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Someone name a different material other than MDF to build a cabinet out of

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slicer_d:
Popsicle sticks, rubberbands, and duct tape!!!  With that you can build/fix anything!!!!  ;D

Wienerdog:

--- Quote from: egomaniacal1 on February 12, 2004, 02:35:39 pm ---LOL

Ok....thanks for all the replies guys....i'm still leaning toward the Poplar but the Balsa with sheet metal sounds good too. I only want to get away from the MDF's weight becuz i'm thinking ahead to having to move the thing!! And my design for the cab(actually a half cab....bottom part kinda like the console of the 6-player X-men arcade) as i have it thought up now is going to be massive.

--- End quote ---

Let me save you some time and just tell you to stop looking at Poplar.  If you were at Lowes pricing tools, you don't have the tools needed to build a cab from solid Poplar.  At a minimum, you would need a joiner and planer, about six 4 foot bar clamps, and some experience doing a glue up (a six foot board is not easy).  I give you credit for picking the right wood though, Poplar is the right choice for a solid wood that you are going to paint.  It's just not practical unless can glue up panels in your sleep.

As for the weight problem, I totally agree.  I laugh because I made three trips to the big orange box (HD) to pick up 3/4" MDF.  Each time, I went home without it because I couldn't beleive how heavy it was.  After a couple weeks, I would think "everyone else uses it, I'll just tough it out and get it home."  I'd go back to HD and start the cycle over.

After working on my upright cab for a while now, I can pass on something I learned.  I would have HD strip down all of the wood to my width + 1".  I decided to bring home the 4x8 sheets because I don't trust the store to cut it right.  It is very difficult to handle a 4x8 sheet of 3/4" anything.  Even if making the sloppy cuts causes you to buy an extra sheet of wood, DO IT.  

NoOne=NBA=:
I've also been thinking about doing an entire cabinet out of Legos.

I always thought that would look really great, especially If you could work the sideart into the Legos themselves.

paigeoliver:
I wouldn't even think about building a cabinet out of anything other than plywood. Go to an old warehouse and pull out 2 game from 1981, one made from plywood, one made from something else, and compare the difference in condition.

Oh, and for the guy talking about a metal cabinet. I am pretty sure Bally made some metal Sac-1 cabinets. It wouldn't be that bad weightwise if it didn't have a frame.

Other unique cab materials include.

Plastic (Williams Duramold, some import cabs).
Fiberglass (Computer Space, some 70s Shark game, perhaps others)

Snarbald:

--- Quote from: NoOne=NBA= on February 13, 2004, 12:21:30 am ---I've also been thinking about doing an entire cabinet out of Legos.

I always thought that would look really great, especially If you could work the sideart into the Legos themselves.

--- End quote ---

Why didn't anyone say that while there was still a lego store in the mall? (you could buy legos by the liter as opposed to buying a bunch of buckets and ending up with a million spare parts in the end)

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