this and after lots of thinking about the materials i had it was so obvious what the solution was.
 
 

[bigpete405]

good job. That monitor fits like a glove 

[saleem]

fitted the front of the cabinet today:



its well night time here in uk and its dark,so sorry for bad pics.

i spent another £3 on 2 x planed 2x1 bringing the total spent so far to:
£80

1 mdf sheet i will not need unless i mess up bad so deducting the price of that sheet with delivery cost out of the £70 for 4 will make total spent on the cabinet to:
£66

i need to do the back and the bottom.i then need to go about sorting out the screw holes,fill and sand then i need the plexi for the monitor bexel and cp,1 whole piece with a bend in it (that will be challenging,bending the plexiglass)
 

[saleem]

i got to work on the rear of the cabinet today.

i took a better pic of the cabinet from the front while it was still day time as the other photos i posted dont flatter the cab as much as they are inferior quality:


i sorted the rear out and the door:


just need to fit a piece of metal to the bottom of the door for a lip and fit a lock to the top so it can be shut and stay shut.i have to line up the 2x1 on either side inside of the cabinet that the rear door sets against also and screw it into posistion.

then its just the bottom and the castors.so will update when i do some more to it.
 

[saleem]

fitted the bottom and castors today.i cut out a square flat piece of mdf for the bottom first and got it roughly fitted loose (no screws etc) in the cabinet:

i just went a little bit overboard where the 2x1 is,but,its the bottom of the cabinet and wont show anyway.

i then screwed in 2x1 on the sides and then screwed the bottom to that.there is a longer piece in the middle,tthats actualy loose,i might remove it or glue and screw it in place.i drilled out the holes for the bolts that hold the castors on and fitted them:


the castors were purchased off ebay,they were what i was looking for but,they was messy when i got them,they are used of course,i cleaned them best i could but,they get the cab rolling round the way i want it to:


i fitted a piece of metal on the bottom of the rear door,a lock with key to the top but,i need to fit the other part of the lock to the cabinet itself so the lock stays shut and the door wont drop off (not that is does anyway)

i got the 3mm plexiglass today,i have to get an heat gun so i can put a subtle bend in the plexi for the monitor bezel and cp,they are joined.i should have enough for the marquee also.i will try routing some scrap plexi first to see what it is like to work with.

so the castors cost me £19 and the plexiglass cost me £19 also.

the total cost so far is £118.

soon i will be doing the cosmetics.
 

[saleem]

fitted a shelf:


view from back now:


i will start filling screw holes with wood filler and sanding down.i am thinking i will laminate the project.just the 2 sides and the front panel.everything else can be painted black satin i think.
 

[saleem]

i cut the plexiglass for the monitor bezel and the cp,i also cut two pieces for the marquee (not pictured) there are no retainers so i cant put the marquee plexi there to show,the plexi for the monitor/cp needs to have a few holes drilled through it and the bezel/cp so i can bolt the plexi in place.more about that later as i will be starting the cosmetics very soon.the plexi looks blue as its still got the potective covering on.

i fitted a marquee light,its a plug powered cabinet fluorescent light,it aint the worlds brightest so there is no worries about light shining out the back:


i got glue coming and 3 sheets of laminate,i plan on laminating the sides and the front.i might do the speaker panel also.i intend to paint the sides of the cabinet satin black where the bezel is as seen in the picture.

cost of marquee light was £12 so total now is £130.

[emphatic]

I like that one-piece plexi idea lots. Is it completely flat, or do you plan on bending it slightly? I've seen people bend plexi by first putting it into an oven.

[saleem]

the plexi was only 3mm thick so i can actualy just push it down with 1 finger and it takes up the natural curve where the bezel and cp meet.it is bent ever so slightly if you look.

the idea is,the monitor bezel and cp are toggle latched.the plei will be coach bolted (nicely) to that.when i want to i can just unlatch it and the whole lot will lift off.

[saleem]

i am revising the project,quite a lot,like from scratch.the project was too big for me to work on where i live so i have had to revise the project to be smaller so i can cart it round better.

i got the laminate and when i had applied it,it was getting damaged to the point where i had to put another layer onto one side twice.i cant do that type of work inside my flat or on the veranda and when it was going over the thresholds of the doors it was clipping and getting damaged.so i thought best was to shrink it down a lot before i did any further damage.so i will update the thread when i start getting the components together from this one and with the materials i have left at my disposal.

[saleem]

well update time!

all i lost was both sides of the cab as they had 2x1 screwed onto them with laminate covering the screw holes,never mind.

so i shrunk it down to a laminated bartop project.

i cut both sides profiles and i have laminated both sides (it still has the protective covering on so it looks tatty cos of that) of each side and tmolding slot is cut:




am undecided,i am going to use 2x1 batons,but,i dont know whether to glue them in place or screw them in?

will decide,i aint rushing this one,the original build was done fast and came out real good,just too big a build where i live.laminating was a royal pain in the butt.

the bartop sides are like (donkey kong blue if i aint mistaken on donkey kong cab color) i got enough laminate,just had to rebuy some glue.nice and steady as she gos on this for sure.

just need to get it standing.
 

[saleem]

got the bartop standing:
thats an 18" monitor.

view from side angle:


rear view of monitor:


basicly i have the monitor bezel from the other project,i used that as a stensil for cutting the monitor mount,i just outlined the whole monitor,then i lined up the bezel ontop of that and drew the outline using the profile.so i had the areas marked around the edge so i could route out some of the mdf so the monitor actualy sits into the mount,it wont move in any direction.


now i just wait till the glue is dried then i know what area i got to work on for the cp and marquee/speaker.

[saleem]

monitor bezel fitted but,not quite finished,it is removable.i laminated it,the inside edge where the monitor is needs sorting:


marquee and speaker area,laminated:


what she looks like now:


a dramatic change from the original build?
 

[bigpete405]

That looks great Saleem 

[saleem]

got my tmolding delivered today from t-molding.com.

fitted it this evening (well its night time actualy)



i fitted the upper and lower parts of the rear,i have the back door cut but,it just needs a little sanding to get it fitting perfectly,got to buy some sandpaper so i can sand it down rather than plane so i avoid spoiling it by taking too much off.i painted the upper/lower back and the underneath in matt black.i also fitted some rubber feet.

once the back door is fitted and painted all thats left is to fit the cp (will be pain the bum) as i want it to fold out or similarly lift up on hinges or something.then its just light for marquee and i got the plexi that just needs trimming to fit over the bezel and marquee.
 

[saleem]

backdoor fitted.3 air holes for ventilation,no lock fitted yet,i want to get the door used to being opened and closed,removed before i fit a lock,so saves messing as i will probably have to remove the rear door to power on the pc:


this is the pc i will be using,its a turncades pc (what you find in their arcade cabinets) its fully loaded with everything,also i bougth it with a minipac with harness and gnd harness,its ps2,off ebay for £64 delivered:


so this is where i am at now:


speaks for itself what needs doing.the cp will probably be a royal pain in the butt to do.
 

[emphatic]

Looks very nice now! 

Will the control panel only use a 1 player layout (joystick + buttons)?

[saleem]

hopefully,the turncades pc is setup for 2 players (6 buttons each) with credit buttons,player buttons and 4 admin.

so i can use their defaults i will just miss player 2 and its 6 buttons.the admin buttons use buttons 7+8 off both players.

so should hopefully end up.1 player (6 buttons) with credit and 1p/2p buttons and 4 admin buttons.i would like to get a spinner in there if possible as i have a spintrak and i might add 2 buttons for left and right (directional) for games like asteroids as i hate using the stick.2 dedicated buttons for left and right would go nice.but,i have less than 23" there for it all.i might get the admin buttons on the front panel of the cp area but,i got to think about how to have the cp removable,so it might be all in one or 2 pieces with the front piece fastened permanently to the cab.but,then theres the question of fastening the cp down,might be magnetic catchs i go for as toggle are out due to the way i constructed the part where the monitor bezel rests on.

the protective plastic coating is still on the laminate so it makes it look worse but,it should look nice when i peel it off.but,i got to agree with those who have said it in the past,laminate is by far better than paint.
 

[bigpete405]

Awesome work Saleem  can't wait to see more. 

[saleem]

i cut the plexi glass for my monitor bezel today and i went and buggered it up.i was using 3 grip clamps on it also.as i was going round with the router it must have made the plexi slip so when i hgad gone all the way round i found i took extra off one area where i had previously cut it.so now i got to replace it with a new piece off ebay.


you can see where the tmolding is scraped with the monitor bezel,its not too bad and when its finished i can just clean it up so its not got fine bits hanging off it.the tmolding was 1/2" as i used 12mm mdf and it just overhangs a tad bit.once its finished the monitor bezel stays in place,it can be lifted out to get to the monitor but,until its naffed it dont need to be touched.

just got to fit that cp also the front part is done and button holes cut.i am a lazy bugger!:


the plastic protective coating is still on the laminate so if it looks scruffy it wont once its piulled off.
 

[saleem]

pulled all the plastic protective covering off the laminate.i cut the cp to size and laminated it.

what i am after if i can find something to do the job is like a strip of some kind that can sit between the area where the cp comes into contact with the monitor bezel:


heres the bartop as it looks at the mo:


just need the stick/button and spinner layout marking out and drilling and a tmolding slot at the front for a piece of tmolding.
 

[Epyx]

what i am after if i can find something to do the job is like a strip of some kind that can sit between the area where the cp comes into contact with the monitor bezel

Home Depot has white angled plastic (1/2") that you can spray any colour and slide in there. You could slide it in so the one plastic side tucks in under the plexi and bezel and the other just provides a 1/2" colour trim along the bottom.

It's the same stuff I used for my FF bartop marquee retainer...you can see it in that project and determine if it will work for you.

[saleem]

i live in united kingdom but,i will find somethiong to dop the job,after all i still got to find retainers for the marquee.

just i aint in big rush to finish the job,steady as she gos sort of thing.

thanks for advice though,appreciated.