Humble beginings

[Drunkraccoons]

Humble beginings
This is my first mame build or first build of anything for that matter .
Im 17years old and from New Zealand (dont write me off )
Any constructive criticism,information or do's and dont's of mame cabinets would be greatly appreciated
Ive decided on what i was going to do based on nostalgia of the game mk1
i want it to be as close as possible to the original cab and maybe with some slight adjustments to the
speakers and such since i will also run a jukebox off mame.
im fluent with wiring and building pc's and have a couple of friends that do car audio often so
hopefully the car speakers will not be a problem  
i will be going with a tv monitor and not lcd  

i will think about adding a low profile or unseen keyboard draw with a wireless slim keyboard to go with it
this might mean having no handles on the draw and adding a push draw to it only slides out when its given a decent push in.ive gotten my plans from http://www.jakobud.com/plan.php?id=19 these where the best i could get for this .i will be using

-X3 Regular Density 18mm MDF i should have really got   16mm but never mind  

i will be doing the project regularly but not daily due to borrowing tools on and off trips out to the store.
as of now im ruling up the MDF according to the plans and getting a skill saw this weekend .

the running blog will be at http://drunkraccoons.blogspot.com
ill also be posting here
looking forward to the project to come with all the challenges that go with it  

[Encryptor]

Welcome and good luck! 

[muggsy]

Good stuff. I'm from Auckland and just started with this craze.. got a cabinet built for me (just wooden frame).. and finishing it up, but this had made me think long and hard about my next project which at this moment will be a full size MK1 cabinet.. or maybe a bartop..

Heres a good thread for some artwork as well
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=81809.0

[Drunkraccoons]

Thanks Encryptor hopefully i can be more successful then some others my age building a cabinet  
Hey muggsy im from south Auckland (the ghetto)  
i knew from the start i was going to make it for my first cabinet but i did have a bit of inner
conflict over making this or a ghouls and ghosts machine  
 i have had good memory's playing this old game in an old pizza hut
when you could dine in  
and is it just me or is it so  hard to find side art that's of really high quality for this game  

[Drunkraccoons]

just an update sorry for disappearing off the face of the earth i bet it happens alot around here  
just have generated some funds and bought a circular saw.
and i have 66 dollars to get this thing standing  
i have / can borrow
drill
cabinet screws
liquid nails wood glue
sandpaper

i need to get tomorrow to start work tomorrow
2/4 wood for bottom bracing and tv mount
stripwood for attaching parts to
dustmasks for mdf
clamps
wheels for bottom
wood filler primer

is there any thing im missing?

the point of this post is to ask how i would go about bottom support since mk1 has the kickplate sticking out
has anyone got or know a forum post showing deatils of building the bottom and supports?
this will need to support the cabinet which has a tv screen so its heavy

I promise pictures tomorrow if i can get a guide on the bottom 

[Drunkraccoons]

Challenge 1#

cutting straight this is my first time using a circular saw and im learning the hard way after 2 cuts i decided to leave it  
the lines on the front are hard to judge at best i dont even know what side should my pencil lines be on to get it cut right
to scared to to anymore cuts in fear of destroying my mdf hopefully i can figure this one out before its to late.
will try and get some clamps and wood to cut along side instead of going freehand

[DCsegaDH]

Use the guide of the circular saw against a straight piece of wood and clamp it down and then it should be good for some straight cuts. I hope this helps

[EwJ]

Challenge 1#

cutting straight this is my first time using a circular saw and im learning the hard way after 2 cuts i decided to leave it   

See the 2nd thread in the woodworking section to make a 'sawboard' (basically a ripfence to clamp down to guide the saw rather than the material).

[Drunkraccoons]

thanks guys im going out to the hardware store tomorrow to get clamps and wood ill have another crack at it

[syph007]

Ive tried, but I could never get a finished edge cut with a circular saw I was happy with.  The saw board is good for a staight line cut though.  My technique is similar though, i close cut with a jigsaw, then use a sawboard type fence with my router to finish the edge.

[Drunkraccoons]

a little update im on track again
ive cut out both sides and sanded them nicely for the most part  
i should be glueing the inside strips on to drill everything into tomorrow
will upload pics

it must be bad for my health though i don't have a respirator all i have is a rag tied around my nose and mouth 
i close cut with a poor jigsaw that the blade fell out every 10 seconds of drilling because the blade bolts suck and undo themselves 
and i hand block sanded all the sides

[DaOld Man]

Do you know anyone you can borrow a router from?
You can rough cut with the jig saw then even it up with the router.
You will need it to cut t molding slots anyway, if you plan on installing t molding.
Just be careful, a router turns very fast and can get out of control before you know it.
Be careful with all power tools. You need to fix that jigsaw blade, Im not sure how, but just remember with all power tools, unplug them from the power before messing with the cutting parts.
It only takes a split second to cut yourself bad.
The rag for the air mask should be ok as long as you have it tied tight so dust cant get in around it.
Not sure if you guys have Walmarts over there, but here you can get those paper masks with the rubber bands on them very cheap.
Dont forget safety glasses and earplugs too. If you cant afford safety glasses you can use a pair of sunglasses if you are cutting the wood outside in the bright light.
Take your time. I have found myself getting in a hurry especially when Im running out of time on a project. But getting in a hurry is a very bad thing. Keep telling yourself that this project or any other one is not worth a trip to the hospital.
Good luck, and Im looking forward to seeing your progress.

I also kept a blog on my third project. Here it is if you are interested:
http://skennys-arcade.blogspot.com/